School district · Alabama · LEAID 0102370

Mobile County

Mobile County is in the largest third by enrollment among comparable Alabama districts (51,979 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Mobile County come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$63,845
Est. avg teacher salary

Below benchmark

$14,922
Per-pupil spending
51,979
Students enrolled
17th
Pct. in AL
$63,845

Mobile County is in the largest third by enrollment among comparable Alabama districts (51,979 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Estimated average teacher salary is $63,845, below the national average of $70,245, serving 51,979 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Large enrollment scale: Mobile County is in the largest third by enrollment among comparable Alabama districts (51,979 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort).
  • 17th percentile for Alabama
  • 46th percentile nationally
  • 28% of spending reaches instructional salaries
  • Alabama ranks #21 of 49 on the salary estimate and #22 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • Mobile County ranks #114 of 138 Alabama districts by estimated teacher salary and #72 of 138 by per-pupil spending. Limestone County pay #1 at $118,952 is not Lowndes County spending #1 at $30,484 per pupil
  • +16.7% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)

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Instructional payroll mix vs Alabama median

Among 138 Alabama districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, Mobile County's instructional payroll puts 12.3% into special education , 2.1 points above the state median of 10.2%. That heavier special-education share usually means more of the teacher-salary pool is tied to IEP-driven staffing than at a typical Alabama peer.

Program Mobile County AL median Gap
Regular program 80.8% 81.2% -0.3 pp
Special education 12.3% 10.2% +2.1 pp
Vocational programs 3.7% 5.5% -1.8 pp
Other programs 3.2% 3.1% +0.1 pp

Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 138 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 0102370 · FY2023.

LEAID 0102370 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Mobile County F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-BELOW -6% vs state RANK-ST-LOW P17 in state RANK-NAT-LOW P46 national PPE-MID $15K/pupil ENR-MEGA 52K students INSTR-LOW 28% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Tuscaloosa FY-2023-HEAVY FY2023 book

FY2023: $63,845 estimated average teacher salary · P17 in Alabama · P46 nationally · 28% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Tuscaloosa (+$200est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Mobile County

Salary neighbourhood · Mobile County

Mobile County trails most of its in-state peer set; the chart plots it against the top and bottom pay poles for context (NCES F-33 FY2023, not a full state reprint).

est. salary
Source NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey As of FY2023
Appropriate use & corrections
National salary distribution for Mobile County

Mobile County's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$63,845 46th percentile higher than 46% of 10,684 US districts

Show national distribution $30,000–$40,000: 155 US districts (1%). Below this entry. $40,000–$50,000: 1,360 US districts (13%). Below this entry. $50,000–$60,000: 2,382 US districts (22%). Below this entry. $60,000–$70,000: 2,402 US districts (22%). This entry sits in this band. $70,000–$80,000: 1,633 US districts (15%). Above this entry. $80,000–$90,000: 1,097 US districts (10%). Above this entry. $90,000–$100,000: 662 US districts (6%). Above this entry. $100,000–$110,000: 371 US districts (3%). Above this entry. $110,000–$120,000: 249 US districts (2%). Above this entry. $120,000–$130,000: 156 US districts (1%). Above this entry. $130,000–$140,000: 112 US districts (1%). Above this entry. $140,000–$150,000: 57 US districts (1%). Above this entry. $150,000–$160,000: 25 US districts (0%). Above this entry. $160,000–$170,000: 13 US districts (0%). Above this entry. $170,000–$180,000: 10 US districts (0%). Above this entry. $180,000–$190,000: 0 US districts (0%). Above this entry. Mobile County $30,000 $190,000 every reliable-salary US district, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $10K-wide band; taller bars hold more US districts. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey, FY2023 · FY2023

Mobile County in Alabama's lower-third pay band

Same 138 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)

est. avg salary

What this shows Mobile County ranks #114 of 138 Alabama districts by estimated teacher salary and #72 of 138 by per-pupil spending. Limestone County pay #1 at $118,952 is not Lowndes County spending #1 at $30,484 per pupil

Source NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey, FY2023 As of FY2023

The same districts by per-pupil spending

Mobile County is marked; a high spending bar is not a high pay bar

per pupil

What this shows Lowndes County leads spending at $30,484 per pupil; Limestone County leads pay.

Source NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey, FY2023 As of FY2023

What stands out about Mobile County

  • With 51,979 students, it is the 78th-largest school district by enrollment among the 13,149 US districts reporting enrollment data.
  • Its total annual revenue of $793M puts it among just 120 US districts operating a budget of this size or larger, out of the 13,149 districts in the NCES CCD F-33 survey, a scale that brings dedicated budget offices, multi-year capital planning, and district-wide procurement contracts that a small district's single-person business office cannot replicate.

Scale composition for Mobile County

Mobile County enrolls 51,979 students (0.11% of the 46,412,683 students across 13,149 US districts that report enrollment in the NCES CCD F-33 survey). Only 88 districts clear the 50,000-student threshold used here - sparse districts in the 500-5,000 band cannot show a national-share read of this kind because their headcount is too small for the percentage to mean anything. Total annual revenue is $793M, putting it among 120 districts at this budget scale or larger.

Reported teacher FTE is 2,914, about 17.8 students per teacher (mega-cohort median 16.0; denser staffing than 22 of the 87 mega-districts with a usable FTE count, rank 65th densest) . At this enrollment the ratio is an aggregate across many campuses, so a single-school class-size story is the wrong read - use it to place Mobile County among other large systems, not against a 1,000-student district whose FTE is a handful of classrooms.

Instructional salaries take 28% of total expenditure on a $776M budget . Large systems carry central offices, transportation, and facilities lines that dilute the classroom share relative to a small district whose budget is almost entirely payroll - comparing that percentage across the enrollment cliff without this scale note misreads both ends.

Nearest mega-district peers by enrollment (same 50k+ cohort):

District Enrollment Est. avg salary Revenue
Clayton County · Georgia 52,186 $68,211 $836M
Omaha Public Schools · Nebraska 51,754 $74,787 $932M
Cherry Creek School District No. 5 in the county of Arapah · Colorado 52,392 $100,672 $926M
Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools · North Carolina 52,717 $50,401 $747M
Seattle School District No. 1 · Washington 51,238 $111,621 $1.40B

This pay stretches further than the headline figure suggests

Nominal district estimate
$63,845.005

The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.

Alabama price level
89.1 / 100

BEA all-items regional price parity; 100 is the U.S. average.

National-price equivalent
$71,658

+12% versus the nominal figure.

Prices in Alabama run below the national average, so this salary has roughly the buying power of the national-price equivalent above. A district in a costlier state can advertise a larger nominal salary and still leave a teacher with less.

Regional price parity: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2023 all-items RPP by state. The adjustment applies a statewide index to a district figure, so it captures how Alabama compares nationally, not how this district compares with others in its own state. Compare every state on this basis.

How this salary figure is calculated
Full NCES reading for Mobile County

What the Numbers Say About Mobile County

Mobile County is a large urban school district in Alabama, serving 51,979 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $14,922. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $63,845, placing the district in the moderately funded tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 0102370 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the Alabama statewide average of $68,221, teacher pay in Mobile County runs materially below the state benchmark, a 6.4% gap, and below the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (9.1% differential). Among enrolling districts in Alabama, it pays more than 17% of them. Alabama itself ranks #21 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.

On the budget side, Mobile County reports $775.6M in total expenditure against $793.2M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 28% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $150.3M, special-education teacher pay is $22.8M.

How does Mobile County compare?

Estimated average teacher salary versus a peer district, the Alabama average, and the national average. Pick any in-state district to compare.

Mobile County $63,845
Jefferson County $68,738
Alabama avg $68,221
National avg $70,245

Mobile County pays -7.1% less than Jefferson County · per-pupil $14,922 vs $13,684

Derived from NCES F-33 teacher salary expenditure (Z35-Z38) and CCD Staff Universe teacher FTE (FY2023); a small minority use the documented fallback. Unreliable service entities are excluded.

Data-derived comparison paths

Find comparable Alabama districts

On pay, Mobile County sits closest to Tuscaloosa County; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Huntsville City. These are not simply nearby districts: each group is selected from the same NCES FY2023 dataset using a matching salary or per-pupil-investment signal and a comparable enrollment range.

Out-of-state districts near Mobile County's enrollment scale

Two out-of-state peer sets for Mobile County: closest on enrollment (51,979 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($63,845 here). Rows stay link-disjoint so each axis is a distinct neighborhood.

Enrollment and salaries from NCES CCD F-33; estimated teacher pay can diverge widely at the same student count because of state funding, cost of living, and local bargaining.

Revenue & Expenditure

$793.2M
Total Revenue
$775.6M
Total Expenditure
$220.7M
Instruction Salaries
28% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$150.3M
Regular Program
$22.8M
Special Education
$6.9M
Vocational
$5.9M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Mobile County: the regular program, special education, vocational programs and other programs. Every program category NCES breaks out separately carries a figure here. Together they are 84% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 16% pays instructional aides, paraprofessionals, substitutes and other instructional staff who are not counted as teachers here.

Alabama Teacher Pay Overview

The highest average among comparably sized Alabama districts belongs to Limestone County at $118,952. Placed 114 of 137, Mobile County is in the lower quarter, where a state-average comparison flatters the district rather than describing it. Iowa and Louisiana are the states closest to Alabama on BEA's price parity, which makes them the fair comparison; against a costlier state this salary goes further than its number suggests.

View all Alabama districts →

Other Alabama Districts

Large-district sample from 137 Alabama peers with reliable NCES data; bar length shows pay magnitude within this slice.

This is a sample of 6 from 137 Alabama districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.

Frequently Asked Questions about Mobile County
What is the average teacher salary in Mobile County?

The average teacher salary in Mobile County is $63,845 (NCES CCD FY2023), from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by the district's reported teacher headcount (NCES CCD Staff Universe Survey).

How does Mobile County teacher pay compare to the Alabama average?

Mobile County pays 6.4% less than the Alabama state average of $68,221. The district's average is $63,845.

How does Mobile County teacher pay compare to the national average?

Mobile County pays 9.1% below the national average of $70,245. The district average is $63,845.

What is the per-pupil spending in Mobile County?

Mobile County spends approximately $14,922 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

What percentage of Mobile County's budget goes to teacher salaries?

Instructional salaries account for 28% of Mobile County's total expenditure of $775.6M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Mobile County
Disclaimer & data sources

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD). Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainTeacher

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