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School district · Kentucky · LEAID 2104620

Owsley County

Owsley County sits in the lowest third of Kentucky districts on estimated teacher pay at $41,738 (above only 0% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Owsley County come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$41,738
Est. avg teacher salary

Well below benchmark

$20,162
Per-pupil spending
785
Students enrolled
0th
Pct. in KY
$41,738

Owsley County sits in the lowest third of Kentucky districts on estimated teacher pay at $41,738 (above only 0% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Estimated average teacher salary is $41,738, below the national average of $70,245, serving 785 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Lower-third pay in state: Owsley County sits in the lowest third of Kentucky districts on estimated teacher pay at $41,738 (above only 0% of in-state peers with reliable estimates).
  • 0th percentile for Kentucky
  • 2nd percentile nationally
  • 27% of spending reaches instructional salaries
  • Kentucky ranks #40 of 49 on the salary estimate and #24 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • Owsley County ranks #171 of 171 Kentucky districts by estimated teacher salary and #22 of 171 by per-pupil spending. Jefferson County pay #1 at $73,395 is not Newport Independent spending #1 at $28,225 per pupil
  • +16.9% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)

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Instructional payroll mix vs Kentucky median

Among 171 Kentucky districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, Owsley County's instructional payroll puts 82.6% into regular program , 2.8 points above the state median of 79.8%. Regular-program teachers claim more of the instructional salary pool here than at the median Kentucky district.

Program Owsley County KY median Gap
Regular program 82.6% 79.8% +2.8 pp
Special education 15.0% 16.6% -1.6 pp
Vocational programs 2.4% 0.2% +2.2 pp
Other programs 0.0% 1.5% -1.5 pp

Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 171 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 2104620 · FY2023.

LEAID 2104620 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Owsley County F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-LOW -26% vs state RANK-ST-LOW P0 in state RANK-NAT-LOW P2 national PPE-MID $20K/pupil ENR-SMALL 785 students INSTR-LOW 27% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Dawson FY-2023-LIGHT FY2023 book

FY2023: $41,738 estimated average teacher salary · P0 in Kentucky · P2 nationally · 27% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Montgomery (+$8,900est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Owsley County

Salary neighbourhood · Owsley County

Owsley 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 Owsley County

Owsley County's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$41,738 2nd percentile higher than 2% 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%). This entry sits in this band. $50,000–$60,000: 2,382 US districts (22%). Above this entry. $60,000–$70,000: 2,402 US districts (22%). Above this entry. $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. Owsley 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

Owsley County in Kentucky's lower-third pay band

Same 171 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)

est. avg salary

What this shows Owsley County ranks #171 of 171 Kentucky districts by estimated teacher salary and #22 of 171 by per-pupil spending. Jefferson County pay #1 at $73,395 is not Newport Independent spending #1 at $28,225 per pupil

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

The same districts by per-pupil spending

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

per pupil

What this shows Newport Independent leads spending at $28,225 per pupil; Jefferson County leads pay.

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

What stands out about Owsley County

  • It ranks in the bottom 5% nationally for estimated teacher pay, above only 2% of districts.
  • Estimated teacher pay here rose +16.9% between FY2019 and FY2023, outpacing Kentucky's statewide +13.0% by 4.0 points, a growth rate faster than 71% of the 160 Kentucky districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.

This pay stretches further than the headline figure suggests

Nominal district estimate
$41,738.462

The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.

Kentucky price level
89.9 / 100

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

National-price equivalent
$46,433

+11% versus the nominal figure.

Prices in Kentucky 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 Kentucky 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 Owsley County

What the Numbers Say About Owsley County

Owsley County is a small school district in Kentucky, serving 785 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $20,162. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $41,738, placing the district in the high-investment tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 2104620 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the Kentucky statewide average of $56,482, teacher pay in Owsley County runs materially below the state benchmark, a 26.1% gap, and below the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (40.6% differential). Among enrolling districts in Kentucky, it pays more than 0% of them. Kentucky itself ranks #40 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.

On the budget side, Owsley County reports $15.8M in total expenditure against $15.6M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 27% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $2.2M, special-education teacher pay is $0.4M.

How does Owsley County compare?

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

Owsley County $41,738
Jefferson County $73,395
Kentucky avg $56,482
National avg $70,245

Owsley County pays -43.1% less than Jefferson County · per-pupil $20,162 vs $20,696

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 Kentucky districts

On pay, Owsley County sits closest to Dawson Springs Independent; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Dayton Independent. 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.

Closest on estimated pay
  1. Dawson Springs Independent
  2. Eminence Independent
  3. Fulton County
  4. Williamsburg Independent
  5. Russellville Independent
  6. Williamstown Independent
  7. Middlesboro Independent
  8. Lewis County
  9. Cloverport Independent
  10. Clay County
  11. Carlisle County
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Dayton Independent
  2. Trigg County
  3. Southgate Independent
  4. Dawson Springs Independent
  5. Beechwood Independent
  6. Glasgow Independent
  7. Bellevue Independent
  8. Knott County
  9. Leslie County
  10. Monroe County
  11. Lewis County

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Owsley County's smaller enrollment

Two out-of-state peer sets for Owsley County: closest on enrollment (785 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($41,738 here). Rows stay link-disjoint so each axis is a distinct neighborhood.

Similar enrollment

Nearest other districts by NCES student count (floored at ≥200).

Similar estimated salary

Nearest other districts by F-33-derived average teacher salary, distinct from the enrollment row.

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

$15.6M
Total Revenue
$15.8M
Total Expenditure
$4.3M
Instruction Salaries
27% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$2.2M
Regular Program
$0.4M
Special Education
$0.1M
Vocational

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 3 programs in Owsley County: the regular program, special education and vocational programs. It reports no separate figure for other programs. Together they are 64% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 36% pays instructional aides, paraprofessionals, substitutes and other instructional staff who are not counted as teachers here.

Kentucky Teacher Pay Overview

The highest average among comparably sized Kentucky districts belongs to Jefferson County at $73,395. At the other end, Owsley County anchors the bottom of the 161-district field, so the gap between it and the state's ceiling is close to the full spread the state average is drawn from. Kansas and West Virginia are the states closest to Kentucky 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 Kentucky districts →

Other Kentucky Districts

Smaller-district sample from 170 Kentucky peers; bar length shows pay magnitude within this enrollment band.

Russellville Independent
$47,504
1,168 students
Jackson Independent
$66,318
349 students
Trimble County
$58,178
1,236 students
Fulton Independent
$50,048
324 students
Augusta Independent
$50,595
317 students
Campbellsville Independent
$56,984
1,286 students

This is a sample of 6 from 170 Kentucky districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.

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

The average teacher salary in Owsley County is $41,738 (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 Owsley County teacher pay compare to the Kentucky average?

Owsley County pays 26.1% less than the Kentucky state average of $56,482. The district's average is $41,738.

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

Owsley County pays 40.6% below the national average of $70,245. The district average is $41,738.

What is the per-pupil spending in Owsley County?

Owsley County spends approximately $20,162 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

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

Instructional salaries account for 27% of Owsley County's total expenditure of $15.8M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Owsley 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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Editorial standards & source notes

According to the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) F-33 Local Education Agency Finance Survey, PlainTeacher's figures are computed directly, no number is typed in by an editor. Owsley County's salary and finance figures are computed directly from its FY2023 F-33 submission, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Data current as of FY2023.