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School district · Arizona · LEAID 0406070

Payson Unified District (4209)

Payson Unified District (4209) is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Arizona districts (2,268 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Payson Unified District (4209) come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$53,046
Est. avg teacher salary

Well below benchmark

$13,147
Per-pupil spending
2,268
Students enrolled
9th
Pct. in AZ
$53,046

Payson Unified District (4209) is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Arizona districts (2,268 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Estimated average teacher salary is $53,046, below the national average of $70,245, serving 2,268 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Smaller enrollment scale: Payson Unified District (4209) is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Arizona districts (2,268 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort).
  • 9th percentile for Arizona
  • 22nd percentile nationally
  • 29% of spending reaches instructional salaries
  • Arizona ranks #29 of 49 on the salary estimate and #16 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • Payson Unified District (4209) ranks #138 of 152 Arizona districts by estimated teacher salary and #93 of 152 by per-pupil spending. Safford Unified District (4218) pay #1 at $99,366 is not Red Mesa Unified District (4159) spending #1 at $38,950 per pupil
  • +30.8% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)

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Instructional payroll mix vs Arizona median

Among 213 Arizona districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, Payson Unified District (4209)'s instructional payroll puts 4.8% into vocational programs , 3.2 points above the state median of 1.7%. That heavier vocational share usually means career/technical programs claim more of the teacher-salary pool than at a typical Arizona peer.

Program Payson Unified AZ median Gap
Regular program 83.0% 84.0% -1.0 pp
Special education 10.1% 10.8% -0.7 pp
Vocational programs 4.8% 1.7% +3.2 pp
Other programs 2.1% 0.0% +2.1 pp

Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 213 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 0406070 · FY2023.

LEAID 0406070 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Payson Unified F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-LOW -17% vs state RANK-ST-LOW P9 in state RANK-NAT-LOW P22 national PPE-LOW $13K/pupil ENR-SMALL 2,268 students INSTR-LOW 29% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Catalina FY-2023-LIGHT FY2023 book

FY2023: $53,046 estimated average teacher salary · P9 in Arizona · P22 nationally · 29% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Tempe (+$3,564est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Payson Unified

Salary neighbourhood · Payson Unified

Payson Unified 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 Payson Unified

Payson Unified District (4209)'s estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$53,046 22nd percentile higher than 22% 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%). This entry sits in this band. $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. This district $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

Payson Unified in Arizona's lower-third pay band

Same 152 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)

est. avg salary

What this shows Payson Unified District (4209) ranks #138 of 152 Arizona districts by estimated teacher salary and #93 of 152 by per-pupil spending. Safford Unified District (4218) pay #1 at $99,366 is not Red Mesa Unified District (4159) spending #1 at $38,950 per pupil

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

The same districts by per-pupil spending

Payson Unified District (4209) is marked; a high spending bar is not a high pay bar

per pupil

What this shows Red Mesa Unified District (4159) leads spending at $38,950 per pupil; Safford Unified District (4218) leads pay.

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

What stands out about Payson Unified District (4209)

  • Estimated teacher pay here rose +30.8% between FY2019 and FY2023, outpacing Arizona's statewide +25.8% by 5.0 points, a growth rate faster than 66% of the 199 Arizona districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.

Arizona sits close to national prices

Nominal district estimate
$53,045.83

The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.

Arizona price level
100.7 / 100

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

National-price equivalent
$52,655

-1% versus the nominal figure.

Prices in Arizona sit close to the national average, so the nominal and national-price figures tell nearly the same story here. That is not true in the most and least expensive states.

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 Arizona 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 Payson Unified District (4209)

What the Numbers Say About Payson Unified District (4209)

Payson Unified District (4209) is a small school district in Arizona, serving 2,268 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $13,147. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $53,046, placing the district in the lower-spending tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 0406070 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the Arizona statewide average of $63,921, teacher pay in Payson Unified District (4209) runs materially below the state benchmark, a 17.0% gap, and below the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (24.5% differential). Among enrolling districts in Arizona, it pays more than 9% of them. Arizona itself ranks #29 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.

On the budget side, Payson Unified District (4209) reports $29.8M in total expenditure against $33.7M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 29% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $6.2M, special-education teacher pay is $0.8M.

How does Payson Unified District (4209) compare?

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

Payson Unified District (4209) $53,046
Mesa Unified District (4235) $67,420
Arizona avg $63,921
National avg $70,245

Payson Unified District (4209) pays -21.3% less than Mesa Unified District (4235) · per-pupil $13,147 vs $14,903

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 Arizona districts

On pay, Payson Unified District (4209) sits closest to Catalina Foothills Unified District (4410); on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Chino Valley Unified District (4474). 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. Catalina Foothills Unified District (4410)
  2. Mayer Unified School District (4473)
  3. Prescott Unified District (4466)
  4. Fountain Hills Unified District (4247)
  5. Cottonwood-Oak Creek Elementary District (4487)
  6. Benson Unified School District (79226)
  7. Riverside Elementary District (4257)
  8. Eloy Elementary District (4448)
  9. Buckeye Elementary District (4269)
  10. Morenci Unified District (4230)
  11. Tuba City Unified School District #15 (4197)
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Chino Valley Unified District (4474)
  2. Coolidge Unified District (4442)
  3. Show Low Unified District (4393)
  4. Flowing Wells Unified District (4405)
  5. Eloy Elementary District (4448)
  6. Winslow Unified District (4387)
  7. Fountain Hills Unified District (4247)
  8. Santa Cruz Valley Unified District (4458)
  9. Bisbee Unified District (4169)
  10. Wickenburg Unified District (4236)
  11. Mingus Union High School District (4488)

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Payson Unified District (4209)'s smaller enrollment

Two out-of-state peer sets for Payson Unified District (4209): closest on enrollment (2,268 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($53,046 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

$33.7M
Total Revenue
$29.8M
Total Expenditure
$8.7M
Instruction Salaries
29% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$6.2M
Regular Program
$0.8M
Special Education
$0.4M
Vocational
$0.2M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Payson Unified District (4209): the regular program, special education, vocational programs and other programs. Every program category NCES breaks out separately carries a figure here. Together they are 86% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 14% pays instructional aides, paraprofessionals, substitutes and other instructional staff who are not counted as teachers here.

Arizona Teacher Pay Overview

The highest average among comparably sized Arizona districts belongs to Safford Unified District (4218) at $99,366. Placed 119 of 128, Payson Unified District (4209) is in the lower quarter, where a state-average comparison flatters the district rather than describing it. On BEA's price parity Arizona sits near the national average, so its salaries need less adjustment than most; Virginia and Colorado are its nearest price peers.

View all Arizona districts →

Other Arizona Districts

Smaller-district sample from 153 Arizona peers; bar length shows pay magnitude within this enrollment band.

Santa Cruz Valley Unified District (4458)
$58,041
3,588 students
Bullhead City School District (4378)
$62,754
2,309 students
Chino Valley Unified District (4474)
$59,571
2,320 students
Whiteriver Unified District (4394)
$68,546
2,339 students
Tanque Verde Unified District (4408)
$61,418
2,192 students
Balsz Elementary District (4268)
$61,823
2,142 students

This is a sample of 6 from 153 Arizona districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.

Frequently Asked Questions about Payson Unified District (4209)
What is the average teacher salary in Payson Unified District (4209)?

The average teacher salary in Payson Unified District (4209) is $53,046 (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 Payson Unified District (4209) teacher pay compare to the Arizona average?

Payson Unified District (4209) pays 17.0% less than the Arizona state average of $63,921. The district's average is $53,046.

How does Payson Unified District (4209) teacher pay compare to the national average?

Payson Unified District (4209) pays 24.5% below the national average of $70,245. The district average is $53,046.

What is the per-pupil spending in Payson Unified District (4209)?

Payson Unified District (4209) spends approximately $13,147 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

What percentage of Payson Unified District (4209)'s budget goes to teacher salaries?

Instructional salaries account for 29% of Payson Unified District (4209)'s total expenditure of $29.8M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Payson Unified District (4209)
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. Payson Unified District (4209)'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.