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School district · Alabama · LEAID 0103390

Tuscaloosa County

Tuscaloosa County sits in the lowest third of Alabama districts on estimated teacher pay at $63,168 (above only 11% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Tuscaloosa County come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$63,168
Est. avg teacher salary

Below benchmark

$13,822
Per-pupil spending
19,377
Students enrolled
11th
Pct. in AL
$63,168

Tuscaloosa County sits in the lowest third of Alabama districts on estimated teacher pay at $63,168 (above only 11% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Estimated average teacher salary is $63,168, below the national average of $70,245, serving 19,377 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Lower-third pay in state: Tuscaloosa County sits in the lowest third of Alabama districts on estimated teacher pay at $63,168 (above only 11% of in-state peers with reliable estimates).
  • 11th percentile for Alabama
  • 44th percentile nationally
  • 29% 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.
  • Tuscaloosa County ranks #123 of 138 Alabama districts by estimated teacher salary and #102 of 138 by per-pupil spending. Limestone County pay #1 at $118,952 is not Lowndes County spending #1 at $30,484 per pupil
  • +15.1% 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, Tuscaloosa County's instructional payroll puts 12.8% into special education , 2.6 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 Tuscaloosa County AL median Gap
Regular program 79.1% 81.2% -2.1 pp
Special education 12.8% 10.2% +2.6 pp
Vocational programs 4.4% 5.5% -1.1 pp
Other programs 3.8% 3.1% +0.7 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 0103390 · FY2023.

LEAID 0103390 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Tuscaloosa County F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-BELOW -7% vs state RANK-ST-LOW P11 in state RANK-NAT-LOW P44 national PPE-LOW $14K/pupil ENR-LARGE 19.4K students INSTR-LOW 29% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Talladega FY-2023-MID FY2023 book

FY2023: $63,168 estimated average teacher salary · P11 in Alabama · P44 nationally · 29% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Talladega ($456est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Tuscaloosa County

Salary neighbourhood · Tuscaloosa County

Tuscaloosa 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 Tuscaloosa County

Tuscaloosa County's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$63,168 44th percentile higher than 44% 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. Tuscaloosa 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

Tuscaloosa 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 Tuscaloosa County ranks #123 of 138 Alabama districts by estimated teacher salary and #102 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

Tuscaloosa 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

This pay stretches further than the headline figure suggests

Nominal district estimate
$63,167.954

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
$70,898

+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 Tuscaloosa County

What the Numbers Say About Tuscaloosa County

Tuscaloosa County is a mid-sized school district in Alabama, serving 19,377 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $13,822. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $63,168, placing the district in the lower-spending tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 0103390 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the Alabama statewide average of $68,221, teacher pay in Tuscaloosa County runs materially below the state benchmark, a 7.4% gap, and below the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (10.1% differential). Among enrolling districts in Alabama, it pays more than 11% 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, Tuscaloosa County reports $267.8M in total expenditure against $263.0M 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 $51.7M, special-education teacher pay is $8.4M.

How does Tuscaloosa County compare?

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

Tuscaloosa County $63,168
Mobile County $63,845
Alabama avg $68,221
National avg $70,245

Tuscaloosa County pays -1.1% less than Mobile County · per-pupil $13,822 vs $14,922

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, Tuscaloosa County sits closest to Talladega County; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Autauga County. 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. Talladega County
  2. Autauga County
  3. Mobile County
  4. Tuscaloosa City
  5. Morgan County
  6. Elmore County
  7. Chilton County
  8. DeKalb County
  9. Madison City
  10. Albertville City
  11. Trussville City
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Autauga County
  2. Lauderdale County
  3. Calhoun County
  4. Albertville City
  5. Jefferson County
  6. Talladega County
  7. Trussville City
  8. Houston County
  9. Walker County
  10. Lee County
  11. Morgan County

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

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

Two out-of-state peer sets for Tuscaloosa County: closest on enrollment (19,377 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($63,168 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

$263.0M
Total Revenue
$267.8M
Total Expenditure
$78.2M
Instruction Salaries
29% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$51.7M
Regular Program
$8.4M
Special Education
$2.9M
Vocational
$2.5M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Tuscaloosa 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 123 of 137, Tuscaloosa 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.

Decatur City
$76,944
8,745 students
DeKalb County
$64,870
8,717 students
Etowah County
$66,217
8,702 students
Lauderdale County
$68,948
8,080 students
Calhoun County
$59,253
8,050 students
Dothan City
$65,593
8,021 students

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 Tuscaloosa County
What is the average teacher salary in Tuscaloosa County?

The average teacher salary in Tuscaloosa County is $63,168 (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 Tuscaloosa County teacher pay compare to the Alabama average?

Tuscaloosa County pays 7.4% less than the Alabama state average of $68,221. The district's average is $63,168.

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

Tuscaloosa County pays 10.1% below the national average of $70,245. The district average is $63,168.

What is the per-pupil spending in Tuscaloosa County?

Tuscaloosa County spends approximately $13,822 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

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

Instructional salaries account for 29% of Tuscaloosa County's total expenditure of $267.8M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Tuscaloosa 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. Tuscaloosa 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.