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School district · North Carolina · LEAID 3704620

Union County Public Schools

Union County Public Schools is in the largest third by enrollment among comparable North Carolina districts (41,497 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Union County Public Schools come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$50,588
Est. avg teacher salary

Near benchmark

$12,330
Per-pupil spending
41,497
Students enrolled
66th
Pct. in NC
$50,588

Union County Public Schools is in the largest third by enrollment among comparable North Carolina districts (41,497 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Estimated average teacher salary is $50,588, below the national average of $70,245, serving 41,497 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Large enrollment scale: Union County Public Schools is in the largest third by enrollment among comparable North Carolina districts (41,497 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort).
  • 66th percentile for North Carolina
  • 16th percentile nationally
  • 36% of spending reaches instructional salaries
  • North Carolina ranks #47 of 49 on the salary estimate and #8 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • Union County Public Schools ranks #39 of 115 North Carolina districts by estimated teacher salary and #104 of 115 by per-pupil spending. Camden County Schools pay #1 at $53,553 is not Hyde County Schools spending #1 at $39,566 per pupil
  • +2.7% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)

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Instructional payroll mix vs North Carolina median

Among 116 North Carolina districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, Union County Public Schools's instructional payroll puts 23.4% into other programs , 3.6 points above the state median of 19.7%. The mix below is the district's own F-33 program split against the in-state median, not a quality score.

Program Union County NC median Gap
Regular program 59.6% 61.8% -2.2 pp
Special education 9.7% 11.1% -1.3 pp
Vocational programs 7.3% 7.1% +0.2 pp
Other programs 23.4% 19.7% +3.6 pp

Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 116 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 3704620 · FY2023.

LEAID 3704620 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Union County F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-INLINE Near state avg RANK-ST-MID P66 in state RANK-NAT-LOW P16 national PPE-LOW $12K/pupil ENR-LARGE 41.5K students INSTR-MID 36% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Pender FY-2023-HEAVY FY2023 book

FY2023: $50,588 estimated average teacher salary · P66 in North Carolina · P16 nationally · 36% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Pender (+$4est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Union County

Salary neighbourhood · Union County

Union County sits mid-pack among in-state peers; the chart brackets it between the top and bottom pay poles (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 Union County

Union County Public Schools's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$50,588 16th percentile higher than 16% 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. Union County Public Schools $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

Union County in North Carolina's upper-third pay band

Same 115 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)

est. avg salary

What this shows Union County Public Schools ranks #39 of 115 North Carolina districts by estimated teacher salary and #104 of 115 by per-pupil spending. Camden County Schools pay #1 at $53,553 is not Hyde County Schools spending #1 at $39,566 per pupil

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

The same districts by per-pupil spending

Union County Public Schools is marked; a high spending bar is not a high pay bar

per pupil

What this shows Hyde County Schools leads spending at $39,566 per pupil; Camden County Schools leads pay.

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

What stands out about Union County Public Schools

  • Estimated teacher pay here moved +2.7% between FY2019 and FY2023, trailing North Carolina's statewide +5.8% by 3.1 points, a growth rate faster than 27% of the 116 North Carolina districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.

This pay stretches further than the headline figure suggests

Nominal district estimate
$50,587.89

The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.

North Carolina price level
94.4 / 100

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

National-price equivalent
$53,589

+6% versus the nominal figure.

Prices in North Carolina 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 North Carolina 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 Union County Public Schools

What the Numbers Say About Union County Public Schools

Union County Public Schools is a mid-sized school district in North Carolina, serving 41,497 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $12,330. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $50,588, placing the district in the lower-spending tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 3704620 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the North Carolina statewide average of $49,898, teacher pay in Union County Public Schools runs roughly in line with the state benchmark, a 1.4% gap, and below the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (28.0% differential). Among enrolling districts in North Carolina, it pays more than 66% of them. North Carolina itself ranks #47 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.

On the budget side, Union County Public Schools reports $511.7M in total expenditure against $504.6M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 36% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $74.0M, special-education teacher pay is $12.1M.

How does Union County Public Schools compare?

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

Union County Public Schools $50,588
Wake County Schools $50,350
North Carolina avg $49,898
National avg $70,245

Union County Public Schools pays +0.5% more than Wake County Schools · per-pupil $12,330 vs $13,702

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 North Carolina districts

On pay, Union County Public Schools sits closest to Pender County Schools; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Moore County Schools. 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. Pender County Schools
  2. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
  3. Cleveland County Schools
  4. Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools
  5. Wake County Schools
  6. New Hanover County Schools
  7. Brunswick County Schools
  8. Caldwell County Schools
  9. Davidson County Schools
  10. Lincoln County Schools
  11. Iredell-Statesville Schools
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Moore County Schools
  2. Johnston County Public Schools
  3. Henderson County Schools
  4. Harnett County Schools
  5. Cabarrus County Schools
  6. Randolph County School System
  7. Pender County Schools
  8. Wayne County Public Schools
  9. Iredell-Statesville Schools
  10. Nash County Public Schools
  11. Onslow County Schools

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Union County Public Schools's enrollment scale

Two out-of-state peer sets for Union County Public Schools: closest on enrollment (41,497 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($50,588 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

$504.6M
Total Revenue
$511.7M
Total Expenditure
$186.7M
Instruction Salaries
36% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$74.0M
Regular Program
$12.1M
Special Education
$9.0M
Vocational
$29.0M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Union County Public Schools: the regular program, special education, vocational programs and other programs. Every program category NCES breaks out separately carries a figure here. Together they are 67% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 33% pays instructional aides, paraprofessionals, substitutes and other instructional staff who are not counted as teachers here.

North Carolina Teacher Pay Overview

The highest average among comparably sized North Carolina districts belongs to Camden County Schools at $53,553. Union County Public Schools places 38 of 113 comparably sized districts, squarely in the middle band the state average actually represents. Michigan and South Carolina are the states closest to North Carolina 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 North Carolina districts →

Other North Carolina Districts

Large-district sample from 114 North Carolina peers with reliable NCES data; bar length shows pay magnitude within this slice.

Moore County Schools
$49,535
13,008 students
Brunswick County Schools
$50,217
12,944 students
Henderson County Schools
$52,055
12,896 students
Craven County Schools
$48,245
12,755 students
Burke County Schools
$51,690
11,770 students
Lincoln County Schools
$51,117
11,629 students

This is a sample of 6 from 114 North Carolina districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.

Frequently Asked Questions about Union County Public Schools
What is the average teacher salary in Union County Public Schools?

The average teacher salary in Union County Public Schools is $50,588 (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 Union County Public Schools teacher pay compare to the North Carolina average?

Union County Public Schools pays 1.4% more than the North Carolina state average of $49,898. The district's average is $50,588.

How does Union County Public Schools teacher pay compare to the national average?

Union County Public Schools pays 28.0% below the national average of $70,245. The district average is $50,588.

What is the per-pupil spending in Union County Public Schools?

Union County Public Schools spends approximately $12,330 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

What percentage of Union County Public Schools's budget goes to teacher salaries?

Instructional salaries account for 36% of Union County Public Schools's total expenditure of $511.7M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Union County Public Schools
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. Union County Public Schools'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.