School district · North Carolina · LEAID 3704720
Wake County Schools
Wake County Schools is in the largest third by enrollment among comparable North Carolina districts (159,778 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Wake County Schools come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).
- $50,350
- Est. avg teacher salary
- $13,702
- Per-pupil spending
- 159,778
- Students enrolled
- 61st
- Pct. in NC
Near benchmark
Wake County Schools is in the largest third by enrollment among comparable North Carolina districts (159,778 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Estimated average teacher salary is $50,350, below the national average of $70,245, serving 159,778 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).
- Large enrollment scale: Wake County Schools is in the largest third by enrollment among comparable North Carolina districts (159,778 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort).
- 61st percentile for North Carolina
- 15th percentile nationally
- 39% 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.
- Wake County Schools ranks #45 of 115 North Carolina districts by estimated teacher salary and #75 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
- +9.4% 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, Wake County Schools's instructional payroll puts 24.1% into other programs , 4.4 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 | Wake County | NC median | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular program | 57.8% | 61.8% | -4.0 pp |
| Special education | 12.5% | 11.1% | +1.4 pp |
| Vocational programs | 5.6% | 7.1% | -1.5 pp |
| Other programs | 24.1% | 19.7% | +4.4 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 3704720 · FY2023.
LEAID 3704720 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023
Wake County F-33 compensation desk
FY2023: $50,350 estimated average teacher salary · P61 in North Carolina · P15 nationally · 39% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Winston (+$50est. salary).
Salary neighbourhood chart for Wake County
Salary neighbourhood · Wake County
Wake 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).
- Hoke · low pole
Hoke · low pole
$44,987 est. salary
- Brunswick · near
Brunswick · near
$50,217 est. salary
- Wake · this district
Wake · this district
$50,350 est. salary
- Winston · near
Winston · near
$50,401 est. salary
- Cleveland · near
Cleveland · near
$50,407 est. salary
- Henderson · top pay
Henderson · top pay
$52,055 est. salary
Appropriate use & corrections
National salary distribution for Wake County
Wake County Schools's estimated salary vs. every US district
NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only
$50,350 15th percentile higher than 15% of 10,684 US districts
Show national distribution
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
What stands out about Wake County Schools
- Estimated teacher pay here rose +9.4% between FY2019 and FY2023, outpacing North Carolina's statewide +5.8% by 3.6 points, a growth rate faster than 79% of the 116 North Carolina districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.
- With 159,778 students, it is the 15th-largest school district by enrollment among the 13,149 US districts reporting enrollment data.
- A district of this scale typically enrolls more students than several entire states' worth of smaller districts combined, which is part of why the per-pupil and per-teacher figures here should be read as an aggregate across many schools rather than a single-campus estimate.
- Its total annual revenue of $1.96B puts it among just 24 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 Wake County Schools
Wake County Schools enrolls 159,778 students (0.34% 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 $1.96B, putting it among 24 districts at this budget scale or larger.
Reported teacher FTE is 10,663, about 15.0 students per teacher (mega-cohort median 16.0; denser staffing than 54 of the 87 mega-districts with a usable FTE count, rank 33rd 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 Wake County Schools among other large systems, not against a 1,000-student district whose FTE is a handful of classrooms.
Instructional salaries take 39% of total expenditure on a $2.19B 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County Public Schools · Maryland | 160,554 | $80,717 | $3.83B |
| Hawaii Department of Education · Hawaii | 170,209 | $75,494 | $4.34B |
| Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools · North Carolina | 144,197 | $50,646 | $2.06B |
| Dallas ISD · Texas | 141,169 | $59,863 | $2.58B |
| Fairfax County Public Schools · Virginia | 179,858 | $93,966 | $3.72B |
This pay stretches further than the headline figure suggests
- Nominal district estimate
- $50,350.45
- North Carolina price level
- 94.4 / 100
- National-price equivalent
- $53,338
The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.
BEA all-items regional price parity; 100 is the U.S. average.
+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 Wake County Schools
What the Numbers Say About Wake County Schools
Wake County Schools is a large urban school district in North Carolina, serving 159,778 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $13,702. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $50,350, placing the district in the lower-spending tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 3704720 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 Wake County Schools runs roughly in line with the state benchmark, a 0.9% gap, and below the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (28.3% differential). Among enrolling districts in North Carolina, it pays more than 61% 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, Wake County Schools reports $2189.2M in total expenditure against $1962.9M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 39% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $310.1M, special-education teacher pay is $67.1M.
How does Wake County 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.
Wake County Schools pays -0.6% less than Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools · per-pupil $13,702 vs $16,641
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, Wake County Schools sits closest to Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Cumberland 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.
Similar estimated teacher pay
- Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools$50,401 estimated salary+0.1% versus this district · 52,717 students
- Union County Public Schools$50,588 estimated salary+0.5% versus this district · 41,497 students
- Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools$50,646 estimated salary+0.6% versus this district · 144,197 students
Similar per-pupil investment
Out-of-state districts near Wake County Schools's enrollment scale
Two out-of-state peer sets for Wake County Schools: closest on enrollment (159,778 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($50,350 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
Instructional Salary by Program
The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Wake County 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 63% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 37% 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. Wake County Schools places 44 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.
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 Wake County Schools
What is the average teacher salary in Wake County Schools?
The average teacher salary in Wake County Schools is $50,350 (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 Wake County Schools teacher pay compare to the North Carolina average?
Wake County Schools pays 0.9% more than the North Carolina state average of $49,898. The district's average is $50,350.
How does Wake County Schools teacher pay compare to the national average?
Wake County Schools pays 28.3% below the national average of $70,245. The district average is $50,350.
What is the per-pupil spending in Wake County Schools?
Wake County Schools spends approximately $13,702 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.
What percentage of Wake County Schools's budget goes to teacher salaries?
Instructional salaries account for 39% of Wake County Schools's total expenditure of $2189.2M (NCES FY2023).
Next read for Wake County 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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| Sources | Public official public datasets |