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School district · Massachusetts · LEAID 2513230

Worcester

Worcester is in the largest third by enrollment among comparable Massachusetts districts (24,318 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Worcester come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$101,262
Est. avg teacher salary

Well above benchmark

$30,635
Per-pupil spending
24,318
Students enrolled
91st
Pct. in MA
$101,262

Worcester is in the largest third by enrollment among comparable Massachusetts districts (24,318 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Estimated average teacher salary is $101,262, above the national average of $70,245, serving 24,318 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Large enrollment scale: Worcester is in the largest third by enrollment among comparable Massachusetts districts (24,318 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort).
  • 91st percentile for Massachusetts
  • 91st percentile nationally
  • 31% of spending reaches instructional salaries
  • Massachusetts ranks #9 of 49 on the salary estimate and #17 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • Worcester ranks #26 of 288 Massachusetts districts by estimated teacher salary and #52 of 288 by per-pupil spending. Boston pay #1 at $121,260 is not Watertown spending #1 at $60,947 per pupil
  • +28.2% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)

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Instructional payroll mix vs Massachusetts median

Among 318 Massachusetts districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, Worcester's instructional payroll puts 5.1% into vocational programs , 5.1 points above the state median of 0.0%. That heavier vocational share usually means career/technical programs claim more of the teacher-salary pool than at a typical Massachusetts peer.

Program Worcester MA median Gap
Regular program 78.0% 79.6% -1.6 pp
Special education 16.9% 18.8% -1.9 pp
Vocational programs 5.1% 0.0% +5.1 pp

Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 318 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 2513230 · FY2023.

LEAID 2513230 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Worcester F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-HIGH +20% vs state RANK-ST-TOP P91 in state RANK-NAT-TOP P91 national PPE-HIGH $31K/pupil ENR-LARGE 24.3K students INSTR-LOW 31% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Lexington FY-2023-MID FY2023 book

FY2023: $101,262 estimated average teacher salary · P91 in Massachusetts · P91 nationally · 31% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Lexington ($215est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Worcester

Salary neighbourhood · Worcester

Worcester already leads 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 Worcester

Worcester's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$101,262 Top 9% higher than 91% 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%). Below this entry. $70,000–$80,000: 1,633 US districts (15%). Below this entry. $80,000–$90,000: 1,097 US districts (10%). Below this entry. $90,000–$100,000: 662 US districts (6%). Below this entry. $100,000–$110,000: 371 US districts (3%). This entry sits in this band. $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. Worcester $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

Worcester in Massachusetts's upper-third pay band

Same 288 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)

est. avg salary

What this shows Worcester ranks #26 of 288 Massachusetts districts by estimated teacher salary and #52 of 288 by per-pupil spending. Boston pay #1 at $121,260 is not Watertown spending #1 at $60,947 per pupil

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

The same districts by per-pupil spending

Worcester is marked; a high spending bar is not a high pay bar

per pupil

What this shows Watertown leads spending at $60,947 per pupil; Boston leads pay.

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

What stands out about Worcester

  • It ranks in the top 10% of US districts for estimated teacher pay, higher than 91% of the 10,684 reliable-salary districts nationally.
  • Estimated teacher pay here rose +28.2% between FY2019 and FY2023, outpacing Massachusetts's statewide +19.4% by 8.8 points, a growth rate faster than 89% of the 224 Massachusetts districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.
  • Its per-pupil spending of $30,635 is among the highest in the nation.

Massachusetts prices absorb part of this salary

Nominal district estimate
$101,262.326

The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.

Massachusetts price level
107.7 / 100

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

National-price equivalent
$94,044

-7% versus the nominal figure.

Prices in Massachusetts run above the national average, so this salary has roughly the buying power of the national-price equivalent above. Comparing it with a district in a cheaper state without this adjustment overstates its relative value.

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 Massachusetts 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 Worcester

What the Numbers Say About Worcester

Worcester is a mid-sized school district in Massachusetts, serving 24,318 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $30,635. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $101,262, placing the district in the high-investment tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 2513230 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the Massachusetts statewide average of $84,560, teacher pay in Worcester runs meaningfully above the state benchmark, a 19.8% gap, and above the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (44.2% differential). Among enrolling districts in Massachusetts, it pays more than 91% of them. Massachusetts itself ranks #9 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.

On the budget side, Worcester reports $745.0M in total expenditure against $591.7M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 31% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $135.6M, special-education teacher pay is $29.3M.

How does Worcester compare?

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

Worcester $101,262
Boston $121,260
Massachusetts avg $84,560
National avg $70,245

Worcester pays -16.5% less than Boston · per-pupil $30,635 vs $45,516

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 Massachusetts districts

On pay, Worcester sits closest to Lexington; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Lowell. 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. Lexington
  2. Cambridge
  3. Brockton
  4. Newton
  5. Framingham
  6. Everett
  7. Brookline
  8. Malden
  9. Wachusett
  10. Lowell
  11. Quincy
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Lowell
  2. Lawrence
  3. Newton
  4. Lexington
  5. Revere
  6. Framingham
  7. Brockton
  8. Chelsea
  9. Lynn
  10. New Bedford
  11. Plymouth

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Worcester's enrollment scale

Two out-of-state peer sets for Worcester: closest on enrollment (24,318 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($101,262 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

$591.7M
Total Revenue
$745.0M
Total Expenditure
$231.3M
Instruction Salaries
31% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$135.6M
Regular Program
$29.3M
Special Education
$8.9M
Vocational

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 3 programs in Worcester: the regular program, special education and vocational programs. It reports no separate figure for other programs. Together they are 75% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 25% pays instructional aides, paraprofessionals, substitutes and other instructional staff who are not counted as teachers here.

Massachusetts Teacher Pay Overview

The highest average among comparably sized Massachusetts districts belongs to Boston at $121,260. Worcester sits in the upper quarter of that field at 24 of 272, nearer the ceiling than the floor. Because Massachusetts prices run above the national average, this salary is worth less than the same number elsewhere; New York and Washington are the states it can be compared with directly on BEA's price parity.

View all Massachusetts districts →

Other Massachusetts Districts

Large-district sample from 289 Massachusetts peers with reliable NCES data; bar length shows pay magnitude within this slice.

Weymouth
$83,419
5,599 students
Andover
$97,406
5,526 students
Needham
$98,799
5,525 students
Bridgewater-Raynham
$90,870
5,482 students
Natick
$91,362
5,346 students
Braintree
$93,663
5,305 students

This is a sample of 6 from 289 Massachusetts districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.

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

The average teacher salary in Worcester is $101,262 (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 Worcester teacher pay compare to the Massachusetts average?

Worcester pays 19.8% more than the Massachusetts state average of $84,560. The district's average is $101,262.

How does Worcester teacher pay compare to the national average?

Worcester pays 44.2% above the national average of $70,245. The district average is $101,262.

What is the per-pupil spending in Worcester?

Worcester spends approximately $30,635 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

What percentage of Worcester's budget goes to teacher salaries?

Instructional salaries account for 31% of Worcester's total expenditure of $745.0M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Worcester
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. Worcester'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.