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State profile · NCES F-33 FY2023

Teacher Salary in Alabama

Alabama's estimated average is $68,221 across 138 reliable districts (#21 of 49). According to the NCES Common Core of Data finance survey, estimated teacher pay and per-pupil spending are available for every public school district in Alabama.

$68,221
Est. state avg salary

Near benchmark

-2.9%
vs national
#21
National rank
138
Districts

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$68,221/year (est.)

Alabama's estimated average is $68,221 across 138 reliable districts (#21 of 49). Estimated average teacher salary is $68,221, below the national average of $70,245, ranking #21 of 49, across 138 public school districts with reliable data (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Mid-pack salary posture: Alabama's estimated average is $68,221 across 138 reliable districts (#21 of 49).
  • middle third nationally (#21 of 49)
  • Alabama ranks #21 of 49 on the salary estimate and #22 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • $61,515 spread between its highest- and lowest-paying districts
  • -2.9% vs the national average
  • +18.0% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (balanced cohort, not the FTE average above)
  • #21 of 49 purchasing-power-adjusted (BEA RPP 89.1)

Same-district trend

How does a balanced panel separate change from district turnover?

For the same 116 Alabama districts present with valid estimates in every release, the average state figure moved from $48,559 in FY2019 to $57,300 in FY2023 (+18.0%).

The fixed cohort prevents entering or missing districts from masquerading as salary movement. It is still a change in a derived district-level estimate, not evidence of any individual teacher's raise.

Purchasing-power-adjusted rank for Alabama

Alabama's nominal average teacher salary ranks #21 of the 49 states and territories that report teacher salaries. Adjusted by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis's 2023 Regional Price Parity (89.1, US = 100, a relative state-level price-level index, not a district or metro cost-of-living figure), the estimate becomes $77,113, ranking #21 of 49 , unchanged from the nominal rank. This purchasing-power view is not published by NEA's teacher-pay rankings or the aggregator sites; it comes from combining our own F-33-derived salary estimate with BEA's public RPP series. See the full 51-state release for methodology and download. BEA Regional Price Parities · NCES CCD F-33

Alabama in the teacher-salary distribution

FY2023 estimated state averages from the same NCES-derived ranking

$68,221 Top 43% higher than 57% of 49 reporting states and territories

Show national distribution $0–$5,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Below this entry. $5,000–$10,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Below this entry. $10,000–$15,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Below this entry. $15,000–$20,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$25,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$30,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Below this entry. $30,000–$35,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Below this entry. $35,000–$40,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Below this entry. $40,000–$45,000: 1 reporting states and territories (2%). Below this entry. $45,000–$50,000: 2 reporting states and territories (4%). Below this entry. $50,000–$55,000: 6 reporting states and territories (12%). Below this entry. $55,000–$60,000: 5 reporting states and territories (10%). Below this entry. $60,000–$65,000: 9 reporting states and territories (18%). Below this entry. $65,000–$70,000: 7 reporting states and territories (14%). This entry sits in this band. $70,000–$75,000: 2 reporting states and territories (4%). Above this entry. $75,000–$80,000: 4 reporting states and territories (8%). Above this entry. $80,000–$85,000: 5 reporting states and territories (10%). Above this entry. $85,000–$90,000: 5 reporting states and territories (10%). Above this entry. $90,000–$95,000: 1 reporting states and territories (2%). Above this entry. $95,000–$100,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Above this entry. $100,000–$105,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Above this entry. $105,000–$110,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Above this entry. $110,000–$115,000: 1 reporting states and territories (2%). Above this entry. $115,000–$120,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Above this entry. $120,000–$125,000: 1 reporting states and territories (2%). Above this entry. Alabama $0 $125,000 reporting state salary estimates, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $5K-wide band; taller bars hold more reporting states and territories. 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; state estimates derived from reported instructional-salary expenditure and teacher FTE · FY2023

Alabama's comparable salary trend

Same reporting-district cohort, FY2019-FY2023

FY2023 estimated average
$57,300 17.999578758236545% vs FY2019
116 districts held in the panel
$45,000$50,000$55,000$60,000 FY2019FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023 Alabama est. avg teacher salary, FY2019: $48,559Alabama est. avg teacher salary, FY2020: $50,321Alabama est. avg teacher salary, FY2021: $51,759Alabama est. avg teacher salary, FY2022: $53,728Alabama est. avg teacher salary, FY2023: $57,300 $48,559 $57,300 ▲ +18.0%
Read the chart as text
Period Alabama est. avg teacher salary
FY2019 $48,559
FY2020 $50,321
FY2021 $51,759
FY2022 $53,728
FY2023 $57,300

Highest-paying districts in Alabama

Estimated average teacher salary, enrolling districts (200+ students)

Est. avg salary

What this shows Limestone County leads Alabama on the F-33 instructional-salary estimate. Service entities (CTCs, county offices) are excluded, their enrollment-based ratios are not reliable salary figures.

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

Top 3 districts

1 $118,952

Limestone County

Est. avg teacher salary
2 $98,218

Muscle Shoals City

Est. avg teacher salary
3 $89,006

Bessemer City

Est. avg teacher salary

Districts by Estimated Teacher Salary

District Est. Avg Salary Enrollment Per-Pupil Exp
Madison City $64,911 12,473 $15,139
DeKalb County $64,870 8,717 $14,907
Lawrence County $64,824 4,698 $15,345
Clarke County $64,803 2,171 $16,790
Dale County $64,776 3,270 $13,141
Tuscumbia City $64,707 1,513 $14,660
Wilcox County $64,634 1,240 $23,212
Elmore County $64,444 11,971 $12,791
Morgan County $64,351 7,691 $14,484
Tuscaloosa City $64,045 11,186 $15,477
Thomasville City $63,926 1,056 $15,746
Sheffield City $63,916 1,043 $16,180
Fort Payne City $63,876 3,515 $13,681
Mobile County $63,845 51,979 $14,922
Tallapoosa County $63,796 2,791 $17,671
Russell County $63,723 3,695 $14,064
Crenshaw County $63,719 2,240 $13,810
Washington County $63,656 2,530 $13,264
Bibb County $63,515 3,098 $15,720
Randolph County $63,418 2,090 $14,375
Geneva City $63,337 1,252 $15,220
Colbert County $63,273 2,621 $15,944
Tuscaloosa County $63,168 19,377 $13,822
Covington County $63,117 3,040 $15,538
Talladega County $62,712 7,204 $13,620
Autauga County $62,530 9,202 $13,821
Saraland City $61,808 3,354 $14,065
Chilton County $61,770 7,858 $11,856
Marengo County $61,514 953 $18,365
Henry County $61,503 2,530 $13,274
Albertville City $61,299 5,900 $13,794
Fayette County $61,243 2,163 $16,122
Hale County $61,019 2,318 $14,602
Coffee County $60,776 2,846 $14,077
Scottsboro City $59,480 2,416 $15,329
Calhoun County $59,253 8,050 $13,843
Linden City $57,468 434 $17,147
Choctaw County $57,436 1,097 $17,742

Showing 101–138 of 138 enrolling districts. Specialized non-enrolling agencies (career/technical centers, county offices, service co-ops) are excluded from the salary ranking, their enrollment-based estimates are not reliable.

Lowest-Paying Districts in Alabama

District Est. Avg Salary Enrollment
Choctaw County $57,436 1,097
Linden City $57,468 434
Calhoun County $59,253 8,050
Scottsboro City $59,480 2,416
Coffee County $60,776 2,846
Hale County $61,019 2,318
Fayette County $61,243 2,163
Albertville City $61,299 5,900
Henry County $61,503 2,530
Marengo County $61,514 953

Among enrolling districts (200+ students) with a reliable estimate; service entities excluded, see methodology.

Nationwide states with similar K-12 scale to Alabama

Two nationwide peer sets for Alabama: closest on estimated average teacher salary ($68,221 here) and closest on total student enrollment (745,019 here). Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not geographic containment.

Similar estimated salary

Nearest other states by unweighted district-mean teacher pay (F-33 derived, ≥5 districts with reliable estimates).

Similar enrollment

Nearest other states by NCES-reported K-12 enrollment. Salary peers above are excluded.

Compare Nearby-Ranked States

Vermont
$72,015
Rank #18
Wisconsin
$70,465
Rank #19
New Mexico
$69,282
Rank #20
Minnesota
$68,032
Rank #22

Data: NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey + Staff Universe Survey, FY2023. Salary figures divide instructional expenditure (variable Z33) by each district's reported teacher FTE, or an estimated FTE for the small minority with no reported figure. Not individual salary data. Read our methodology.

Alabama teacher salary FAQ

What is the average teacher salary in Alabama?

Across 138 Alabama public school districts with reliable data, the average teacher salary is $68,221 (NCES CCD F-33 reported teacher salaries divided by CCD Staff Universe Survey teacher headcounts, FY2023). It is a district-level mean derived from finance filings, so it will not match a contract-salary survey exactly, read it as a relative comparison.

Which Alabama school district pays teachers the most?

Limestone County reports the highest average teacher salary in Alabama at $118,952, while Choctaw County sits at the lower end at $57,436.

How does Alabama teacher pay compare to the national average?

Alabama's average of $68,221 is below the national average of $70,245 (-2.9%), ranking #21 of the 49 jurisdictions with a reliable district estimate.

How many school districts are in Alabama?

Alabama has 138 public school districts in the NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey, together serving 745,019 students.

How much do teachers make in Alabama?

District-average teacher pay in Alabama runs from $57,436 in Choctaw County to $118,952 in Limestone County, with 1 of 138 reliable-data districts at $100,000 or above. Where a teacher lands depends far more on which district employs them than on the statewide figure. These are district-wide averages from NCES CCD F-33 (FY2023), not individual salaries or pay-scale steps.

Can teachers earn $100,000 in Alabama?

1 of 138 Alabama districts with reliable data report an estimated average teacher salary of $100,000 or more, led by Limestone County at $118,952. This is a district-wide average, not an individual salary, step, or years-of-experience figure.

How does Alabama rank after adjusting for cost of living?

Within the separate enrollment-weighted state comparison, BEA's 2023 Regional Price Parity (89.1, US=100) adjusts Alabama's nominal estimate of $68,705 from #26 to $77,113 and #21. The headline uses an unweighted district mean, so this does not replace it. Neither measure is take-home pay, taxes, or district/metro cost of living.

Explore Alabama

Disclaimer & data sources

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainTeacher for Alabama