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State profile · NCES F-33 FY2023

Teacher Salary in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania's top-to-bottom district pay ratio (3.63x) ranks #5 of 47, upper-third dispersion. 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 Pennsylvania.

$82,070
Est. state avg salary

Well above benchmark

+16.8%
vs national
#11
National rank
520
Districts

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$82,070/year (est.)

Pennsylvania's top-to-bottom district pay ratio (3.63x) ranks #5 of 47, upper-third dispersion. Estimated average teacher salary is $82,070, meaningfully above the national average of $70,245, ranking #11 of 49, across 506 public school districts with reliable data (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Wide district pay spread: Pennsylvania's top-to-bottom district pay ratio (3.63x) ranks #5 of 47, upper-third dispersion.
  • upper third nationally (#11 of 49)
  • Pennsylvania ranks #11 of 49 on the salary estimate and #6 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • $104,957 spread between its highest- and lowest-paying districts
  • +16.8% vs the national average
  • +14.1% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (balanced cohort, not the FTE average above)
  • #9 of 49 purchasing-power-adjusted (BEA RPP 97.4)

Pennsylvania sits in the upper third for estimated pay

Across 506 reliable-salary districts, the average estimate is $82,070: #11 of 49 jurisdictions with a reliable district estimate, and 16.8% above the national benchmark of $70,245.

The rank compares the same F-33-derived district measure nationwide. It does not include benefits, experience steps, taxes, or local living costs; use it as a relative state placement rather than an exact paycheck.

Pennsylvania purchasing-power check on upper-third pay

Pennsylvania's nominal average teacher salary ranks #11 of the 49 states and territories that report teacher salaries. Adjusted by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis's 2023 Regional Price Parity (97.4, US = 100, a relative state-level price-level index, not a district or metro cost-of-living figure), the estimate becomes $88,720, ranking #9 of 49 , 2 places higher than the nominal rank once relative price levels are factored in. 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

Pennsylvania in the teacher-salary distribution

FY2023 estimated state averages from the same NCES-derived ranking

$82,070 Top 22% higher than 78% 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%). Below this entry. $70,000–$75,000: 2 reporting states and territories (4%). Below this entry. $75,000–$80,000: 4 reporting states and territories (8%). Below this entry. $80,000–$85,000: 5 reporting states and territories (10%). This entry sits in this band. $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. Pennsylvania $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

Pennsylvania's comparable salary trend

Same reporting-district cohort, FY2019-FY2023

FY2023 estimated average
$90,809 14.13511837705483% vs FY2019
466 districts held in the panel
$75,000$80,000$85,000$90,000$95,000 FY2019FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023 Pennsylvania est. avg teacher salary, FY2019: $79,563Pennsylvania est. avg teacher salary, FY2020: $81,283Pennsylvania est. avg teacher salary, FY2021: $84,856Pennsylvania est. avg teacher salary, FY2022: $88,518Pennsylvania est. avg teacher salary, FY2023: $90,809 $79,563 $90,809 ▲ +14.1%
Read the chart as text
Period Pennsylvania est. avg teacher salary
FY2019 $79,563
FY2020 $81,283
FY2021 $84,856
FY2022 $88,518
FY2023 $90,809

Highest-paying districts in Pennsylvania

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

Est. avg salary

What this shows Farrell Area SD leads Pennsylvania 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 $144,913

Farrell Area SD

Est. avg teacher salary
2 $130,841

Lower Merion SD

Est. avg teacher salary
3 $125,459

New Hope-Solebury SD

Est. avg teacher salary

Districts by Estimated Teacher Salary

District Est. Avg Salary Enrollment Per-Pupil Exp
Harmony Area SD $47,761 250 $26,156
Mount Carmel Area SD $47,345 1,546 $15,327
Turkeyfoot Valley Area SD $47,274 276 $24,185
Fannett-Metal SD $45,543 384 $26,458
Southern Huntingdon County SD $43,074 1,060 $20,539
North Clarion County SD $39,957 608 $22,391

Showing 501–506 of 506 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 Pennsylvania

District Est. Avg Salary Enrollment
North Clarion County SD $39,957 608
Southern Huntingdon County SD $43,074 1,060
Fannett-Metal SD $45,543 384
Turkeyfoot Valley Area SD $47,274 276
Mount Carmel Area SD $47,345 1,546
Harmony Area SD $47,761 250
Williamsburg Community SD $50,099 464
Glendale SD $50,692 660
Conemaugh Valley SD $51,446 711
Bentworth SD $52,010 1,049

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

Nationwide peers near Pennsylvania's large K-12 scale

Two nationwide peer sets for Pennsylvania: closest on estimated average teacher salary ($82,070 here) and closest on total student enrollment (1,508,582 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

Connecticut
$86,015
Rank #8
Massachusetts
$84,560
Rank #9
Maryland
$84,383
Rank #10
Nevada
$81,933
Rank #12

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.

Pennsylvania teacher salary FAQ

What is the average teacher salary in Pennsylvania?

Across 506 Pennsylvania public school districts with reliable data, the average teacher salary is $82,070 (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 Pennsylvania school district pays teachers the most?

Farrell Area SD reports the highest average teacher salary in Pennsylvania at $144,913, while North Clarion County SD sits at the lower end at $39,957.

How does Pennsylvania teacher pay compare to the national average?

Pennsylvania's average of $82,070 is meaningfully above the national average of $70,245 (+16.8%), ranking #11 of the 49 jurisdictions with a reliable district estimate.

How many school districts are in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania has 520 public school districts in the NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey, together serving 1,503,195 students.

How much do teachers make in Pennsylvania?

District-average teacher pay in Pennsylvania runs from $39,957 in North Clarion County SD to $144,913 in Farrell Area SD, with 49 of 506 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 Pennsylvania?

49 of 506 Pennsylvania districts with reliable data report an estimated average teacher salary of $100,000 or more, led by Farrell Area SD at $144,913. This is a district-wide average, not an individual salary, step, or years-of-experience figure.

How does Pennsylvania rank after adjusting for cost of living?

Within the separate enrollment-weighted state comparison, BEA's 2023 Regional Price Parity (97.4, US=100) adjusts Pennsylvania's nominal estimate of $86,413 from #11 to $88,720 and #9. 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 Pennsylvania

Disclaimer & data sources

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