NORTH CAROLINA – The National Education Association (NEA) has released its annual report on educator pay and public education funding. North Carolina has dropped five places in the national teacher salary rankings, falling to 43rd in the country. The average teacher salary in North Carolina is $58,292, nearly $14,000 less than the national average of $72,030. North Carolina ranks behind all its neighboring states: Georgia (23rd), Virginia (26th), South Carolina (36th), and Tennessee (38th).
While teacher salaries nationally increased by an average of 3.8% over the past year, North Carolina’s average salary rose by only about 3%. This slower growth, combined with the rising cost of living and persistent underinvestment in public education, continues to deepen the state’s teacher shortage and hinders both recruitment and retention efforts. North Carolina also ranks 42nd in starting teacher pay, with a beginning salary of just $40,136, nearly $4,000 less than the national starting average of $44,530.
North Carolina also rose three spots, from 39th to 36th regarding salaries for Educational Support Professionals (ESPs) with an average annual salary of around $31,686, which is still below the national average of $34,954 for K-12 ESPs. Educational Support Professionals include non-certified staff such as teacher assistants, custodians, and bus drivers. North Carolina ESP salaries also fall behind neighboring Virginia and South Carolina, making competition also fierce to recruit and maintain ESPs.
“These annual rankings provide a clear view of how states stack up in supporting their educators,” said Tamika Walker Kelly, President of the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE). “We know, just like so many North Carolinians do, that our educators and our children need and deserve more to thrive. The challenges we face in staffing our classrooms and providing students with qualified, dedicated teachers and staff are a direct result of our failure to invest adequately in those who educate and care for our children.”
The NEA data released today can be found at www.nea.org/educatorpay. NEA has produced its highly respected “Rankings and Estimates” report since the 1960s and is widely cited as an authoritative source of comparative state education data.
