NC is now one of the 6 worst states for teacher pay, data shows. Where it ranks
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- NEA report ranks North Carolina 46th in teacher pay nationally for this school year.
- North Carolina's estimated average teacher salary fell to $59,971 this school year.
- Thousands of educators are expected to march in Raleigh on May 1.
A new report shows North Carolina is falling on national teacher pay rankings just as thousands of educators are expected to march on Raleigh this week.
The new data released Monday from the National Education Association shows North Carolina ranked 43rd in teacher pay last school year, the same as the prior year. But the new NEA report estimates that North Carolina has fallen three spots this school year to 46th nationally out of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
The report comes as the North Carolina Association of Educators has been encouraging teachers across the state to call out of work on Friday to join their protest in Raleigh. At least 13 North Carolina school district have canceled classes on May 1 because so many of their employees have requested the day off.
“We will not watch our state fall further in these rankings while our lawmakers protect their donors,” Tamika Waker Kelly, president of NCAE, which is the state’s NEA affiliate, said at a press conference Monday. “We will not accept a North Carolina where teachers earn less and less every year after year, and we will not stay quiet while corporations get tax cuts and our classrooms go without.”
The NEA salary rankings have been used as a measuring stick by both legislators and education groups for decades to gauge the adequacy of teacher pay.
Teacher pay dropped this year in North Carolina
North Carolina was the only state that didn’t adopt a state budget this fiscal year. The budget impasse was the result of Republican legislative leaders being unable to agree on how much to cut taxes.
Democratic Gov. Josh Stein has released a budget that includes a 5.8% average raise for experienced teachers and raising beginning teacher pay to the highest in the Southeast, The News & Observer previously reported.
The lack of a state budget meant new raises weren’t given to teachers this school year. A report released in March by the state Department of Public Instruction showed average teacher pay had dropped 1% this school year.
The salary report was released the same day the state’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Public Education held its first meeting. The bipartisan commission was formed by Stein and GOP legislative leaders to make recommendations on how to improve public schools.
According to the NEA data, North Carolina’s estimated the average teacher salary this school year dropped to $59,971. That amount incudes both state pay, local pay supplements and additional bonuses teachers may receive.
“This year, North Carolina is the only state in the country where average teacher salaries are projected to decrease,” Walker Kelly said. “When corporations get tax cut after tax cut, something has to give, and what has given is teacher pay, and our kids have suffered for it and continue to suffer.”
NC drops three spots in new national teacher pay estimates
Based on the estimated salary data for this school year, NEA says Arkansas, Montana and South Dakota moved ahead of North Carolina. North Carolina only remains ahead of Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and West Virginia in teacher pay.
Walker Kelly pointed to how all of North Carolina’s neighbors are ranked higher in teacher pay.
“This is why we keep seeing educators leave North Carolina for better paying jobs across the border.,” Walker Kelly said. “It is why teacher turnover in the state has hit 10% for three consecutive years. You cannot build a stable, high quality educator workforce when the state next door is offering thousands more per year.”
Last school year, North Carolina was 43rd nationally in teacher pay with an average salary of $60,323.
One positive note from the data is that the state moved up one slot last year in beginning teacher pay to 38th in the nation. The state has made raising pay for new teachers a priority, which has drawn complaints from experienced teachers that they’re getting overlooked.
Teachers working two jobs
North Carolina is now $16,500 below the estimated average national teacher salary of $76,552.
Teacher pay hasn’t kept up with inflation. Experienced teachers such as Stephanie Wallace of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools make less than they did a decade ago when adjusted for cost of living and increases in state health insurance costs.
Wallace is one of many North Carolina teachers who work a second and even third job. Wallace’s extra jobs include working for the North Carolina Virtual Public School and waitressing and bartending.
“My family could not make the ends meet without me working multiple jobs, in addition to being in the classroom,” Wallace said at the NCAE press conference.
Wallace said it’s making it more challenging to encourage high school students to enter the teaching profession.
“It is extremely infuriating and disheartening to see the numbers continue to drop,” Wallace said of the new NEA rankings. “I know personally, I’m spending more money in my classroom than I have in ages, not only just to provide classroom supports, but also to meet some student needs.”
NCAE demands at May 1 rally
NCAE has released a series of demands as part of its May 1 “Kids Over Corporations” rally, including:
- Invest at least $20,000 per student by 2030 — the highest funding in the Southeast.
- Raise pay for school employees by at least 25%.
- Raise the corporate income tax rate to 5% so that more money goes to public schools and health care.
Walker Kelly on Monday pointed to how NEA estimates that North Carolina has fallen to 46th this school year in per-student spending. North Carolina is estimated to be spending $13,680 per student, which is $5,190 below the national average.
“This report confirms what educators across our state already know in their bones, but knowing isn’t enough,” Walker Kelly said. “We have to act.”
This story was originally published April 27, 2026 at 10:05 AM with the headline "NC is now one of the 6 worst states for teacher pay, data shows. Where it ranks."
