“God knows we don’t pay you enough.” That was one of the key takeaway lines from Vice President Kamala Harris’s speech to the convention of the American Federation of Teachers in Houston last month.

While Harris didn’t put out any new policy proposals for increasing teacher pay, she added her voice to the drumbeat of Democratic politicians calling for higher teacher pay.

So how does teacher pay compare in North Carolina?

To answer that question, we compare average teacher pay in North Carolina with average annualized private sector wages for the state and all 100 counties in North Carolina (see the table listed below, Average Private Sector Wages).

What did we find? According to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, average estimated teacher pay in North Carolina for 2023–24 was $59,423. According to the North Carolina Department of Commerce, the average private-sector wage in North Carolina in 2023–24 was $65,409, almost $6,000 higher than the average teacher salary. When we compare average teacher pay with average private-sector pay in individual counties, average teacher pay exceeded average private-sector wages in all but six counties in North Carolina. Those counties are: Forsyth, Durham, Iredell, Mecklenburg, Orange, and Wake.

A couple of caveats are in order. First, the best analysis would be to compare average teacher pay by county with average annualized wage by county. However, those figures aren’t readily available. Second, the figures used here are averages. By definition, the average means people earn wages that are both higher and lower than the average. Even with that in mind, some reasonable comparisons can be offered. A better statistic might have been the median. However, few offices collect such figures. Lastly, we need to remember most teachers are paid on a ten-month — not twelve-month — schedule. There is an expectation that teachers can and do earn other income. Thus, the salary figures listed here may not be representative of total income. When such figures are included, income is certainly higher and some of the disparities in pay might actually be less than they appear.

Still, the data, limitations and all, show teacher pay in many counties to be more competitive in many areas than previously thought.