Share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in United States of America
United States of America: Share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation was 69.6% in 2021. ▬ Flat
Latest (2021)
69.6%
Change on year
down 0.0%
World rank
65th
of 116 countries
All-time high
71.0%
in 2016
All-time low
69.2%
in 2019
Years of data
7
2015–2021
Share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in United States of America, 2015–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2021, share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in United States of America stood at 69.6%.
That represents a change of down 0.1% over ten years.
United States of America ranks 65th of 116 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in United States of America, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 69.7% | — |
| 2016 | 71.0% | +1.9% |
| 2017 | 69.8% | -1.7% |
| 2018 | 69.5% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 69.2% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 69.6% | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 69.6% | -0.0% |
United States of America compared with similar countries
- United States of America's 69.6% is below the median for high income countries, which is 70.2%, 99% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 69.8% | 69.2% | 71.0% | 5 |
| 2020s | 69.6% | 69.6% | 69.6% | 2 |
Countries ranked near United States of America
More education data for United States of America
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1.74 million (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 419,732 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 4.34 million (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 4.14 million (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 25.35 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 23.83 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.33 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0708 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in United States of America?
- Share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in United States of America was 69.6% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation recorded in United States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 71.0% in 2016.
- What is the lowest share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 69.2% in 2019.
- How does United States of America rank for share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation?
- United States of America ranks 65th out of 116 countries with data for 2021.
- Is share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation rising or falling in United States of America?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this United States of America data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Compensation for staff across all levels of education, both teaching and non-teaching, covers salaries, retirement contributions by employers, and additional benefits.