Superintendent Salaries Fail to Keep Pace with Inflation

A new study released by AASA, The Superintendents Association has found the median superintendent salary is about $7,000 less than it was a decade ago, after accounting for inflation.

This drop in Superintendent real wages could be a result of several factors. For example, 13 percent of superintendents reported having a salary cap on their base salary, with states like Texas, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Missouri proposing similar legislation in recent years.

In addition, experience could play a factor as the median age for the position has dropped over the past decade. In 2012, nearly 20 percent of superintendents were older than 60, compared to just 9.6 percent this year.

Additional findings of interest include:

• The majority of respondents (85 percent) were 41-60 years old.
• Despite women accounting for only 27 percent of superintendents, they earn a median salary of $156,780 compared to $156,000 for men.
• Although diversity has increased slightly, 87 percent of respondents identified as white. Only 4.5 percent identified as Black, and 4 percent identified as Hispanic or Latino.
• More than half of superintendents reported that their contracts did not specify the process or measures by which they would be evaluated.

The survey includes responses from 2,706 superintendents from 49 states, representing approximately a fifth of superintendents nationwide.

For more information, check out the 2023-2024 AASA Superintendent Salary & Benefits Study.