About Public Paycheck

Why public pay records need a better reader

Public pay is public record, but governments often publish it as databases and spreadsheets that are hard to read. Public Paycheck turns those files into pages you can scan, compare and understand: what a job pays at the start, on average and at the top, and how one employer compares with its neighbours.

What can you do with public salary data?

Public school teachers are paid on a salary scale, and some of those scales are public record. In California, for example, school districts report their whole teacher pay scale to the state. That means you can see what you'd earn in your first year, your tenth and at the top before you ever apply.

Choose where to apply. Districts in the same county can pay very differently. Comparing schedules shows which district pays more now and which pays more in ten years.

Check your own pay. If you already work in a district, its schedule shows where you sit and what the next step and the next column bring. The county page shows how your district compares with the ones nearby.

Know your starting placement. Many districts limit how many years of experience they credit when you join. Where a district reported that limit, its page shows it, so you know what to ask about before you accept an offer.

Weigh a career change. The starting salary and how fast it climbs tell you how many years it would take to match what you earn now.

The rules behind every figure on Public Paycheck

Every figure comes from a public record, and each page lists its sources at the bottom. We never publish names: every figure covers at least five people, so none describes one person. Where a district didn't report something, the page says "Not reported" instead of guessing. The details are on where the numbers come from.

Spotted a mistake or have a question? Send us a message.