Postsecondary Education Teacher Salary: What the Data Says (2026)

Postsecondary education teachers earn a median wage of $75,350 per year, or about $36.23 an hour, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). Median means the midpoint: half of these faculty earn more and half earn less. That figure places the role fourth among the fourteen education careers this site tracks, ahead of most K-12 classroom roles but below college administrators.

The spread is wide. The lowest-paid ten percent earn about $39,530, while the highest-paid ten percent earn about $126,860 (BLS, May 2025). That gap of nearly $87,000 reflects the range of jobs inside this single occupation. At the bottom sit adjuncts and part-time instructors, who are often paid per course with no benefits, along with new hires at community colleges. At the top sit tenured full professors at research universities, faculty who also hold administrative stipends, and specialists in high-demand fields. The mean, or simple average, is $79,350, a bit higher than the median because those top earners pull the average up.

Because most faculty are salaried on nine or ten month academic-year contracts, the hourly figure understates what many actually take home in summer through teaching extra courses, running grant-funded projects, or consulting. What pushes someone toward the top of the range is a doctorate from a strong program, a record of published research and grants, tenure and promotion to full professor, and a position at a well-funded institution rather than a cash-strapped one.

Geography moves this paycheck as much as anything else. California is the highest-paying state for postsecondary education teachers, with a median of $111,850, far above the national figure. Louisiana follows at $83,710, then New York at $82,020, the District of Columbia at $80,810, Connecticut at $80,620, and Rhode Island at $80,030 (BLS, May 2025). Large public university systems, strong faculty bargaining, and dense concentrations of colleges help lift pay in these places.

At the other end, medians run much lower. New Hampshire sits near the bottom at $49,250, with Hawaii close behind at $49,800, followed by Oklahoma at $60,880 and Kentucky at $61,450. The usual caveat applies: a high number does not always mean a better deal. California and Connecticut carry steep housing and living costs, so a smaller salary in a lower-cost state can stretch further. Hawaii is the clearest example, where a modest median collides with some of the highest living costs in the country.

Pay in this field climbs with academic rank and years in the job. Someone early in their career, a brand-new assistant professor or an adjunct picking up a course or two, sits near the bottom of the range, closer to the $39,530 that marks the tenth percentile. As faculty build a teaching record, publish research, and earn tenure, they move toward and past the $75,350 median. Veteran full professors with decades of scholarship, national reputations, and leadership roles reach the upper band near the $126,860 that the top ten percent earn (BLS, May 2025).

The academic ladder itself sets much of the pace. Most tenure-track faculty move from assistant professor to associate professor with tenure, then to full professor, and each promotion brings a raise. Unlike K-12 teachers, who follow rigid step-and-lane salary schedules tied to years and credits, college faculty pay depends more on rank, discipline, institution, and individual negotiation. That makes the climb less automatic but also less capped, since a productive researcher can accelerate through the ranks or command a higher salary by moving to a better-resourced university.

The federal outlook file for this specific occupation does not include a projected growth rate, so the hiring picture is best read through the forces shaping it rather than a single number. Demand for education faculty is tied closely to enrollment in teacher-preparation programs, which has softened in some regions as fewer students choose the teaching profession. When fewer undergraduates enroll in education majors, colleges need fewer faculty to teach them.

At the same time, several pressures keep openings coming. A large share of current faculty are approaching retirement, and each departure creates a vacancy that must be filled. Persistent teacher shortages across the country, especially in special education, math, and science, push states and districts to expand alternative certification and residency programs, which in turn need instructors. Community colleges and online programs continue to grow, adding demand for instructors even where traditional four-year enrollment is flat.

The catch is the structure of the hiring. Much of the new demand is met with adjunct and contingent positions rather than tenure-track lines, so the number of secure, well-paid faculty jobs grows more slowly than total teaching demand. Candidates with a completed doctorate, a research record, and flexibility about location and institution type will find the most opportunity.