Education salaries

Education careers cover teachers, professors, librarians, and instructional staff across every level from preschool to graduate school.

Below are all 59 education occupations the BLS tracks, ranked by median annual pay for May 2024. The best paid, law teachers, postsecondary, earns a median of $126,650 a year.

#	Job	Median annual	Hourly	Typical education	Employed
1	Law Teachers, Postsecondary	$126,650	Salaried	Doctoral or professional degree	22,800
2	Economics Teachers, Postsecondary	$119,980	Salaried	Doctoral or professional degree	12,420
3	Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary	$106,120	Salaried	Doctoral or professional degree	39,910
4	Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary	$105,620	Salaried	Doctoral or professional degree	229,720
5	Architecture Teachers, Postsecondary	$101,480	Salaried	Doctoral or professional degree	9,120
6	Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary	$101,390	Salaried	Doctoral or professional degree	11,480
7	Forestry and Conservation Science Teachers, Postsecondary	$100,830	Salaried	Doctoral or professional degree	1,310
8	Physics Teachers, Postsecondary	$97,360	Salaried	Doctoral or professional degree	13,590
9	Business Teachers, Postsecondary	$97,270	Salaried	Doctoral or professional degree	81,780
10	Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary	$96,690	Salaried	Doctoral or professional degree	36,240
11	Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary	$95,770	Salaried	Doctoral or professional degree	5,260
12	Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary	$94,680	Salaried	Doctoral or professional degree	17,170
13	Environmental Science Teachers, Postsecondary	$87,710	Salaried	Doctoral or professional degree	7,130
14	Geography Teachers, Postsecondary	$86,730	Salaried	Doctoral or professional degree	3,290
15	Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary	$86,350	Salaried	Doctoral or professional degree	8,700
16	Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary	$86,220	Salaried	Doctoral or professional degree	20,390
17	Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary	$84,290	Salaried	Doctoral or professional degree	11,430
18	Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary	$83,460	Salaried	Doctoral or professional degree	53,250
19	Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary	$82,540	Salaried	Doctoral or professional degree	12,380
20	History Teachers, Postsecondary	$81,500	Salaried	Doctoral or professional degree	19,860
21	Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary	$80,330	Salaried	Doctoral or professional degree	41,610
22	Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary	$80,190	Salaried	Master's degree	97,890
23	Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary	$79,940	Salaried	Doctoral or professional degree	74,250
24	Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary	$79,350	Salaried	Doctoral or professional degree	48,820
25	Library Science Teachers, Postsecondary	$78,630	Salaried	Doctoral or professional degree	4,100
26	English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary	$78,270	Salaried	Doctoral or professional degree	59,590
27	Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary	$78,050	Salaried	Doctoral or professional degree	20,840
28	Communications Teachers, Postsecondary	$77,800	Salaried	Doctoral or professional degree	29,260
29	Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary	$77,280	Salaried	Doctoral or professional degree	2,630
30	Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary	$77,010	Salaried	Doctoral or professional degree	21,170
31	Social Work Teachers, Postsecondary	$76,210	Salaried	Doctoral or professional degree	13,350
32	Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary	$75,890	Salaried	Doctoral or professional degree	12,680
33	Instructional Coordinators	$74,720	$35.92	Master's degree	210,850
34	Education Teachers, Postsecondary	$72,090	Salaried	Doctoral or professional degree	59,090
35	Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary	$71,470	Salaried	Doctoral or professional degree	13,560
36	Special Education Teachers, Secondary School	$69,590	Salaried	Bachelor's degree	162,780
37	Special Education Teachers, Middle School	$64,880	Salaried	Bachelor's degree	95,330
38	Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	$64,580	Salaried	Bachelor's degree	1,072,540
39	Librarians and Media Collections Specialists	$64,320	$30.92	Master's degree	131,830
40	Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School	$63,910	Salaried	Bachelor's degree	104,450
41	Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School	$63,620	Salaried	Bachelor's degree	14,200
42	Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School	$63,000	Salaried	Bachelor's degree	231,570
43	Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	$62,970	Salaried	Bachelor's degree	620,370
44	Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education	$62,340	Salaried	Bachelor's degree	1,393,310
45	Special Education Teachers, Preschool	$62,190	Salaried	Bachelor's degree	28,200
46	Curators	$61,770	$29.70	Master's degree	12,280
47	Archivists	$61,570	$29.60	Master's degree	7,050
48	Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary	$61,490	$29.56	Bachelor's degree	111,150
49	Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education	$61,430	Salaried	Bachelor's degree	114,410
50	Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors	$59,950	$28.82	Bachelor's degree	36,260
51	Farm and Home Management Educators	$58,120	$27.94	Master's degree	10,260
52	Museum Technicians and Conservators	$47,460	$22.82	Bachelor's degree	13,070
53	Self-Enrichment Teachers	$45,590	$21.92	High school diploma or equivalent	308,520
54	Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary	$44,930	Salaried	Bachelor's degree	155,010
55	Tutors	$40,090	$19.27	Some college, no degree	174,660
56	Library Technicians	$39,970	$19.22	Postsecondary nondegree award	73,770
57	Substitute Teachers, Short-Term	$38,470	$18.50	Bachelor's degree	481,300
58	Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education	$37,120	$17.85	Associate's degree	445,080
59	Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary	$35,240	Salaried	Some college, no degree	1,375,300

Ranked by median annual wage. National estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2024.

Education salary FAQ

What is the highest paying education job?

Law Teachers, Postsecondary top the education field at a median of $126,650 a year, based on BLS data for May 2024.

How much do education jobs pay on average?

Pay varies widely across the 59 occupations in this field. The middle of the list, foreign language and literature teachers, postsecondary, sits at a median of $77,010 a year. The overall U.S. median across all jobs is $49,500.

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Source. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024. Figures shown as published, last updated 2025-04-02.