Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary Salaries by State

Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for foreign language and literature teachers, postsecondarys across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).

National mean salary $89,990 ≈ $43/hr

National median salary $79,350

Total employment 19,830 nationwide

Job Outlook, 2024–2034

Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.

Projected growth -0.2% Decline

Annual openings 1,900 per year (avg)

Employment 2024→2034 26,400 → 26,400 (0)

Typical entry education Doctoral or professional degree

Salary Map

Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.

AK ME WI VT NH WA ID MT ND MN IL MI NY MA OR NV WY SD IA IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA UT CO NE MO KY WV VA MD DE AZ NM KS AR TN NC SC DC OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL

Mean annual wage $0–$72,000 $72,000–$79,000 $79,000–$84,000 $84,000–$89,000 $89,000–$116,000 U.S. mean $89,990

💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States

California$116,230
Massachusetts$109,700
New York$109,490
New Hampshire$104,790
Delaware$103,300

📉 5 Lowest-Paying States

Oklahoma$58,950
Mississippi$61,690
Arkansas$68,500
North Dakota$70,410
North Carolina$70,780

State Rankings

⇄ Compare specific states

#	State	Mean	Median	Hourly	vs. U.S.	Employment
1	California	$116,230	$99,860	$56	+29.2%	2,170
2	Massachusetts	$109,700	$98,750	$53	+21.9%	960
3	New York	$109,490	$95,120	$53	+21.7%	1,520
4	New Hampshire	$104,790	$101,750	$50	+16.4%	150
5	Delaware	$103,300	$101,100	$50	+14.8%	70
6	Oregon	$99,990	$91,670	$48	+11.1%	510
7	Maine	$98,500	$96,970	$47	+9.5%	70
8	Maryland	$94,620	$87,280	$45	+5.1%	280
9	Connecticut	$94,330	$80,630	$45	+4.8%	340
10	Montana	$89,410	$79,970	$43	-0.6%	80
11	Minnesota	$89,150	$80,650	$43	-0.9%	410
12	Iowa	$88,940	$79,880	$43	-1.2%	210
13	District of Columbia	$88,700	$78,930	$43	-1.4%	360
14	New Jersey	$87,900	$79,060	$42	-2.3%	850
15	Colorado	$87,480	$77,840	$42	-2.8%	410
16	Missouri	$86,550	$76,110	$42	-3.8%	330
17	Illinois	$85,840	$81,530	$41	-4.6%	690
18	Michigan	$85,460	$83,190	$41	-5%	500
19	Wisconsin	$83,800	$78,490	$40	-6.9%	450
20	Virginia	$83,590	$74,000	$40	-7.1%	890
21	Nevada	$82,800	$84,980	$40	-8%	90
22	Pennsylvania	$82,320	$77,210	$40	-8.5%	1,060
23	Indiana	$82,240	$74,590	$40	-8.6%	660
24	Texas	$81,220	$75,090	$39	-9.7%	1,460
25	New Mexico	$81,140	$71,720	$39	-9.8%	60
26	Washington	$80,500	$78,320	$39	-10.5%	370
27	South Carolina	$79,780	$77,790	$38	-11.3%	320
28	Arizona	$79,280	$71,230	$38	-11.9%	360
29	Louisiana	$79,280	$75,410	$38	-11.9%	130
30	South Dakota	$79,090	$81,080	$38	-12.1%	40
31	Utah	$78,600	$78,570	$38	-12.7%	180
32	Georgia	$78,340	$73,370	$38	-12.9%	280
33	Tennessee	$77,160	$76,350	$37	-14.3%	310
34	Florida	$75,350	$76,230	$36	-16.3%	430
35	Kansas	$74,980	$65,890	$36	-16.7%	140
36	Ohio	$72,870	$74,310	$35	-19%	960
37	Kentucky	$72,830	$65,630	$35	-19.1%	180
38	Alaska	$72,730	$76,490	$35	-19.2%	80
39	Alabama	$72,140	$70,580	$35	-19.8%	110
40	West Virginia	$71,590	$76,340	$34	-20.4%	40
41	North Carolina	$70,780	$63,900	$34	-21.3%	690
42	North Dakota	$70,410	$64,540	$34	-21.8%	30
43	Arkansas	$68,500	$62,900	$33	-23.9%	120
44	Mississippi	$61,690	$54,670	$30	-31.4%	60
45	Oklahoma	$58,950	$61,580	$28	-34.5%	80

Top-Paying Metro Areas

Highest median pay among 78 metro areas.

#	Metro area	Median	Mean	Employment
1	Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	$171,660	$158,240	130
2	Fresno, CA	$167,160	$142,300	70
3	Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	$125,980	$125,830	130
4	San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$115,040	$131,060	240
5	San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	$106,050	$118,870	200
6	South Illinois nonmetropolitan area	$103,550	$91,240	50
7	Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	$103,190	$134,910	50
8	North Northeastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area (noncontiguous)	$99,530	$85,710	70
9	Amherst Town-Northampton, MA	$99,410	$99,470	—
10	Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	$99,100	$116,450	630

Pay by Industry

Highest-paying industries employing foreign language and literature teachers, postsecondarys (BLS OEWS, by median).

#	Industry	Median	Mean	Employment
1	Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools, Local Government Owned	$100,050	$119,150	680
2	Educational Services, Local Government Owned	$98,600	$114,320	3,390
3	Local Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)	$97,880	$113,560	3,450
4	Junior Colleges, Local Government Owned	$97,400	$113,210	2,700
5	Junior Colleges	$80,390	$101,450	3,820
6	Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools, Privately Owned	$79,780	$89,380	7,150
7	Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools	$79,750	$88,070	15,580
8	Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Schools and Hospitals and USPS	$79,670	$91,390	12,310
9	Educational Services	$79,460	$90,070	19,740
10	Sector 61 - Educational Services	$79,460	$90,070	19,740
11	Cross-Industry, Private, Federal, State, and Local	$79,350	$89,990	19,830
12	Educational Services, Privately Owned	$79,080	$87,770	7,500

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do foreign language and literature teachers, postsecondary make in the U.S.?

The median foreign language and literature teachers, postsecondary salary in the United States is $79,350 per year (mean $89,990), and about 80% earn between $49,060 and $136,050.

How much do foreign language and literature teachers, postsecondary make per hour?

Roughly $43 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $89,990 and 2,080 work hours per year.

Which state pays foreign language and literature teachers, postsecondary the most?

California has the highest average pay for foreign language and literature teachers, postsecondary at $116,230 per year (median $99,860).

What is the job outlook for foreign language and literature teachers, postsecondary?

Employment is projected to change -0.2% from 2024 to 2034 (Decline), with about 1,900 openings per year.