Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary
Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary (SOC 25-1062) earn a median $85,020 a year in the United States, with 11,300 employed as of May 2025; the highest-paying state is New Hampshire.
What area, ethnic, and cultural studies teachers, postsecondary do
Teachers of area, ethnic, and cultural studies teach about the culture and development of a region or group, in programs such as Latin American studies, Asian studies, women's studies, and urban affairs. Classroom discussion is a core part of the work. They lecture, moderate debate, assign and grade papers, and prepare syllabi. Faculty who do research publish their findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media. Teachers whose subject is the culture and development of a particular area or group are counted here rather than in disciplines such as history or sociology. Alternate titles show programs such as African, American, Asian, and Black studies. Lecture topics named for the occupation include race and ethnic relations, gender studies, and cross-cultural perspectives. Faculty also administer and grade examinations, plan and revise curricula, and keep up with the field through current literature, colleagues, and professional organizations.
Typical entry: According to O*NET, the most commonly reported level of education for this occupation is a doctoral degree.
Also called: Adjunct Professor, African Studies Professor, American Studies Professor, Asian Studies Professor, Assistant Professor.
National wage percentiles, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| United States | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 11,300 |
| Annual | $52,070 | $65,660 | $85,020 | $110,710 | $160,420 | $98,330 | ||
Employment per 1,000 jobs and the location quotient are area measures; they appear in the state and metro tables below. To see what a wage in this range leaves after tax, use FastCalc's take-home pay calculator.
Where area, ethnic, and cultural studies teachers, postsecondary earn and work most
Five highest-paying states
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| New Hampshire | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 80 | 0.12 | 1.65 |
| Annual | $64,640 | $95,450 | $125,450 | $147,220 | $211,080 | $127,920 | ||||
| Kansas | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 90 | 0.06 | 0.85 |
| Annual | $54,770 | $61,530 | $107,120 | $136,480 | $213,350 | $121,680 | ||||
| California | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 770 | 0.04 | 0.59 |
| Annual | $67,020 | $88,110 | $105,220 | $148,610 | $191,720 | $122,400 | ||||
| Rhode Island | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | ** | ** | ** |
| Annual | $60,790 | $79,800 | $104,460 | $131,310 | $217,050 | $114,530 | ||||
| Maine | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 50 | 0.08 | 1.06 |
| Annual | $59,630 | $65,220 | $103,060 | $129,880 | $159,710 | $109,130 | ||||
Five states with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| New York | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 1,520 | 0.16 | 2.16 |
| Annual | $64,330 | $80,060 | $101,800 | $124,830 | $203,590 | $110,880 | ||||
| Texas | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 830 | 0.06 | 0.81 |
| Annual | $44,680 | $58,170 | $72,250 | $103,230 | $132,950 | $83,790 | ||||
| California | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 770 | 0.04 | 0.59 |
| Annual | $67,020 | $88,110 | $105,220 | $148,610 | $191,720 | $122,400 | ||||
| Massachusetts | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 610 | 0.17 | 2.31 |
| Annual | $66,470 | $81,450 | $100,470 | $131,680 | $170,300 | $111,240 | ||||
| North Carolina | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 590 | 0.12 | 1.65 |
| Annual | $45,470 | $48,720 | $66,470 | $84,710 | $110,650 | $76,050 | ||||
Five highest-paying metropolitan areas
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 40 | 0.20 | 2.76 |
| Annual | $71,170 | $117,230 | $145,530 | $186,770 | $337,260 | $167,360 | ||||
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 40 | 0.03 | 0.44 |
| Annual | $97,290 | $103,130 | $129,270 | $159,190 | $168,160 | $130,120 | ||||
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 50 | 0.02 | 0.28 |
| Annual | $83,690 | $96,810 | $125,890 | $187,830 | $208,250 | $143,410 | ||||
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 90 | 0.06 | 0.80 |
| Annual | $82,280 | $98,440 | $118,970 | $156,680 | $212,840 | $132,150 | ||||
| Ann Arbor, MI | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 240 | 1.09 | 14.97 |
| Annual | $66,380 | $85,340 | $106,140 | $135,320 | $172,470 | $112,490 | ||||
Five metropolitan areas with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 1,190 | 0.13 | 1.73 |
| Annual | $65,810 | $80,540 | $103,700 | $126,920 | $204,350 | $116,890 | ||||
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 440 | 0.16 | 2.22 |
| Annual | $65,130 | $81,770 | $100,140 | $131,680 | $174,260 | $111,080 | ||||
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 360 | 0.11 | 1.56 |
| Annual | $60,870 | $82,750 | $101,700 | $129,000 | $215,070 | $121,270 | ||||
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 310 | 0.05 | 0.67 |
| Annual | $64,920 | $82,130 | $102,030 | $130,590 | $164,670 | $110,810 | ||||
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 300 | 0.10 | 1.41 |
| Annual | $48,880 | $61,780 | $80,980 | $101,090 | $131,290 | $91,770 | ||||
Top industries employing area, ethnic, and cultural studies teachers, postsecondary
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools employ 92.1% of area, ethnic, and cultural studies teachers, postsecondary nationally (10,410 jobs) at a median $85,960 a year, followed by Junior Colleges (7.7%).
| Industry | Employment | Share of occupation | Median annual | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools NAICS 611300 | 10,410 | 92.1% | $85,960 | * |
| Junior Colleges NAICS 611200 | 870 | 7.7% | $78,650 | * |
Share is the industry's employment over the occupation's national employment (11,300). Industries whose employment BLS withheld are not ranked.
Published medians, May 2021 to May 2025
BLS published a median annual wage of $78,910 for area, ethnic, and cultural studies teachers, postsecondary in May 2021 and $85,020 in May 2025, with employment of 9,040 and 11,300.
| Release | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $78,910 | * | 9,040 |
| May 2022 | $80,910 | * | 9,340 |
| May 2023 | $86,030 | * | 11,570 |
| May 2024 | $84,290 | * | 11,430 |
| May 2025 | $85,020 | * | 11,300 |
BLS does not design OEWS as a time series: each release pools three years of samples, and occupational classifications, area definitions and estimation methods change between releases, so a difference between two releases is not a measure of change over time. The figures are shown as published, side by side, and nothing is computed from them. See how often OEWS is updated.
Every state, by median wage
37 states and DC publish a row for this occupation. A linked state has its own page with the within-state metro table and comparison; the others appear here only.
| Rank | State | Median hourly | Median annual | 10th pct (annual) | 90th pct (annual) | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Hampshire profile | * | $125,450 | $64,640 | $211,080 | 80 | 0.12 | 1.65 |
| 2 | Kansas profile | * | $107,120 | $54,770 | $213,350 | 90 | 0.06 | 0.85 |
| 3 | California profile | * | $105,220 | $67,020 | $191,720 | 770 | 0.04 | 0.59 |
| 4 | Rhode Island profile | * | $104,460 | $60,790 | $217,050 | ** | ** | ** |
| 5 | Maine profile | * | $103,060 | $59,630 | $159,710 | 50 | 0.08 | 1.06 |
| 6 | New York profile | * | $101,800 | $64,330 | $203,590 | 1,520 | 0.16 | 2.16 |
| 7 | District of Columbia profile | * | $101,700 | $65,050 | $224,380 | 230 | 0.33 | 4.60 |
| 8 | Massachusetts profile | * | $100,470 | $66,470 | $170,300 | 610 | 0.17 | 2.31 |
| 9 | Connecticut profile | * | $99,900 | $62,000 | $207,640 | 310 | 0.19 | 2.55 |
| 10 | New Jersey profile | * | $97,500 | $53,190 | $175,970 | 480 | 0.11 | 1.54 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania profile | * | $96,010 | $46,340 | $132,230 | 260 | 0.04 | 0.58 |
| 12 | Maryland profile | * | $91,330 | $53,110 | $164,040 | 520 | 0.19 | 2.60 |
| 13 | Illinois profile | * | $90,030 | $48,540 | $138,010 | 220 | 0.04 | 0.50 |
| 14 | Michigan profile | * | $87,840 | $63,730 | $158,380 | 460 | 0.11 | 1.45 |
| 15 | Virginia profile | * | $85,960 | $55,010 | $136,740 | 300 | 0.07 | 1.00 |
| 16 | Indiana profile | * | $84,970 | $52,070 | $138,330 | 260 | 0.08 | 1.14 |
| 17 | Utah profile | * | $82,990 | $59,310 | $125,070 | 40 | 0.02 | 0.31 |
| 18 | Alaska profile | * | $81,700 | $73,620 | $104,240 | 80 | 0.26 | 3.59 |
| 19 | Minnesota profile | * | $81,580 | $60,700 | $156,540 | 280 | 0.10 | 1.32 |
| 20 | Washington profile | * | $81,410 | $50,230 | $128,400 | 240 | 0.07 | 0.94 |
| 21 | Oregon profile | * | $80,310 | $48,200 | $135,840 | 340 | 0.17 | 2.35 |
| 22 | Ohio profile | * | $80,060 | $49,990 | $131,180 | 390 | 0.07 | 0.96 |
| 23 | Colorado profile | * | $79,190 | $50,700 | $121,100 | 160 | 0.06 | 0.77 |
| 24 | Wisconsin profile | * | $78,770 | $50,890 | $136,520 | 180 | 0.06 | 0.85 |
| 25 | Montana profile | * | $78,690 | $48,110 | $127,080 | 90 | 0.17 | 2.38 |
| 26 | Georgia profile | * | $77,630 | $48,880 | $131,290 | 450 | 0.09 | 1.28 |
| 27 | Oklahoma profile | * | $76,600 | $19,190 | $133,090 | 50 | 0.03 | 0.39 |
| 28 | Wyoming profile | * | $76,170 | $50,640 | $125,200 | 40 | 0.15 | 1.99 |
| 29 | Arizona profile | * | $75,680 | $62,540 | $106,770 | 240 | 0.07 | 1.02 |
| 30 | Tennessee profile | * | $75,060 | $54,460 | $136,320 | 60 | 0.02 | 0.26 |
| 31 | Kentucky profile | * | $74,690 | $16,410 | $133,380 | 90 | 0.05 | 0.63 |
| 32 | Texas profile | * | $72,250 | $44,680 | $132,950 | 830 | 0.06 | 0.81 |
| 33 | West Virginia profile | * | $71,200 | $56,240 | $99,690 | 40 | 0.05 | 0.70 |
| 34 | Florida profile | * | $66,520 | $48,210 | $130,980 | 120 | 0.01 | 0.17 |
| 35 | North Carolina profile | * | $66,470 | $45,470 | $110,650 | 590 | 0.12 | 1.65 |
| 36 | South Carolina profile | * | $64,500 | $51,490 | $90,180 | 130 | 0.06 | 0.80 |
| 37 | Alabama profile | * | $63,090 | $47,690 | $101,820 | 50 | 0.02 | 0.30 |
Related occupations
Occupations in the same SOC broad group (25-1060), with their national median annual wage.
Part of Educational Instruction and Library Occupations. Compare any area in the wage explorer.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS 25-1062 Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary.
*- Wage estimate not available.
**- Employment estimate not available.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Top industries: nat4d_M2025_dl.xlsx in oesm25in4.zip (BLS OEWS May 2025, national, 4-digit NAICS, cross-ownership). Employment is the industry's rounded total for this occupation; industries whose employment BLS withheld (**) are not ranked. A withheld or top-coded median in that table shows the marker explained above.
- Published medians: national_M2021_dl.xlsx to national_M2024_dl.xlsx in oesm21nat.zip to oesm24nat.zip (BLS OEWS May 2021 to May 2024, national, cross-industry, all ownerships) and the May 2025 spine. Each release is shown as published; nothing is computed between them. A withheld or top-coded cell in that table shows the marker explained above.
Sources
- BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018, definition of 25-1062, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- O*NET 30.1 Database, 25-1062.00, National Center for O*NET Development, USDOL/ETA (CC BY 4.0).
- OEWS May 2025 national industry-specific estimates, 4-digit NAICS (oesm25in4.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2021 national estimates (oesm21nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2022 national estimates (oesm22nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2023 national estimates (oesm23nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2024 national estimates (oesm24nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2025 national estimates (oesm25nat.zip), the site's data spine, US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
Includes information from O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Description written 2026-10-17 in our own words from the sources above.