Business Teachers, Postsecondary
Business Teachers, Postsecondary (SOC 25-1011) earn a median $99,080 a year in the United States, with 82,150 employed as of May 2025; the highest-paying state is Alaska.
What business teachers, postsecondary do
Business teachers at the college level lead courses in accounting, finance, marketing, human resources, management, and operations research, in both undergraduate and graduate programs. They deliver lectures, run case discussions, write syllabi and assignments, grade papers and exams, and keep up with current literature and professional associations. Some also carry out their own research and publish it. The occupation covers instruction in the business disciplines only; teachers of economics or law are counted in their own categories. They also plan and revise curricula, moderate classroom discussion, and keep attendance and grade records. Course topics named in the O*NET task list include financial accounting, principles of marketing, and operations management, and an appointment may be mostly teaching or a mix of teaching and research.
Typical entry: According to O*NET, the most commonly reported level of education for this occupation is a doctoral degree.
Also called: Accountancy Professor, Accounting Instructor, Accounting Professor, Accounting Teacher, Adjunct Instructor.
National wage percentiles, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| United States | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 82,150 |
| Annual | $47,180 | $64,150 | $99,080 | $141,710 | $209,470 | $114,720 | ||
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 business 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 | ||||||
| Alaska | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 130 | 0.40 | 0.75 |
| Annual | $63,170 | $94,560 | $168,930 | $331,040 | $332,000 | $181,700 | ||||
| Delaware | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 280 | 0.59 | 1.11 |
| Annual | $54,830 | $79,650 | $130,370 | $167,870 | $207,780 | $139,290 | ||||
| Louisiana | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 640 | 0.33 | 0.63 |
| Annual | $58,030 | $81,690 | $129,040 | $176,570 | $218,880 | $137,530 | ||||
| California | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 5,290 | 0.29 | 0.55 |
| Annual | $60,910 | $80,600 | $128,470 | $176,570 | $250,700 | $140,670 | ||||
| District of Columbia | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 630 | 0.89 | 1.69 |
| Annual | $62,930 | $81,170 | $128,370 | $172,370 | $265,940 | $144,980 | ||||
Five states with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Texas | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 7,710 | 0.55 | 1.04 |
| Annual | $40,550 | $61,280 | $101,210 | $159,440 | $212,160 | $114,720 | ||||
| New York | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 7,480 | 0.77 | 1.46 |
| Annual | $50,420 | $77,230 | $104,490 | $162,800 | $206,360 | $121,940 | ||||
| California | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 5,290 | 0.29 | 0.55 |
| Annual | $60,910 | $80,600 | $128,470 | $176,570 | $250,700 | $140,670 | ||||
| Pennsylvania | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 4,630 | 0.76 | 1.45 |
| Annual | $46,820 | $74,100 | $101,760 | $150,080 | $178,670 | $111,930 | ||||
| Massachusetts | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 4,190 | 1.15 | 2.18 |
| Annual | $59,760 | $80,430 | $103,110 | $169,010 | $238,900 | $132,880 | ||||
Five highest-paying metropolitan areas
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Wilmington, NC | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 170 | 0.90 | 1.71 |
| Annual | $73,560 | $87,220 | $187,380 | $220,610 | $220,610 | $155,190 | ||||
| Lawrence, KS | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 150 | 2.94 | 5.57 |
| Annual | $90,800 | $107,050 | $169,130 | $328,610 | $328,610 | $203,180 | ||||
| Anchorage, AK | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 50 | 0.27 | 0.52 |
| Annual | $75,290 | $75,310 | $168,440 | $168,440 | $331,040 | $165,560 | ||||
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 830 | 0.73 | 1.38 |
| Annual | $74,920 | $98,210 | $160,090 | $203,820 | $324,590 | $166,370 | ||||
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 520 | 0.31 | 0.58 |
| Annual | $76,720 | $97,330 | $148,500 | $194,400 | $250,700 | $151,650 | ||||
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 | * | * | * | * | * | * | 6,840 | 0.72 | 1.36 |
| Annual | $49,140 | $77,760 | $104,770 | $169,310 | $206,400 | $123,550 | ||||
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 3,250 | 1.20 | 2.28 |
| Annual | $59,000 | $80,430 | $103,110 | $173,310 | $295,500 | $137,400 | ||||
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 2,450 | 0.54 | 1.03 |
| Annual | $35,030 | $58,130 | $93,670 | $129,590 | $215,500 | $104,420 | ||||
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 2,260 | 0.78 | 1.47 |
| Annual | $49,240 | $75,620 | $107,170 | $162,320 | $207,780 | $122,500 | ||||
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 2,050 | 0.33 | 0.62 |
| Annual | $60,910 | $79,650 | $128,470 | $172,560 | $262,270 | $138,850 | ||||
Top industries employing business teachers, postsecondary
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools employ 81.9% of business teachers, postsecondary nationally (67,300 jobs) at a median $102,170 a year, followed by Junior Colleges (17.7%) and Technical and Trade Schools (0.3%).
| Industry | Employment | Share of occupation | Median annual | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools NAICS 611300 | 67,300 | 81.9% | $102,170 | * |
| Junior Colleges NAICS 611200 | 14,520 | 17.7% | $77,470 | * |
| Technical and Trade Schools NAICS 611500 | 220 | 0.3% | $67,950 | * |
| Business Schools and Computer and Management Training NAICS 611400 | 50 | 0.1% | $108,990 | * |
Share is the industry's employment over the occupation's national employment (82,150). Industries whose employment BLS withheld are not ranked.
Published medians, May 2021 to May 2025
BLS published a median annual wage of $94,360 for business teachers, postsecondary in May 2021 and $99,080 in May 2025, with employment of 79,640 and 82,150.
| Release | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $94,360 | * | 79,640 |
| May 2022 | $88,790 | * | 78,410 |
| May 2023 | $97,130 | * | 82,980 |
| May 2024 | $97,270 | * | 81,780 |
| May 2025 | $99,080 | * | 82,150 |
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
51 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 | Alaska profile | * | $168,930 | $63,170 | $332,000 | 130 | 0.40 | 0.75 |
| 2 | Delaware profile | * | $130,370 | $54,830 | $207,780 | 280 | 0.59 | 1.11 |
| 3 | Louisiana profile | * | $129,040 | $58,030 | $218,880 | 640 | 0.33 | 0.63 |
| 4 | California profile | * | $128,470 | $60,910 | $250,700 | 5,290 | 0.29 | 0.55 |
| 5 | District of Columbia profile | * | $128,370 | $62,930 | $265,940 | 630 | 0.89 | 1.69 |
| 6 | Maryland profile | * | $126,560 | $62,460 | $205,950 | 2,280 | 0.82 | 1.56 |
| 7 | Utah profile | * | $115,870 | $68,250 | $236,200 | 460 | 0.27 | 0.50 |
| 8 | Michigan profile | * | $111,190 | $43,360 | $229,160 | 2,240 | 0.51 | 0.96 |
| 9 | North Dakota profile | * | $110,050 | $58,730 | $203,170 | 250 | 0.59 | 1.11 |
| 10 | New York profile | * | $104,490 | $50,420 | $206,360 | 7,480 | 0.77 | 1.46 |
| 11 | West Virginia profile | * | $104,480 | $56,670 | $206,080 | 420 | 0.60 | 1.14 |
| 12 | Virginia profile | * | $103,860 | $47,680 | $234,460 | 2,450 | 0.60 | 1.13 |
| 13 | Rhode Island profile | * | $103,820 | $66,110 | $203,360 | 360 | 0.72 | 1.36 |
| 14 | Connecticut profile | * | $103,750 | $59,750 | $294,680 | 1,310 | 0.77 | 1.46 |
| 15 | Massachusetts profile | * | $103,110 | $59,760 | $238,900 | 4,190 | 1.15 | 2.18 |
| 16 | Pennsylvania profile | * | $101,760 | $46,820 | $178,670 | 4,630 | 0.76 | 1.45 |
| 17 | Texas profile | * | $101,210 | $40,550 | $212,160 | 7,710 | 0.55 | 1.04 |
| 18 | Vermont profile | * | $101,170 | $55,200 | $172,180 | 110 | 0.36 | 0.68 |
| 19 | Washington profile | * | $100,390 | $55,420 | $209,090 | 1,190 | 0.34 | 0.63 |
| 20 | Missouri profile | * | $100,310 | $49,640 | $280,710 | 1,720 | 0.59 | 1.11 |
| 21 | Oregon profile | * | $100,180 | $52,100 | $171,370 | 940 | 0.48 | 0.91 |
| 22 | Nevada profile | * | $98,920 | $47,690 | $176,170 | 400 | 0.26 | 0.49 |
| 23 | Wisconsin profile | * | $96,680 | $57,080 | $173,020 | 1,940 | 0.66 | 1.25 |
| 24 | Minnesota profile | * | $95,820 | $63,170 | $214,490 | 980 | 0.33 | 0.63 |
| 25 | Illinois profile | * | $94,770 | $37,590 | $215,800 | 3,580 | 0.59 | 1.11 |
| 26 | Nebraska profile | * | $88,690 | $52,190 | $205,000 | 530 | 0.52 | 0.99 |
| 27 | Indiana profile | * | $86,640 | $48,720 | $181,340 | 2,030 | 0.63 | 1.20 |
| 28 | Tennessee profile | * | $85,950 | $53,780 | $169,710 | 1,260 | 0.39 | 0.73 |
| 29 | New Jersey profile | * | $85,250 | $32,220 | $179,290 | 3,190 | 0.75 | 1.41 |
| 30 | Idaho profile | * | $84,190 | $48,320 | $174,920 | 240 | 0.28 | 0.52 |
| 31 | New Mexico profile | * | $83,980 | $42,680 | $173,650 | 410 | 0.47 | 0.88 |
| 32 | Kansas profile | * | $83,310 | $48,140 | $238,150 | 660 | 0.46 | 0.86 |
| 33 | Maine profile | * | $83,250 | $51,250 | $169,920 | 300 | 0.47 | 0.89 |
| 34 | Iowa profile | * | $83,200 | $49,750 | $207,890 | 890 | 0.57 | 1.08 |
| 35 | New Hampshire profile | * | $83,070 | $47,680 | $350,260 | 580 | 0.85 | 1.61 |
| 36 | Georgia profile | * | $82,820 | $15,080 | $167,390 | 1,940 | 0.40 | 0.75 |
| 37 | Alabama profile | * | $82,170 | $48,310 | $171,420 | 1,260 | 0.60 | 1.13 |
| 38 | Oklahoma profile | * | $82,060 | $38,340 | $172,690 | 770 | 0.45 | 0.86 |
| 39 | Arizona profile | * | $81,600 | $63,470 | $157,770 | 1,240 | 0.38 | 0.73 |
| 40 | Montana profile | * | $81,490 | $50,890 | $199,660 | 170 | 0.33 | 0.62 |
| 41 | Kentucky profile | * | $80,140 | $39,430 | $175,390 | 760 | 0.38 | 0.72 |
| 42 | Ohio profile | * | $79,770 | $36,550 | $210,020 | 3,100 | 0.56 | 1.06 |
| 43 | North Carolina profile | * | $79,600 | $42,480 | $173,320 | 2,960 | 0.60 | 1.13 |
| 44 | Florida profile | * | $78,870 | $50,580 | $156,480 | 2,900 | 0.29 | 0.55 |
| 45 | South Carolina profile | * | $78,830 | $38,780 | $172,580 | 1,500 | 0.65 | 1.23 |
| 46 | Colorado profile | * | $78,210 | $37,830 | $166,020 | 2,080 | 0.72 | 1.37 |
| 47 | Hawaii profile | * | $76,860 | $39,710 | $139,370 | 390 | 0.62 | 1.17 |
| 48 | Mississippi profile | * | $75,680 | $34,450 | $159,370 | 530 | 0.46 | 0.87 |
| 49 | South Dakota profile | * | $72,650 | $51,260 | $139,230 | 260 | 0.56 | 1.07 |
| 50 | Wyoming profile | * | $69,550 | $47,380 | $167,800 | 150 | 0.55 | 1.03 |
| 51 | Arkansas profile | * | $64,620 | $35,500 | $167,190 | 450 | 0.34 | 0.65 |
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 25-1011 Business Teachers, Postsecondary.
*- Wage 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 25-1011, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- O*NET 30.1 Database, 25-1011.00, 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.