Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary
Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary (SOC 25-1022) earn a median $79,940 a year in the United States, with 47,670 employed as of May 2025; the highest-paying state is California.
What mathematical science teachers, postsecondary do
Postsecondary mathematical science teachers teach mathematics, statistics, and actuarial science, including linear algebra, differential equations, and discrete mathematics. They prepare and give lectures, write and grade problem sets and examinations, hold office hours, and keep records of grades and attendance. Faculty with research duties also conduct research and publish findings. Teachers of computer science and of the physical sciences are classified separately, even when their courses lean heavily on mathematics. Titles range from adjunct instructor to assistant, associate, and full professor. They also plan and revise curricula, moderate classroom discussion, and maintain regular office hours to advise and assist students. The work also covers applying standard and original mathematical techniques to specific problems, and alternate titles include algebra teacher and actuarial science professor.
Typical entry: According to O*NET, the most commonly reported level of education for this occupation is a master's degree.
Also called: Actuarial Science Professor, Actuarial Science Teacher, Adjunct Instructor, Adjunct Mathematics Instructor, Adjunct Professor.
National wage percentiles, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| United States | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 47,670 |
| Annual | $49,180 | $61,690 | $79,940 | $105,000 | $139,340 | $91,550 | ||
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 mathematical science 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 | ||||||
| California | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 3,810 | 0.21 | 0.68 |
| Annual | $77,570 | $101,600 | $130,680 | $169,110 | $226,560 | $141,340 | ||||
| Delaware | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 130 | 0.26 | 0.84 |
| Annual | $61,060 | $76,060 | $101,510 | $127,030 | $154,180 | $104,480 | ||||
| Michigan | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 1,420 | 0.32 | 1.05 |
| Annual | $45,310 | $67,670 | $99,330 | $125,010 | $174,260 | $104,810 | ||||
| Rhode Island | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 260 | 0.51 | 1.68 |
| Annual | $62,810 | $79,180 | $95,600 | $131,890 | $183,740 | $113,690 | ||||
| Oregon | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 820 | 0.42 | 1.37 |
| Annual | $59,000 | $66,850 | $91,770 | $120,890 | $138,260 | $98,190 | ||||
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 | * | * | * | * | * | * | 4,870 | 0.35 | 1.13 |
| Annual | $47,430 | $60,030 | $76,990 | $100,010 | $130,280 | $85,160 | ||||
| New York | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 4,080 | 0.42 | 1.37 |
| Annual | $52,400 | $67,080 | $87,230 | $124,830 | $162,400 | $99,810 | ||||
| California | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 3,810 | 0.21 | 0.68 |
| Annual | $77,570 | $101,600 | $130,680 | $169,110 | $226,560 | $141,340 | ||||
| Florida | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 2,660 | 0.27 | 0.87 |
| Annual | $51,670 | $56,640 | $60,700 | $77,120 | $84,940 | $66,710 | ||||
| Illinois | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 2,390 | 0.39 | 1.28 |
| Annual | $42,060 | $59,660 | $77,080 | $103,290 | $129,280 | $82,100 | ||||
Five highest-paying metropolitan areas
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 340 | 0.20 | 0.64 |
| Annual | $82,880 | $111,440 | $150,550 | $196,460 | $250,700 | $157,930 | ||||
| Ann Arbor, MI | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 310 | 1.39 | 4.54 |
| Annual | $67,670 | $67,670 | $137,720 | $174,260 | $325,900 | $149,390 | ||||
| Fresno, CA | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 100 | 0.21 | 0.68 |
| Annual | $86,730 | $122,370 | $135,890 | $165,890 | $165,890 | $132,990 | ||||
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 390 | 0.26 | 0.83 |
| Annual | $76,390 | $100,260 | $135,860 | $172,060 | $221,210 | $140,960 | ||||
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 470 | 0.20 | 0.65 |
| Annual | $64,820 | $101,390 | $134,920 | $233,090 | $277,480 | $166,550 | ||||
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 | * | * | * | * | * | * | 3,600 | 0.38 | 1.24 |
| Annual | $49,630 | $69,150 | $98,130 | $131,560 | $171,870 | $104,400 | ||||
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 1,810 | 0.40 | 1.31 |
| Annual | $45,120 | $59,530 | $68,050 | $101,900 | $128,100 | $81,230 | ||||
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 1,400 | 0.22 | 0.73 |
| Annual | $77,430 | $101,270 | $131,070 | $177,540 | $225,710 | $142,840 | ||||
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 1,360 | 0.34 | 1.09 |
| Annual | $51,370 | $63,370 | $77,230 | $99,050 | $119,010 | $81,630 | ||||
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 1,320 | 0.49 | 1.59 |
| Annual | $60,720 | $68,350 | $86,510 | $124,330 | $167,400 | $103,890 | ||||
Top industries employing mathematical science teachers, postsecondary
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools employ 60.8% of mathematical science teachers, postsecondary nationally (29,000 jobs) at a median $82,170 a year, followed by Junior Colleges (38.7%) and Technical and Trade Schools (0.2%).
| Industry | Employment | Share of occupation | Median annual | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools NAICS 611300 | 29,000 | 60.8% | $82,170 | * |
| Junior Colleges NAICS 611200 | 18,470 | 38.7% | $77,150 | * |
| Technical and Trade Schools NAICS 611500 | 110 | 0.2% | $62,160 | * |
Share is the industry's employment over the occupation's national employment (47,670). Industries whose employment BLS withheld are not ranked.
Published medians, May 2021 to May 2025
BLS published a median annual wage of $77,580 for mathematical science teachers, postsecondary in May 2021 and $79,940 in May 2025, with employment of 44,140 and 47,670.
| Release | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $77,580 | * | 44,140 |
| May 2022 | $77,420 | * | 46,560 |
| May 2023 | $81,020 | * | 48,230 |
| May 2024 | $79,350 | * | 48,820 |
| May 2025 | $79,940 | * | 47,670 |
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
49 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 | California profile | * | $130,680 | $77,570 | $226,560 | 3,810 | 0.21 | 0.68 |
| 2 | Delaware profile | * | $101,510 | $61,060 | $154,180 | 130 | 0.26 | 0.84 |
| 3 | Michigan profile | * | $99,330 | $45,310 | $174,260 | 1,420 | 0.32 | 1.05 |
| 4 | Rhode Island profile | * | $95,600 | $62,810 | $183,740 | 260 | 0.51 | 1.68 |
| 5 | Oregon profile | * | $91,770 | $59,000 | $138,260 | 820 | 0.42 | 1.37 |
| 6 | New Hampshire profile | * | $91,670 | $54,460 | $163,190 | 150 | 0.22 | 0.72 |
| 7 | New York profile | * | $87,230 | $52,400 | $162,400 | 4,080 | 0.42 | 1.37 |
| 8 | Minnesota profile | * | $85,570 | $61,310 | $130,940 | 690 | 0.23 | 0.76 |
| 9 | Washington profile | * | $85,560 | $59,360 | $131,990 | 820 | 0.23 | 0.75 |
| 10 | Massachusetts profile | * | $85,490 | $60,490 | $165,490 | 1,880 | 0.52 | 1.68 |
| 11 | Connecticut profile | * | $85,020 | $58,960 | $160,520 | 820 | 0.49 | 1.58 |
| 12 | Vermont profile | * | $84,860 | $61,030 | $140,210 | 170 | 0.55 | 1.79 |
| 13 | Maryland profile | * | $83,360 | $54,030 | $176,630 | 820 | 0.30 | 0.97 |
| 14 | Utah profile | * | $83,270 | $49,510 | $134,290 | 370 | 0.22 | 0.70 |
| 15 | Nevada profile | * | $82,540 | $53,020 | $109,070 | 250 | 0.16 | 0.52 |
| 16 | Pennsylvania profile | * | $82,170 | $49,790 | $126,790 | 2,000 | 0.33 | 1.07 |
| 17 | Colorado profile | * | $81,930 | $50,780 | $134,020 | 890 | 0.31 | 1.01 |
| 18 | District of Columbia profile | * | $81,880 | $63,230 | $159,740 | 260 | 0.36 | 1.19 |
| 19 | Ohio profile | * | $81,330 | $45,280 | $127,610 | 1,600 | 0.29 | 0.94 |
| 20 | Maine profile | * | $81,130 | $59,380 | $139,640 | 170 | 0.26 | 0.86 |
| 21 | New Jersey profile | * | $80,660 | $32,220 | $139,910 | 1,660 | 0.39 | 1.27 |
| 22 | Montana profile | * | $80,610 | $51,520 | $122,520 | 120 | 0.24 | 0.78 |
| 23 | Wisconsin profile | * | $80,480 | $60,640 | $141,160 | 780 | 0.27 | 0.87 |
| 24 | Iowa profile | * | $80,300 | $52,810 | $134,040 | 450 | 0.29 | 0.94 |
| 25 | Louisiana profile | * | $79,940 | $47,290 | $118,750 | 340 | 0.18 | 0.58 |
| 26 | Nebraska profile | * | $79,310 | $54,740 | $133,390 | 270 | 0.26 | 0.86 |
| 27 | Indiana profile | * | $78,780 | $50,490 | $133,480 | 1,100 | 0.34 | 1.12 |
| 28 | South Carolina profile | * | $77,580 | $51,340 | $105,490 | 700 | 0.30 | 0.99 |
| 29 | Illinois profile | * | $77,080 | $42,060 | $129,280 | 2,390 | 0.39 | 1.28 |
| 30 | Texas profile | * | $76,990 | $47,430 | $130,280 | 4,870 | 0.35 | 1.13 |
| 31 | Wyoming profile | * | $76,910 | $47,890 | $101,470 | 110 | 0.38 | 1.24 |
| 32 | North Dakota profile | * | $76,770 | $54,300 | $119,810 | 120 | 0.28 | 0.91 |
| 33 | Tennessee profile | * | $76,240 | $49,780 | $137,100 | 870 | 0.27 | 0.87 |
| 34 | Virginia profile | * | $75,830 | $42,400 | $136,000 | 1,570 | 0.38 | 1.25 |
| 35 | Missouri profile | * | $74,640 | $47,270 | $124,800 | 740 | 0.25 | 0.82 |
| 36 | North Carolina profile | * | $73,620 | $49,410 | $132,720 | 1,870 | 0.38 | 1.23 |
| 37 | Arizona profile | * | $71,230 | $61,220 | $99,460 | 680 | 0.21 | 0.68 |
| 38 | West Virginia profile | * | $69,370 | $50,050 | $114,880 | 210 | 0.30 | 0.98 |
| 39 | New Mexico profile | * | $66,550 | $42,680 | $106,310 | 400 | 0.46 | 1.48 |
| 40 | Georgia profile | * | $66,440 | $40,020 | $108,500 | 1,100 | 0.23 | 0.73 |
| 41 | Alabama profile | * | $65,900 | $50,230 | $97,860 | 850 | 0.40 | 1.31 |
| 42 | Kentucky profile | * | $65,820 | $47,300 | $129,890 | 490 | 0.24 | 0.79 |
| 43 | Oklahoma profile | * | $64,660 | $34,290 | $95,400 | 430 | 0.25 | 0.81 |
| 44 | South Dakota profile | * | $64,620 | $52,060 | $106,840 | 130 | 0.28 | 0.91 |
| 45 | Kansas profile | * | $64,330 | $45,280 | $131,990 | 460 | 0.32 | 1.05 |
| 46 | Mississippi profile | * | $61,760 | $46,630 | $97,590 | 360 | 0.31 | 1.01 |
| 47 | Florida profile | * | $60,700 | $51,670 | $84,940 | 2,660 | 0.27 | 0.87 |
| 48 | Arkansas profile | * | $54,340 | $37,250 | $77,860 | 290 | 0.22 | 0.72 |
| – | Idaho profile | * | * | * | * | 200 | 0.23 | 0.76 |
Related occupations
Occupations in the same SOC broad group (25-1020), 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 25-1022 Mathematical Science 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 25-1022, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- O*NET 30.1 Database, 25-1022.00, 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.