Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary
Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary (SOC 25-9045) earn a median $36,780 a year in the United States, with 1,420,350 employed as of May 2025; the highest-paying state is Washington.
What teaching assistants, except postsecondary do
Teaching assistants below the college level support a preschool, elementary, middle, or secondary school teacher in teaching, and alternate titles include classroom aide, education paraprofessional, and educational assistant. This OEWS category combines two SOC occupations, one for general classrooms and one for special education. In both, the teacher keeps primary responsibility for designing and carrying out the educational program, which is the main difference from teachers. Assistants supervise students in classrooms, halls, cafeterias, school yards, gymnasiums, and on field trips, tutor children individually or in small groups to reinforce what the teacher presented, enforce school rules, teach social skills, and present subject matter under a teacher's direction by methods such as reading aloud. Those who work with students with disabilities give help to students with special needs, assist with assistive devices and access to facilities such as restrooms, and carry out behavior and personal development programs under the direction of special education staff. Postsecondary teaching assistants are counted separately.
Typical entry: According to O*NET, the most commonly reported level of education for this occupation is a high school diploma or equivalent.
Also called: Bilingual Teacher Aide, BSIP Instructional Aide, Classroom Aide, Classroom Assistant, Early Childhood Teacher Assistant.
National wage percentiles, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| United States | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 1,420,350 |
| Annual | $27,150 | $31,060 | $36,780 | $45,360 | $50,040 | $38,290 | ||
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 teaching assistants, except 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 | ||||||
| Washington | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 43,420 | 12.23 | 1.34 |
| Annual | $37,870 | $43,270 | $49,120 | $58,080 | $62,810 | $50,650 | ||||
| District of Columbia | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 3,950 | 5.63 | 0.62 |
| Annual | $38,370 | $40,080 | $46,920 | $49,330 | $58,100 | $47,690 | ||||
| Maine | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 8,700 | 13.59 | 1.49 |
| Annual | $36,210 | $38,630 | $46,750 | $49,990 | $56,920 | $45,790 | ||||
| California | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 177,140 | 9.73 | 1.06 |
| Annual | $37,240 | $39,590 | $46,490 | $49,550 | $59,520 | $47,300 | ||||
| Vermont | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 4,960 | 16.31 | 1.79 |
| Annual | $29,140 | $36,040 | $43,800 | $47,540 | $51,580 | $42,040 | ||||
Five states with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| California | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 177,140 | 9.73 | 1.06 |
| Annual | $37,240 | $39,590 | $46,490 | $49,550 | $59,520 | $47,300 | ||||
| New York | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 137,820 | 14.23 | 1.56 |
| Annual | $32,240 | $35,670 | $38,240 | $46,700 | $54,990 | $41,720 | ||||
| Texas | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 108,960 | 7.74 | 0.85 |
| Annual | $22,480 | $24,210 | $29,850 | $36,380 | $42,520 | $31,390 | ||||
| Illinois | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 64,210 | 10.53 | 1.15 |
| Annual | $31,200 | $31,360 | $36,990 | $44,790 | $48,100 | $38,950 | ||||
| New Jersey | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 55,580 | 12.97 | 1.42 |
| Annual | $32,220 | $34,040 | $37,290 | $45,350 | $49,580 | $40,280 | ||||
Five highest-paying metropolitan areas
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 870 | 16.62 | 1.82 |
| Annual | $39,470 | $48,100 | $57,950 | $59,830 | $62,920 | $54,130 | ||||
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 21,040 | 10.09 | 1.10 |
| Annual | $39,450 | $45,840 | $53,950 | $61,360 | $64,450 | $54,720 | ||||
| Bellingham, WA | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 1,200 | 13.12 | 1.44 |
| Annual | $38,510 | $46,970 | $51,670 | $57,340 | $57,400 | $51,280 | ||||
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 1,700 | 13.08 | 1.43 |
| Annual | $36,440 | $40,000 | $51,350 | $54,840 | $57,810 | $49,070 | ||||
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 1,370 | 14.66 | 1.60 |
| Annual | $38,360 | $49,020 | $50,530 | $58,010 | $61,270 | $51,970 | ||||
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 | * | * | * | * | * | * | 126,920 | 13.37 | 1.46 |
| Annual | $32,240 | $36,010 | $38,890 | $47,180 | $56,740 | $42,530 | ||||
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 53,010 | 8.45 | 0.93 |
| Annual | $37,220 | $38,450 | $46,240 | $48,890 | $60,010 | $46,770 | ||||
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 46,770 | 10.36 | 1.13 |
| Annual | $31,200 | $32,780 | $37,840 | $46,210 | $48,100 | $39,820 | ||||
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 26,990 | 9.32 | 1.02 |
| Annual | $26,870 | $32,220 | $36,080 | $40,010 | $46,470 | $36,610 | ||||
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 26,350 | 9.75 | 1.07 |
| Annual | $31,200 | $34,470 | $40,930 | $49,750 | $60,730 | $44,080 | ||||
Top industries employing teaching assistants, except postsecondary
Elementary and Secondary Schools employ 83.5% of teaching assistants, except postsecondary nationally (1,185,500 jobs) at a median $36,990 a year, followed by Child Care Services (9.9%) and Employment Services (1.7%).
| Industry | Employment | Share of occupation | Median annual | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary and Secondary Schools NAICS 611100 | 1,185,500 | 83.5% | $36,990 | * |
| Child Care Services NAICS 624400 | 140,750 | 9.9% | $34,920 | * |
| Employment Services NAICS 561300 | 24,660 | 1.7% | $39,530 | * |
| Individual and Family Services NAICS 624100 | 12,960 | 0.9% | $36,580 | * |
| Educational Support Services NAICS 611700 | 12,480 | 0.9% | $36,420 | * |
Share is the industry's employment over the occupation's national employment (1,420,350). Industries whose employment BLS withheld are not ranked.
Published medians, May 2021 to May 2025
BLS published a median annual wage of $29,360 for teaching assistants, except postsecondary in May 2021 and $36,780 in May 2025, with employment of 1,187,270 and 1,420,350.
| Release | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $29,360 | * | 1,187,270 |
| May 2022 | $30,920 | * | 1,254,240 |
| May 2023 | $35,550 | * | 1,337,320 |
| May 2024 | $35,240 | * | 1,375,300 |
| May 2025 | $36,780 | * | 1,420,350 |
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 | Washington profile | * | $49,120 | $37,870 | $62,810 | 43,420 | 12.23 | 1.34 |
| 2 | District of Columbia profile | * | $46,920 | $38,370 | $58,100 | 3,950 | 5.63 | 0.62 |
| 3 | Maine profile | * | $46,750 | $36,210 | $56,920 | 8,700 | 13.59 | 1.49 |
| 4 | California profile | * | $46,490 | $37,240 | $59,520 | 177,140 | 9.73 | 1.06 |
| 5 | Vermont profile | * | $43,800 | $29,140 | $51,580 | 4,960 | 16.31 | 1.79 |
| 6 | Minnesota profile | * | $40,100 | $31,420 | $50,410 | 38,540 | 13.06 | 1.43 |
| 7 | Oregon profile | * | $39,850 | $30,300 | $50,860 | 23,030 | 11.71 | 1.28 |
| 8 | Massachusetts profile | * | $39,380 | $31,200 | $59,970 | 39,210 | 10.78 | 1.18 |
| 9 | Virginia profile | * | $38,520 | $28,220 | $57,030 | 31,370 | 7.63 | 0.84 |
| 10 | New Hampshire profile | * | $38,440 | $28,920 | $48,780 | 7,880 | 11.53 | 1.26 |
| 11 | New York profile | * | $38,240 | $32,240 | $54,990 | 137,820 | 14.23 | 1.56 |
| 12 | North Dakota profile | * | $38,240 | $29,130 | $46,260 | 5,600 | 13.04 | 1.43 |
| 13 | Connecticut profile | * | $38,110 | $34,010 | $49,690 | 19,740 | 11.64 | 1.27 |
| 14 | Delaware profile | * | $37,830 | $31,200 | $47,300 | 5,040 | 10.40 | 1.14 |
| 15 | Wisconsin profile | * | $37,800 | $29,060 | $46,270 | 26,520 | 9.02 | 0.99 |
| 16 | New Jersey profile | * | $37,290 | $32,220 | $49,580 | 55,580 | 12.97 | 1.42 |
| 17 | Rhode Island profile | * | $37,220 | $31,200 | $47,720 | 5,200 | 10.37 | 1.14 |
| 18 | Alaska profile | * | $37,190 | $27,440 | $57,210 | 3,810 | 11.69 | 1.28 |
| 19 | Maryland profile | * | $37,060 | $31,200 | $59,680 | 23,340 | 8.45 | 0.92 |
| 20 | Utah profile | * | $37,050 | $27,730 | $47,400 | 18,170 | 10.47 | 1.15 |
| 21 | Illinois profile | * | $36,990 | $31,200 | $48,100 | 64,210 | 10.53 | 1.15 |
| 22 | Hawaii profile | * | $36,810 | $30,130 | $46,990 | 5,470 | 8.72 | 0.95 |
| 23 | Missouri profile | * | $36,300 | $28,600 | $47,310 | 20,930 | 7.13 | 0.78 |
| 24 | Wyoming profile | * | $36,100 | $27,840 | $44,040 | 3,680 | 13.11 | 1.44 |
| 25 | Ohio profile | * | $35,920 | $26,810 | $46,890 | 47,300 | 8.52 | 0.93 |
| 26 | Arizona profile | * | $35,900 | $30,960 | $42,590 | 25,280 | 7.80 | 0.85 |
| 27 | New Mexico profile | * | $35,900 | $27,050 | $46,390 | 8,970 | 10.30 | 1.13 |
| 28 | Colorado profile | * | $35,760 | $30,800 | $48,470 | 21,910 | 7.63 | 0.83 |
| 29 | Idaho profile | * | $35,560 | $23,980 | $48,800 | 8,710 | 10.16 | 1.11 |
| 30 | Nebraska profile | * | $35,160 | $28,080 | $45,110 | 11,190 | 10.92 | 1.20 |
| 31 | Michigan profile | * | $35,110 | $27,550 | $45,370 | 39,030 | 8.86 | 0.97 |
| 32 | Montana profile | * | $34,750 | $23,950 | $45,430 | 3,930 | 7.69 | 0.84 |
| 33 | Pennsylvania profile | * | $34,740 | $23,380 | $45,980 | 48,310 | 7.97 | 0.87 |
| 34 | Florida profile | * | $34,430 | $28,490 | $40,150 | 54,530 | 5.49 | 0.60 |
| 35 | Indiana profile | * | $33,300 | $23,970 | $44,610 | 28,450 | 8.89 | 0.97 |
| 36 | Nevada profile | * | $31,900 | $27,880 | $41,640 | 7,100 | 4.58 | 0.50 |
| 37 | Iowa profile | * | $30,510 | $22,400 | $37,520 | 24,520 | 15.72 | 1.72 |
| 38 | Kentucky profile | * | $30,160 | $23,980 | $46,370 | 16,330 | 8.16 | 0.89 |
| 39 | Texas profile | * | $29,850 | $22,480 | $42,520 | 108,960 | 7.74 | 0.85 |
| 40 | West Virginia profile | * | $29,800 | $27,400 | $36,750 | 5,110 | 7.28 | 0.80 |
| 41 | North Carolina profile | * | $29,790 | $25,110 | $38,050 | 32,150 | 6.51 | 0.71 |
| 42 | Kansas profile | * | $29,490 | $21,800 | $38,190 | 20,000 | 13.91 | 1.52 |
| 43 | Tennessee profile | * | $29,210 | $22,010 | $40,310 | 23,280 | 7.10 | 0.78 |
| 44 | Arkansas profile | * | $28,790 | $23,670 | $38,360 | 11,270 | 8.64 | 0.95 |
| 45 | Georgia profile | * | $28,770 | $21,190 | $39,120 | 33,410 | 6.83 | 0.75 |
| 46 | South Dakota profile | * | $28,220 | $24,800 | $35,410 | 4,650 | 10.17 | 1.11 |
| 47 | Oklahoma profile | * | $27,920 | $17,940 | $37,370 | 13,860 | 8.12 | 0.89 |
| 48 | South Carolina profile | * | $27,860 | $21,910 | $44,290 | 14,410 | 6.25 | 0.68 |
| 49 | Louisiana profile | * | $27,400 | $20,680 | $38,620 | 14,530 | 7.51 | 0.82 |
| 50 | Mississippi profile | * | $25,840 | $18,830 | $32,300 | 9,750 | 8.38 | 0.92 |
| 51 | Alabama profile | * | $24,070 | $21,440 | $30,590 | 10,140 | 4.80 | 0.53 |
Related occupations
Occupations in the same SOC broad group (25-9040), 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 25-9045 Teaching Assistants, Except 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 25-9042, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018, definition of 25-9043, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- O*NET 30.1 Database, 25-9042.00, 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.