Best states for an adjunct faculty member

Q: What is the best state for adjunct faculty members?

The best state to be an adjunct faculty member is Oregon based on adjunct faculty member salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for adjunct faculty members?

The highest paying state for adjunct faculty members is South Carolina based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for adjunct faculty members?

The worst state for adjunct faculty members is Idaho, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

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We decided to bring you a list of the best states for jobs for adjunct faculty members in the United States. Adjunct faculty member positions are available in every state, but not all states are the same. Some states do not offer the same wages, benefits, time off, etc for adjunct faculty members.Our research found that Oregon is the best state for adjunct faculty members, while Ohio and New Jersey are ranked highest in terms of median salary. Oregon has a median salary of $76,534 and Ohio has the highest median salary among all 50 states for adjunct faculty members.

To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for adjunct faculty members.We found that the Midwest is best for adjunct faculty members, and the Northeast is the worst. Hoboken, NJ is the best city in the country for adjunct faculty member jobs, where as Oregon is the best state in the country.

10 best states for adjunct faculty members in 2026

1. Oregon
Total adjunct faculty member jobs: 886
Average annual salary: $76,534
Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $129,000
Location Quotient:
3.55
Adjunct faculty member jobs in Oregon
2. Alaska
Total adjunct faculty member jobs: 167
Average annual salary: $75,420
Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $121,000
Location Quotient:
3.32
Adjunct faculty member jobs in Alaska
3. District of Columbia
Total adjunct faculty member jobs: 251
Average annual salary: $82,695
Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $151,000
Location Quotient:
2.48
Adjunct faculty member jobs in District of Columbia
4. New Jersey
Total adjunct faculty member jobs: 579
Average annual salary: $76,798
Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $136,000
Location Quotient:
1.21
Adjunct faculty member jobs in New Jersey
5. Ohio
Total adjunct faculty member jobs: 423
Average annual salary: $81,909
Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $145,000
Location Quotient:
0.69
Adjunct faculty member jobs in Ohio
6. Washington
Total adjunct faculty member jobs: 987
Average annual salary: $71,040
Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $117,000
Location Quotient:
2.24
Adjunct faculty member jobs in Washington
7. Delaware
Total adjunct faculty member jobs: 149
Average annual salary: $68,771
Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $125,000
Location Quotient:
1.97
Adjunct faculty member jobs in Delaware
8. New Hampshire
Total adjunct faculty member jobs: 205
Average annual salary: $67,652
Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $114,000
Location Quotient:
1.94
Adjunct faculty member jobs in New Hampshire
9. New York
Total adjunct faculty member jobs: 1,392
Average annual salary: $69,703
Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $123,000
Location Quotient:
1.8
Adjunct faculty member jobs in New York
10. Iowa
Total adjunct faculty member jobs: 206
Average annual salary: $68,884
Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $114,000
Location Quotient:
0.94
Adjunct faculty member jobs in Iowa

Adjunct faculty member jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be an adjunct faculty member

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for an adjunct faculty member

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	Oregon	$76,534	$45,000	4,142,776	886
2	Alaska	$75,420	$46,000	739,795	167
3	District of Columbia	$82,695	$45,000	693,972	251
4	New Jersey	$76,798	$43,000	9,005,644	579
5	Ohio	$81,909	$46,000	11,658,609	423
6	Washington	$71,040	$42,000	7,405,743	987
7	Delaware	$68,771	$37,000	961,939	149
8	New Hampshire	$67,652	$39,000	1,342,795	205
9	New York	$69,703	$39,000	19,849,399	1,392
10	Iowa	$68,884	$41,000	3,145,711	206
11	Rhode Island	$71,553	$41,000	1,059,639	46
12	Vermont	$64,113	$38,000	623,657	108
13	California	$73,937	$39,000	39,536,653	1,226
14	Missouri	$68,679	$39,000	6,113,532	220
15	North Carolina	$64,082	$33,000	10,273,419	542
16	Maryland	$70,052	$38,000	6,052,177	363
17	Connecticut	$71,358	$40,000	3,588,184	64
18	Massachusetts	$69,644	$40,000	6,859,819	334
19	Virginia	$62,882	$33,000	8,470,020	1,037
20	Indiana	$58,894	$33,000	6,666,818	463
21	North Dakota	$56,264	$35,000	755,393	125
22	Nevada	$65,891	$35,000	2,998,039	31
23	Utah	$62,160	$36,000	3,101,833	151
24	Florida	$64,223	$32,000	20,984,400	505
25	Pennsylvania	$57,260	$31,000	12,805,537	697
26	Texas	$56,718	$30,000	28,304,596	1,295
27	New Mexico	$60,557	$33,000	2,088,070	62
28	Hawaii	$60,248	$30,000	1,427,538	79
29	Colorado	$54,418	$32,000	5,607,154	587
30	Mississippi	$55,039	$29,000	2,984,100	137
31	Georgia	$57,051	$30,000	10,429,379	447
32	Louisiana	$55,120	$29,000	4,684,333	190
33	Tennessee	$55,337	$30,000	6,715,984	209
34	Maine	$51,172	$30,000	1,335,907	127
35	Michigan	$53,300	$30,000	9,962,311	390
36	Minnesota	$58,147	$35,000	5,576,606	195
37	Wisconsin	$52,592	$31,000	5,795,483	215
38	West Virginia	$48,892	$26,000	1,815,857	104
39	Nebraska	$50,758	$30,000	1,920,076	97
40	Alabama	$50,234	$27,000	4,874,747	218
41	Montana	$44,613	$28,000	1,050,493	115
42	South Dakota	$43,773	$27,000	869,666	101
43	Arizona	$53,008	$28,000	7,016,270	169
44	Kentucky	$44,020	$24,000	4,454,189	355
45	South Carolina	$35,761	$18,000	5,024,369	384
46	Illinois	$48,458	$28,000	12,802,023	413
47	Wyoming	$46,486	$28,000	579,315	15
48	Kansas	$47,052	$27,000	2,913,123	47
49	Oklahoma	$46,631	$26,000	3,930,864	64
50	Arkansas	$46,447	$25,000	3,004,279	34
51	Idaho	$45,758	$27,000	1,716,943	17

Highest paying states for adjunct faculty members

Rank	State	Avg. Adjunct Faculty Member Salary
1	Oregon	$76,534
2	Alaska	$75,420
3	District of Columbia	$82,695
4	New Jersey	$76,798
5	Ohio	$81,909
6	Washington	$71,040
7	Delaware	$68,771
8	New Hampshire	$67,652
9	New York	$69,703
10	Iowa	$68,884
11	Rhode Island	$71,553
12	Vermont	$64,113
13	California	$73,937
14	Missouri	$68,679
15	North Carolina	$64,082
16	Maryland	$70,052
17	Connecticut	$71,358
18	Massachusetts	$69,644
19	Virginia	$62,882
20	Indiana	$58,894
21	North Dakota	$56,264
22	Nevada	$65,891
23	Utah	$62,160
24	Florida	$64,223
25	Pennsylvania	$57,260
26	Texas	$56,718
27	New Mexico	$60,557
28	Hawaii	$60,248
29	Colorado	$54,418
30	Mississippi	$55,039
31	Georgia	$57,051
32	Louisiana	$55,120
33	Tennessee	$55,337
34	Maine	$51,172
35	Michigan	$53,300
36	Minnesota	$58,147
37	Wisconsin	$52,592
38	West Virginia	$48,892
39	Nebraska	$50,758
40	Alabama	$50,234
41	Montana	$44,613
42	South Dakota	$43,773
43	Arizona	$53,008
44	Kentucky	$44,020
45	South Carolina	$35,761
46	Illinois	$48,458
47	Wyoming	$46,486
48	Kansas	$47,052
49	Oklahoma	$46,631
50	Arkansas	$46,447
51	Idaho	$45,758

Adjunct faculty member best states FAQs

What is the best state for adjunct faculty members?

What is the highest paying state for adjunct faculty members?

What is the worst state for adjunct faculty members?

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Best states for Adjunct Faculty Members

Updated January 8, 2025

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Total adjunct faculty member jobs:	886
Average annual salary:	$76,534
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$45,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$129,000
Location Quotient:	3.55

Best states for an adjunct faculty member

10 best states for adjunct faculty members in 2026

1. Oregon

2. Alaska

3. District of Columbia

4. New Jersey

5. Ohio

6. Washington

7. Delaware

8. New Hampshire

9. New York

10. Iowa