Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Job outlook for adult education instructors in the United States
Adult education instructor job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected adult education instructor job growth rate is -6% from 2018-2028.
About -2,800 new jobs for adult education instructors are projected over the next decade.
Adult education instructor salaries have increased 9% for adult education instructors in the last 5 years.
There are over 10,285 adult education instructors currently employed in the United States.
There are 43,991 active adult education instructor job openings in the US.
The average adult education instructor salary is $45,926.
Are adult education instructor jobs in demand?
Adult education instructor job and salary trends over time
Adult education instructor jobs over time
Adult education instructor job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 10,285 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 11,535 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 13,965 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 15,524 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 16,309 | 0.00% |
Average adult education instructor salary over time
Adult education instructor salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $45,926 | $22.08 | +1.8% |
| 2025 | $45,096 | $21.68 | +1.3% |
| 2024 | $44,498 | $21.39 | +2.9% |
| 2023 | $43,229 | $20.78 | +2.9% |
| 2022 | $42,026 | $20.20 | +0.7% |
Adult education instructor jobs by state
Most common states for adult education instructors
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 206 | 30% |
| 2 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 194 | 18% |
| 3 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 906 | 16% |
| 4 | Alaska | 739,795 | 105 | 14% |
| 5 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 76 | 13% |
| 6 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 167 | 12% |
| 7 | Delaware | 961,939 | 114 | 12% |
| 8 | Vermont | 623,657 | 73 | 12% |
| 9 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 984 | 11% |
| 10 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 918 | 11% |
| 11 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 551 | 10% |
| 12 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 401 | 10% |
| 13 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 345 | 10% |
| 14 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 303 | 10% |
| 15 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 1,095 | 9% |
| 16 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 639 | 9% |
| 17 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 610 | 9% |
| 18 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 563 | 9% |
| 19 | South Carolina | 5,024,369 | 454 | 9% |
| 20 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 190 | 9% |
Most common cities for adult education instructors
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Milwaukee | 1 | 0% | $44,862 |
Adult Education Instructor job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of adult education instructor experts
Tiffin University
Mercy College
College of Charleston
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
University of Minnesota Crookston
Northwestern University
Dr. Stephanie Opfer
Associate Professor of English, Assistant Dean of the School of Creative and Media ArtsTiffin University
Visual And Performing Arts
What will help Adult Education Instructors increase their earning potential?
Dr. Stephanie Opfer: Unfortunately, teaching as an adjunct does not pay well. Students should keep their full-time jobs and teach part-time until they find a full-time job at a college or university. That part-time teaching provides them valuable experience and connections that make them more competitive candidates for full-time positions because they'd also be competing with candidates who have PhDs. So adjunct work is more of a long-term investment rather than an immediate return. Also, even full-time teaching jobs don't pay particularly well, so they'll really need to love teaching if they want to do it full-time. If they don't like teaching as an adjunct, they won't like doing it full-time.
Dr. Eric Martone
Interim Dean of the School of Education, Associate Professor, History/Social Studies Education, Editor, Global Education ReviewMercy College
School of Education
What hard/technical skills are most important for Adult Education Instructors?
Dr. Eric Martone: In the era of COVID, skills with technology, particularly in the areas of remote and hybrid learning, are especially crucial.
What skills will help Adult Education Instructors earn the most?
Dr. Eric Martone: Educators who are compassionate, with strong leadership skills, willing to make take chances to make a difference.
What experience really stands out on Adult Education Instructor resumes?
Dr. Phyllis G. Jestice: The experience that most stands out on resumés, to my mind, is definitely internships or anything where the applicant has had to show initiative and exercise independent thought.
What Adult Education Instructor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Suzanne Kemp Ph.D.: They need to stay engaged in some level of working with people with disabilities. If they do something that isn't relevant to the field, they won't be as marketable as a new graduate.
Dr. Margaretha Rudstrom
LecturerUniversity of Minnesota Crookston
Agriculture and Natural Resources Department
What Adult Education Instructor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Margaretha Rudstrom: I am taking this from the perspective of an agribusiness major.
If a student isn't able to land a position within their field of study, I would suggest they work on their people skills and stay up to date with what is happening in the markets, ag policy, and agriculture. Staying up to date means following the popular press in the areas you have a career interest in. That could mean following the news from places like Drovers, local and national producer associations, or congressional or senate ag committees. This will help keep you up to date on what's happening in the areas you have an interest in or are looking for a career.
I seem to be harping on the people skills piece. Get experience in working with customers, customer service, customer complaints. These experiences will help you develop critical thinking skills, problem-solving skills, and communication skills sought after by employers.
What experience really stands out on Adult Education Instructor resumes?
Helen Callus: It depends on what kinds of position you are applying for, and for performance students, it's going to be playing or teaching mostly. I recommend that students tailor their resumes to suit the positions, so teaching should be prioritized, and the outline should lead to that. I encourage them to put together their overview and then look at gaps - teaching experience, perhaps some administrative experiences that are always helpful.
If they don't have those things, actively search for them to add that line to their resumes. It can be a terrific way to develop the document in ways that can lead to better job success. A range of skills is most likely to appeal to a broader set of jobs. Doing multiple things (things we don't even realize we do, as musicians, daily) can be helpful. The student is then willing to be creative and open to start out doing things that are related but perhaps not their first choice.