Updated February 6, 2023

Average Assistant Professor Salary

$87,099yearly

$41.87 hourly

Entry level Salary
$50,000 yearly

How much does an Assistant Professor make?

Assistant professors make $87,099 per year on average, or $41.87 per hour, in the United States. Assistant professors on the lower end of that spectrum, the bottom 10% to be exact, make roughly $50,000 a year, while the top 10% makes $151,000.

Location impacts how much an assistant professor can expect to make. Assistant professors make the most in Hawaii, Oregon, Massachusetts, New Mexico, and Alaska.

Highest Paying States For Assistant Professors

If both location and money are important to you, then you might want to check out moving to Hawaii, Oregon and Massachusetts, as these three states offer the highest salaries throughout the U.S. for assistant professors. Quite opposite of that list is the lowest paying states, which are Kentucky, Idaho, and Montana.
  • State View
  • County View
Average Salary:

Assistant Professor average salary by State

RankStateAvg. SalaryHourly RateJob Count
1Oregon$108,281$52.06383
2Texas$100,269$48.211,317
3District of Columbia$109,200$52.50189
4New Mexico$105,889$50.9180
5Alaska$105,431$50.6991
6Louisiana$97,274$46.77203
7New York$100,425$48.281,346
8Maryland$102,860$49.45380
9Massachusetts$107,352$51.61367
10New Jersey$100,274$48.21483
11Utah$98,813$47.51160
12Ohio$100,317$48.23375
13North Carolina$96,454$46.37474
14Mississippi$92,363$44.41150
15Pennsylvania$92,509$44.48647
16Nevada$101,217$48.6622
17Rhode Island$93,510$44.9656
18Florida$93,415$44.91492
19Washington$98,786$47.49225
20Hawaii$114,102$54.869
21Georgia$90,490$43.50367
22Virginia$86,931$41.79952
23Vermont$84,744$40.7464
24Colorado$86,995$41.82580
25Alabama$81,865$39.36248
26Indiana$89,929$43.24164
27Iowa$81,830$39.34203
28Connecticut$93,354$44.8878
29Delaware$90,959$43.7334
30New Hampshire$88,812$42.7043
31California$92,944$44.681,089
32Minnesota$84,937$40.84272
33Missouri$85,100$40.91222
34Arizona$87,995$42.31143
35West Virginia$71,546$34.40152
36Wisconsin$78,023$37.51257
37Michigan$75,818$36.45332
38Kentucky$68,713$33.04397
39Nebraska$75,141$36.13122
40Montana$64,359$30.94114
41North Dakota$79,920$38.4219
42Illinois$77,162$37.10437
43Oklahoma$78,033$37.5266
44South Dakota$63,584$30.5763
45Arkansas$74,270$35.7157
46Tennessee$71,827$34.53162
47South Carolina$57,732$27.76274
48Wyoming$70,840$34.0615
49Kansas$72,582$34.9078
50Maine$62,485$30.0451
51Idaho$67,753$32.5724

Highest Paying Cities For Assistant Professors

RankCityAvg. SalaryHourly RateJob Count
1Washington, DC$111,958$53.8320
2Boston, MA$107,713$51.7913
3Baltimore, MD$104,498$50.2423
4El Paso, TX$104,237$50.11121
5Columbus, OH$101,767$48.9331
6New York, NY$101,188$48.65190
7Baton Rouge, LA$99,991$48.0744
8Seattle, WA$99,319$47.752
9Salt Lake City, UT$98,191$47.2144
10Miami, FL$95,714$46.0242
11New Haven, CT$93,662$45.031
12Philadelphia, PA$93,254$44.83140
13Los Angeles, CA$92,853$44.649
14Richmond, IN$92,459$44.45
15Gainesville, GA$92,059$44.26

Here Are The Five Most In Demand Cities Right Now:

  1. Washington, DC
  2. Boston, MA
  3. Baltimore, MD
  4. El Paso, TX
  5. Columbus, OH

Assistant Professors Salary Details

Average Assistant Professor Salary Graph
Average Assistant Professor Salary Graph, Trends, and Summary

What is an Assistant Professor's Salary?

PercentileAnnual SalaryMonthly SalaryHourly Rate
90th Percentile$151,000$12,583$73
75th Percentile$116,000$9,667$56
Average$87,099$7,258$42
25th Percentile$65,000$5,417$31
10th Percentile$50,000$4,167$24

Highest Paying Types of Assistant Professors

Job TitleAnnual SalaryMonthly SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
Faculty$80,405$6,700$38.6621,142
Faculty Member$102,849$8,571$49.4530,325
Health And Physical Education Teacher$47,140$3,928$22.66156,643
Instructor, Adjunct Faculty$52,225$4,352$25.1137,739
Adjunct Faculty$83,069$6,922$39.9426,791
Teaching Fellow$44,040$3,670$21.1740,551

Which Companies Pay Assistant Professors The Most?

The highest paying companies for assistant professors are UT Medical Group, Inc. and Loma Linda University Health according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, companies like UCI Health and Baylor College of Medicine report highly competitive wages for assistant professors.

Assistant Professor Pay Trends

Average Assistant Professor Salary Over Time

Compare salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

    Assistant Professor Salary By Year

    YearAvg. SalaryHourly Rate% Change
    2023$87,100$41.87+1.8%
    2022$85,500$41.13-0.1%
    2021$85,600$41.15-0.5%
    2020$86,000$41.36-1.5%
    2019$87,300$41.99+8.6%

    Recently Added Assistant Professor Salaries

    CompanyJobLocationDate AddedSalary
    Southwestern Community College DistrictAssistant Professor of Administration of Justice/Cyber ForensicsSan Diego, CA11/27/2022$55,070
    Pace UniversityAssistant Professor-Seidenberg School of Computer Science & Information SystemsNew York, NY11/25/2022$125,000
    New York University Arts and ScienceClinical Assistant Professor In Korean Language, Department of East Asian StudiesRockville, MD11/22/2022$70,000
    New York University Arts and ScienceClinical Assistant Professor In Korean Language, Department of East Asian StudiesAlexandria, VA11/22/2022$70,000
    American Chemical SocietyTenure Track Assistant Professor Position-SAN Diego State University-Computational ScienceSan Diego, CA11/22/2022$66,214
    State of ColoradoAssistant Professor of Civil EngineeringDenver, CO11/19/2022$72,000
    Colorado StateAssistant Professor Painting and DrawingPueblo, CO11/19/2022$52,000
    Colorado StateAssistant Professor of Civil EngineeringPueblo, CO11/19/2022$72,000
    Metropolitan State University of DenverAssistant Professors of Journalism & Media Production (Public Relations, Journalism)-2 PositionsDenver, CO11/19/2022$60,000
    Suny Buffalo StateAssistant ProfessorBuffalo, NY11/19/2022$65,000

    Assistant Professor Salaries FAQs

    What State Pays Assistant Professors The Most?

    Hawaii pays Assistant Professors the most in the United States, with an average salary of $114,102 per year, or $54.86 per hour.

    How Do I Know If I'm Being Paid Fairly As An Assistant Professor?

    You know if you are being paid fairly as an Assistant Professor if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in District of Columbia you should be paid close to $109,200 per year.

    Do Assistant Professors Make Good Money?

    Yes, assistant professors make good money. The average salary of an assistant professor is approximately $68,000 per year.

    This salary reflects the first stage in the pursuit of becoming a full professor. At each stage, there is a pay increase. Several factors impact the starting salary of an assistant professor. These factors include the education level of the applicant and the hiring institution.

    How Much Do Harvard Assistant Professors Make?

    Harvard assistant professors make $135,000 per year, on average. While this represents the average salary, assistant professors can earn salaries that differ greatly from this average.

    Assistant professorships at Harvard University can range from $85,000 to $210,000 annually. Both the department or area of expertise and experience play a role in the specific salary offered to each candidate.

    How Much Does A Professor With A Ph.d. Make A Year?

    A professor with a Ph.D. makes an average salary of between $90,000 and $146,000 per year. This figure depends on many conditions regarding the candidate's employment.

    The hierarchy of college professorship plays a large role in salary. In 2020 the average salary for an assistant professor was $90,000, while a full professor earned an average of $`46,000. Associate professors and lecturers are additional positions that represent salaries within this range.

    What Is The Average Salary Of A Harvard Professor?

    The average salary of a Harvard professor is approximately $226,000 per year. While many faculty hold the title of professor, it is only a full professor that earns above average.

    There is a strict hierarchy governing the position of professor at most colleges and universities. Assistant and associate professors make up the majority of instructors at any given institution. These professors share many of the same responsibilities as full professors, but they typically earn considerably less.

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