College instructor demographics and statistics in the US
College instructor demographics research summary. Zippia estimates college instructor demographics and statistics in the United States by using a database of 30 million profiles. Our college instructor estimates are verified against BLS, Census, and current job openings data for accuracy. Zippia's data science team found the following key facts about college instructors after extensive research and analysis:
- There are over 141,972 college instructors currently employed in the United States.
- 52.5% of all college instructors are women, while 47.5% are men.
- The average college instructor age is 46 years old.
- The most common ethnicity of college instructors is White (66.4%), followed by Asian (11.3%), Hispanic or Latino (10.1%) and Black or African American (7.1%).
- College instructors are most in-demand in San Diego, CA.
- The education industry is the highest-paying for college instructors.
- Cupertino, CA pays an annual average wage of $80,048, the highest in the US.
- In 2022, women college instructors earned 97% of what men earned.
- 16% of all college instructors are LGBT.
- Alaska is the best state for college instructors to live.
- College instructors are 88% more likely to work at education companies in comparison to private companies.
On this page
College instructor demographics by:
College instructor gender statistics
52.5% of college instructors are women and 47.5% of college instructors are men.
- Female, 52.5%
- Male, 47.5%
College instructor gender ratio
| Gender | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Female | 52.5% |
| Male | 47.5% |
College instructor gender pay gap
Women earn 97¢ for every $1 earned by men
Male income
$47,578
Female income
$46,008
College instructor gender ratio over time
This data breaks down the percentage of men and women in college instructor positions over time. Currently, 52.5% of college instructors are female.
College instructor gender ratio by year
| Year | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 48.11% | 51.89% |
| 2011 | 48.65% | 51.35% |
| 2012 | 48.32% | 51.68% |
| 2013 | 47.88% | 52.12% |
| 2014 | 46.76% | 53.24% |
| 2015 | 47.60% | 52.40% |
| 2016 | 47.26% | 52.74% |
| 2017 | 47.85% | 52.15% |
| 2018 | 47.27% | 52.73% |
| 2019 | 46.85% | 53.15% |
| 2020 | 46.19% | 53.81% |
| 2021 | 47.49% | 52.51% |
College instructor related jobs gender ratio
We compared college instructors with similar job titles to see how gender ratios vary. As you can see, hvac/r instructor and assistant professor of air conditioning and refrigeration have the biggest gender ratio gaps.
| Job title | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Aesthetics Instructor | 8% | 92% |
| Cosmetology Instructor | 9% | 91% |
| Adjunct Nursing Faculty | 9% | 91% |
| College Instructor | 47% | 53% |
| Diesel Technology Instructor | 97% | 3% |
| Assistant Professor Of Air Conditioning And Refrigeration | 97% | 3% |
| Hvac/R Instructor | 97% | 3% |
Male
Female
100%
75%
50%
25%
0%
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
College instructor demographics by race
The most common ethnicity among college instructors is White, which makes up 66.4% of all college instructors. Comparatively, 11.3% of college instructors are Asian and 10.1% of college instructors are Hispanic or Latino.
- White, 66.4%
- Asian, 11.3%
- Hispanic or Latino, 10.1%
- Black or African American, 7.1%
- Unknown, 4.9%
- American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
College instructor race
| College instructor race | Percentages |
|---|---|
| White | 66.4% |
| Asian | 11.3% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 10.1% |
| Black or African American | 7.1% |
| Unknown | 4.9% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.2% |
College instructor race and ethnicity over time
See how college instructor racial and ethnic diversity trended since 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau data.
College instructor race and ethnicity by year
| Year | White | Black or African American | Asian | Hispanic or Latino |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 72.81% | 7.19% | 9.23% | 8.19% |
| 2011 | 72.50% | 7.04% | 9.95% | 7.94% |
| 2012 | 72.09% | 7.33% | 9.82% | 8.19% |
| 2013 | 71.23% | 7.69% | 10.11% | 8.44% |
| 2014 | 71.32% | 7.32% | 9.78% | 8.82% |
| 2015 | 69.77% | 7.54% | 10.73% | 9.11% |
| 2016 | 70.26% | 7.47% | 10.45% | 9.01% |
| 2017 | 69.34% | 7.22% | 11.62% | 9.06% |
| 2018 | 71.13% | 6.95% | 9.94% | 9.25% |
| 2019 | 69.46% | 7.22% | 10.88% | 9.78% |
| 2020 | 67.54% | 6.93% | 10.52% | 9.93% |
| 2021 | 66.38% | 7.05% | 11.32% | 10.05% |
College instructor wage gap by race
| Ethnicity | Salary |
|---|---|
| Unknown | $47,383 |
| White | $47,429 |
| Black or African American | $46,942 |
| Asian | $48,567 |
| Hispanic or Latino | $47,586 |
Average college instructor age
See how the average age of college instructors varies based on ethnicity and gender.
Male
Female
College instructor age by race and gender
| Race | Male age | Female age |
|---|---|---|
| Black or African American | 49 | 45 |
| Unknown | 44.5 | 44 |
| Asian | 41 | 41 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 43 | 41 |
| White | 48 | 46 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 54 | 48 |
College instructor age breakdown
The average age of college instructors is 40+ years years old, representing 67% of the college instructor population.
College instructor age breakdown
| College Instructor Years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| 40+ years | 67% |
| 30-40 years | 21% |
| 20-30 years | 11% |
College instructor educational attainment
- Bachelor's, 56%
- Master's, 28%
- Associate, 10%
- Doctorate, 4%
- Other Degrees, 2%
College instructors by degree level
| College instructor degree | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 56% |
| Master's | 28% |
| Associate | 10% |
| Doctorate | 4% |
| Other Degrees | 2% |
College instructor jobs you might like
College instructor wage gap by degree level
| Education | Salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $48,413 |
| Doctorate Degree | $56,909 |
College instructor employment statistics
Most college instructors work for a education in the education industry.
Company size where college instructors work
Below, you can see the size of companies where college instructors work.
College instructor jobs by employer size
| Company size | Percentages |
|---|---|
| < 50 employees | 4% |
| 50 - 100 employees | 16% |
| 100 - 500 employees | 30% |
| 500 - 1,000 employees | 16% |
| 1,000 - 10,000 employees | 29% |
| > 10,000 employees | 6% |
College instructor jobs by company type
Employees with the college instructor job title have their preferences when it comes to working for a company. For instance, most college instructors prefer to work at education companies over private companies.
College instructor jobs by sector
| Company type | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Education | 88% |
| Public | 2% |
| Private | 7% |
| Government | 3% |
College instructor jobs by industry
The most common industries for college instructors are education, government and manufacturing.
College instructor industry statistics
| Industry | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Education | 85% |
| Government | 3% |
| Manufacturing | 2% |
| Finance | 1% |
| Start-up | 1% |
| Non Profits | 1% |
| Health Care | 1% |
| Construction | 1% |
| Fortune 500 | 1% |
| Hospitality | 1% |
| Retail | 1% |
| Professional | 1% |
College instructor turnover and employment statistics
College instructor unemployment rate over time
The unemployment rate for college instructors between 2008 and the most recent data has varied, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
College instructor unemployment rate by year
| Year | College instructor unemployment rate |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 3.13% |
| 2011 | 3.11% |
| 2012 | 3.14% |
| 2013 | 3.31% |
| 2014 | 2.86% |
| 2015 | 2.61% |
| 2016 | 2.42% |
| 2017 | 2.51% |
| 2018 | 2.40% |
| 2019 | 2.23% |
| 2020 | 2.58% |
| 2021 | 2.98% |
Average college instructor tenure
The average college instructor stays at their job for 1-2 years, based on the 3,368 college instructors resumes in Zippia's database.
College instructor tenure statistics
| Number of years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Less than 1 year | 19% |
| 1-2 years | 31% |
| 3-4 years | 14% |
| 5-7 years | 14% |
| 8-10 years | 6% |
| 11+ years | 16% |
College instructor LGBT ratio compared to similar jobs
Review the percent of college instructors that are members of the LGBT community. You can see how this compares to similar jobs in the chart below.
| Job title | LGBT | Job openings |
|---|---|---|
| Faculty Assistant | 6.04% | 27,152 |
| Instructional Technology Teacher | 9.52% | 115,524 |
| Reference Librarian | 10.75% | 1,058 |
| Early Childhood Special Educator | 11.12% | 62,487 |
| Library Technician | 13.69% | 24,941 |
| College Instructor | 15.52% | - |
| Instructional Designer | 16.25% | 50,321 |
Similar college instructor jobs LGBT demographics
| Profession | Percentages of LGBT | Job openings |
|---|---|---|
| Faculty Assistant | 6.04% | 27,152 |
| Instructional Technology Teacher | 9.52% | 115,524 |
| Reference Librarian | 10.75% | 1,058 |
| Early Childhood Special Educator | 11.12% | 62,487 |
| Library Technician | 13.69% | 24,941 |
| Instructional Designer | 16.25% | 50,321 |
Foreign languages spoken by college instructors
The most common foreign language among college instructors is Spanish at 44.1%. The second-most popular foreign language spoken is French at 13.4% and Chinese is the third-most popular at 6.7%.
- Spanish, 44.1%
- French, 13.4%
- Chinese, 6.7%
- German, 6.1%
- Mandarin, 5.0%
- Other, 24.7%
College instructor languages spoken
| Foreign language | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Spanish | 44.1% |
| French | 13.4% |
| Chinese | 6.7% |
| German | 6.1% |
| Mandarin | 5.0% |
| Other | 24.7% |
