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Best states for a languages and literature instructor
Quoted expert
Dana Williams Ph.D.
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Job opportunities vary from state to state, and education, training, and library careers are no different. Because we know how difficult it can be to know which states are the best when it comes to languages and literature instructor jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for languages and literature instructors.In order to help you decide which state is the best for languages and literature instructors, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for languages and literature instructor jobs.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for languages and literature instructors. North Dakota is the best state for languages and literature instructors, where the median salary is $88,049.We found that North Dakota is the best state for languages and literature instructor jobs, whereas Oklahoma is the worst.
10 best states for languages and literature instructors in 2025
1. North Dakota
Total languages and literature instructor jobs: 38 Average annual salary: $88,049 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $119,000 Location Quotient: 0.89
2. New York
Total languages and literature instructor jobs: 640 Average annual salary: $85,087 Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $121,000 Location Quotient: 1.08
3. Michigan
Total languages and literature instructor jobs: 418 Average annual salary: $79,762 Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $113,000 Location Quotient: 1.17
4. Pennsylvania
Total languages and literature instructor jobs: 426 Average annual salary: $86,614 Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $124,000 Location Quotient: 0.79
5. Vermont
Total languages and literature instructor jobs: 30 Average annual salary: $84,908 Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $119,000 Location Quotient: 0.85
6. New Hampshire
Total languages and literature instructor jobs: 59 Average annual salary: $93,209 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $131,000 Location Quotient: 0.73
7. New Jersey
Total languages and literature instructor jobs: 466 Average annual salary: $81,208 Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $116,000 Location Quotient: 1.27
8. Nevada
Total languages and literature instructor jobs: 133 Average annual salary: $77,541 Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $116,000 Location Quotient: 1.38
9. Illinois
Total languages and literature instructor jobs: 435 Average annual salary: $85,537 Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $120,000 Location Quotient: 0.79
10. California
Total languages and literature instructor jobs: 1,678 Average annual salary: $83,081 Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $124,000 Location Quotient: 1.25
Languages and literature instructor jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a languages and literature instructor
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a languages and literature instructor
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Dakota | $88,049 | $65,000 | 755,393 | 38 |
| 2 | New York | $85,087 | $59,000 | 19,849,399 | 640 |
| 3 | Michigan | $79,762 | $56,000 | 9,962,311 | 418 |
| 4 | Pennsylvania | $86,614 | $60,000 | 12,805,537 | 426 |
| 5 | Vermont | $84,908 | $60,000 | 623,657 | 30 |
| 6 | New Hampshire | $93,209 | $65,000 | 1,342,795 | 59 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $81,208 | $56,000 | 9,005,644 | 466 |
| 8 | Nevada | $77,541 | $51,000 | 2,998,039 | 133 |
| 9 | Illinois | $85,537 | $60,000 | 12,802,023 | 435 |
| 10 | California | $83,081 | $55,000 | 39,536,653 | 1,678 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $84,422 | $59,000 | 6,859,819 | 311 |
| 12 | Wyoming | $65,749 | $46,000 | 579,315 | 46 |
| 13 | Minnesota | $75,167 | $54,000 | 5,576,606 | 231 |
| 14 | Montana | $67,358 | $48,000 | 1,050,493 | 79 |
| 15 | Wisconsin | $74,121 | $53,000 | 5,795,483 | 179 |
| 16 | Washington | $78,304 | $54,000 | 7,405,743 | 229 |
| 17 | Maryland | $73,590 | $50,000 | 6,052,177 | 280 |
| 18 | Iowa | $66,157 | $47,000 | 3,145,711 | 160 |
| 19 | Rhode Island | $69,807 | $49,000 | 1,059,639 | 46 |
| 20 | Oregon | $65,564 | $45,000 | 4,142,776 | 276 |
| 21 | Louisiana | $66,411 | $43,000 | 4,684,333 | 131 |
| 22 | Tennessee | $64,050 | $43,000 | 6,715,984 | 236 |
| 23 | Delaware | $66,609 | $45,000 | 961,939 | 66 |
| 24 | Connecticut | $75,169 | $52,000 | 3,588,184 | 91 |
| 25 | District of Columbia | $80,420 | $55,000 | 693,972 | 28 |
| 26 | Indiana | $68,954 | $48,000 | 6,666,818 | 123 |
| 27 | Virginia | $63,761 | $43,000 | 8,470,020 | 610 |
| 28 | Alaska | $64,887 | $54,000 | 739,795 | 51 |
| 29 | Florida | $65,009 | $41,000 | 20,984,400 | 707 |
| 30 | Nebraska | $66,010 | $46,000 | 1,920,076 | 76 |
| 31 | Idaho | $67,662 | $47,000 | 1,716,943 | 51 |
| 32 | Ohio | $63,508 | $43,000 | 11,658,609 | 376 |
| 33 | South Carolina | $56,161 | $37,000 | 5,024,369 | 377 |
| 34 | Georgia | $57,035 | $37,000 | 10,429,379 | 726 |
| 35 | Maine | $64,690 | $45,000 | 1,335,907 | 41 |
| 36 | North Carolina | $55,838 | $37,000 | 10,273,419 | 656 |
| 37 | Colorado | $56,064 | $39,000 | 5,607,154 | 488 |
| 38 | South Dakota | $60,276 | $43,000 | 869,666 | 38 |
| 39 | Missouri | $63,935 | $44,000 | 6,113,532 | 146 |
| 40 | Utah | $59,058 | $40,000 | 3,101,833 | 128 |
| 41 | Kansas | $60,538 | $42,000 | 2,913,123 | 98 |
| 42 | Arizona | $58,458 | $39,000 | 7,016,270 | 217 |
| 43 | Hawaii | $43,945 | $38,000 | 1,427,538 | 58 |
| 44 | Mississippi | $52,401 | $34,000 | 2,984,100 | 88 |
| 45 | Kentucky | $53,814 | $36,000 | 4,454,189 | 147 |
| 46 | Texas | $51,887 | $33,000 | 28,304,596 | 845 |
| 47 | Alabama | $54,333 | $35,000 | 4,874,747 | 141 |
| 48 | New Mexico | $42,194 | $28,000 | 2,088,070 | 80 |
| 49 | West Virginia | $47,740 | $32,000 | 1,815,857 | 55 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $51,716 | $35,000 | 3,004,279 | 36 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $43,718 | $29,000 | 3,930,864 | 90 |
Highest paying states for languages and literature instructors
| Rank | State | Avg. Languages And Literature Instructor Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Dakota | $88,049 |
| 2 | New York | $85,087 |
| 3 | Michigan | $79,762 |
| 4 | Pennsylvania | $86,614 |
| 5 | Vermont | $84,908 |
| 6 | New Hampshire | $93,209 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $81,208 |
| 8 | Nevada | $77,541 |
| 9 | Illinois | $85,537 |
| 10 | California | $83,081 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $84,422 |
| 12 | Wyoming | $65,749 |
| 13 | Minnesota | $75,167 |
| 14 | Montana | $67,358 |
| 15 | Wisconsin | $74,121 |
| 16 | Washington | $78,304 |
| 17 | Maryland | $73,590 |
| 18 | Iowa | $66,157 |
| 19 | Rhode Island | $69,807 |
| 20 | Oregon | $65,564 |
| 21 | Louisiana | $66,411 |
| 22 | Tennessee | $64,050 |
| 23 | Delaware | $66,609 |
| 24 | Connecticut | $75,169 |
| 25 | District of Columbia | $80,420 |
| 26 | Indiana | $68,954 |
| 27 | Virginia | $63,761 |
| 28 | Alaska | $64,887 |
| 29 | Florida | $65,009 |
| 30 | Nebraska | $66,010 |
| 31 | Idaho | $67,662 |
| 32 | Ohio | $63,508 |
| 33 | South Carolina | $56,161 |
| 34 | Georgia | $57,035 |
| 35 | Maine | $64,690 |
| 36 | North Carolina | $55,838 |
| 37 | Colorado | $56,064 |
| 38 | South Dakota | $60,276 |
| 39 | Missouri | $63,935 |
| 40 | Utah | $59,058 |
| 41 | Kansas | $60,538 |
| 42 | Arizona | $58,458 |
| 43 | Hawaii | $43,945 |
| 44 | Mississippi | $52,401 |
| 45 | Kentucky | $53,814 |
| 46 | Texas | $51,887 |
| 47 | Alabama | $54,333 |
| 48 | New Mexico | $42,194 |
| 49 | West Virginia | $47,740 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $51,716 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $43,718 |
Expert opinions on the best states for languages and literature instructors
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for languages and literature instructors to find work opportunities?
Dana Williams Ph.D.
Professor of African American Literature, Interim Dean of the Graduate School, Howard University
I don't think there are geographical limitations to the employability of English majors. Their skills will be needed in jobs, from teaching and editing to reporting and podcasting.
Languages and literature instructor best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025