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Job outlook for lecturer/instructors in the United States
Lecturer/instructor job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected lecturer/instructor job growth rate is 12% from 2018-2028.
About 159,400 new jobs for lecturer/instructors are projected over the next decade.
Lecturer/instructor salaries have increased 6% for lecturer/instructors in the last 5 years.
There are over 156,639 lecturer/instructors currently employed in the United States.
There are 39,739 active lecturer/instructor job openings in the US.
The average lecturer/instructor salary is $59,105.
Are lecturer/instructor jobs in demand?
Lecturer/instructor job and salary trends over time
Lecturer/instructor jobs over time
Lecturer/instructor job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 156,639 | 0.05% |
| 2020 | 804,492 | 0.24% |
| 2019 | 843,401 | 0.25% |
| 2018 | 289,873 | 0.09% |
| 2017 | 293,494 | 0.09% |
Average lecturer/instructor salary over time
Lecturer/instructor salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $59,105 | $28.42 | +2.6% |
| 2025 | $57,628 | $27.71 | --0.7% |
| 2024 | $58,033 | $27.90 | +3.4% |
| 2023 | $56,116 | $26.98 | +0.9% |
| 2022 | $55,642 | $26.75 | +2.6% |
Lecturer/instructor jobs by state
Most common states for lecturer/instructors
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 142 | 20% |
| 2 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 775 | 14% |
| 3 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 1,073 | 13% |
| 4 | Alaska | 739,795 | 99 | 13% |
| 5 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 121 | 12% |
| 6 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 537 | 9% |
| 7 | South Carolina | 5,024,369 | 448 | 9% |
| 8 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 362 | 9% |
| 9 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 50 | 9% |
| 10 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 527 | 8% |
| 11 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 258 | 8% |
| 12 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 80 | 8% |
| 13 | Delaware | 961,939 | 76 | 8% |
| 14 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 761 | 7% |
| 15 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 720 | 7% |
| 16 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 629 | 7% |
| 17 | Indiana | 6,666,818 | 477 | 7% |
| 18 | Kentucky | 4,454,189 | 328 | 7% |
| 19 | Vermont | 623,657 | 44 | 7% |
| 20 | California | 39,536,653 | 2,290 | 6% |
Most common cities for lecturer/instructors
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Newport News | 1 | 1% | $51,888 |
| 2 | Baltimore | 1 | 0% | $74,392 |
Lecturer/Instructor job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of lecturer/instructor experts
Tiffin University
Christopher Newport University
Kean University
Northern Michigan University
College of the Marshall Islands
Texas Christian University
University of Kentucky
University of Arkansas at Monticello
Saint Mary's College
One University Parkway
Washington and Lee University
Macalester College
Louisiana State University
Southern Connecticut State University
Louisiana State University at Shreveport
Angelo State University
Pennsylvania State University Altoona
Franklin and Marshall College
Universty of San Francisco
Merrimack College
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 Lecturer/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.
What general advice would you give to a Lecturer/Instructor?
Dr. Mike Levine: In the next 3–5 years, I anticipate that research will be expected that explores more interdisciplinarity; owing both to intellectual trends in the academy, and to an ever-shrinking job market, which means that more will be demanded by less people. As well, you will be expected to be an expert in the exciting, interesting research niche that you have found and written about in your dissertation; but also quite knowledgeable about a broad range of information applicable towards teaching large general education (GE) classes filled with non-major students. Expertise in both of these areas will make you more competitive and give you a broader network to work with.
What Lecturer/Instructor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Mike Levine: Academia is most definitely not a career for those that want to get rich quick. It can take 5–6 years before your salary really starts to pick up steam (getting tenured, in other words). To get tenure: publish, publish, publish, while teaching and mentoring. Do some service to your department or college as well, but not so much that you get burnt out. As in any career, being seen and working with other people in your discipline, school, and area is key. So go to as many conferences as you can find funding for, and meet and work with as many people as you can. The 'cultural currency' you'll get from these interactions will come a lot sooner than actual currency will, but in academia, these two areas are often one and the same.
What will help Lecturer/Instructors increase their earning potential?
Dr. Mike Levine: My advice would be to keep an open mind in terms of the kind of early career job you will get: lecturer, adjunct, and visiting assistant professor positions are each helpful springboards towards landing an assistant prof role. So, if you don't immediately land an assistant prof position following graduation, don't get discouraged! As well, you might have to move around a bit. Like the military, it is rare that you'll find an academic job in your own backyard. So be prepared to pick up and move to where your next gig takes you.
What general advice would you give to a Lecturer/Instructor?
Mia Fiore Ph.D.: First, I would tell all students that it is VERY different from teaching k-12. Unlike K-12, you are not placed in a school with a teaching job upon graduation; teaching in higher education is one of the most competitive fields, period. The next difference is that you are expected to be an expert/ master of your field. If you're also willing to accept that you will likely have to work as an adjunct professor (for low pay) first, then go for it! Teaching in higher education is the most rewarding job, especially for people who love learning.
What Lecturer/Instructor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Mia Fiore Ph.D.: Awareness and familiarity with technology has become more important, and it will continue to be more important in the next 3-5 years. With everything from peer-reviewed journals available online, to AI, technology is an important part of higher education.
What general advice would you give to a Lecturer/Instructor?
Juan de la Puente Herrero: - As precarious as things are looking for people from my generation, the fields of Romance Languages and Linguistics have an advantage that has gotten me out of more than one financial distress: they are incredibly versatile. If you acquire the necessary skills for it (and don't skip the step of actually learning them, please), you can quickly pick up different 'side hustles' that require minimal infrastructure. However, the idea of turning them into your main source of income could quickly become flimsy and unstable. You don't want to be the person who relies solely on occasional students to tutor, translations to complete, or texts to proofread.
If you do want to maximize your salary potential in this field with a single source of income, you are going to have to deal with a tremendous amount of bureaucracy, technical requirements, and elitism. If your dream profession in this field involves teaching and being financially stable, you probably want to look into getting a PhD. In order to get there, you need to carefully study how willing you are to remain broke for a few years, even though there isn't a tenured job assured at the other end of the tunnel. On a brighter note, I have met lots of lecturers in higher education who enjoy a comfortable salary and a peaceful work life, but in order to get there, most of them had to suffer through multiple precarious contracts and on-and-off appointments, which are very stressful situations to be on, specially for non-citizens like me.
I hope that my answers don't discourage anyone from getting into this field. I just described the ugliest parts of working in it, but I would be more than happy to dedicate double the words to explaining the things that I enjoy about working with languages and Linguistics.
What Lecturer/Instructor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Juan de la Puente Herrero: - I hate to even bring up the term, but you need to find a way to make yourself stand out among the masses who rely on A.I. to do their work. Re-learn how to string your words and ideas in a way that makes sense to you and your readers and that sounds natural. This could apply to cover letters and essays, but also simple emails, translations and in-class activities. Sadly, one of my main concerns in the workplace these days is the constant presence of artificial intelligence in everything we do. I can't predict the future, but I can definitely say that there is currently a race between professors, students and ChatGPT to see who can outsmart each other, and everyone is giving it their all. It sounds ironic, but the only way to stand out is to rely on the quality of your own work, have trustful sources, and good research skills.
What will help Lecturer/Instructors increase their earning potential?
Juan de la Puente Herrero: - This may not be a secret to anyone, but you need to reach out and talk to as many people as you have the energy for. I feel like people underestimate how competitive languages and linguistics can be in the professional world, so the more you know about how others 'went through it', the easier it will be for you to take the punches when they come. And they will come!
I also want to mention how I am younger compared to most of my colleagues (I'm 24), but I have noticed that there is a pattern among the professors who tend to be more popular inside and outside of the classroom: all of them have interests (not necessarily academic) that they pursue in their free time, and it does not matter what it is exactly; cooking, literature, acting, music... I think that it is extremely important to 'feel like a student' on a regular basis in order to let your students know that they are not the only ones making mistakes on a regular basis: you do, too. I don't think that this is an attitude that you can fake.
What general advice would you give to a Lecturer/Instructor?
Alexander Velasquez: My general advice to any graduate beginning their career in their field is to continue to learn and be a student of your craft. Be open to learning new things because you never know how they will improve your skills and qualifications. For example, I am currently learning video editing. I never thought I would bother to learn video editing, but it makes me a more versatile instructor being able to give students the option of doing video projects, combining and editing them, and having a digital record of what students have learned in the classroom. And given the rise of online learning, it's important nowadays to be an effective instructor both in the traditional in-person format and within the digital landscape.
What Lecturer/Instructor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Alexander Velasquez: I think that in the next three to five years the most important skills to have—and I mean this—will be critical thinking and imagination. This may sound a bit outlandish, and maybe even a bit naive, but hear me out: Artificial intelligence is making strides to the point where papers are writing themselves with simple instructions, videos are generating themselves with simple instructions, and software is beginning to write itself; and all this has been happening within the last few years. We may begin to see that in the next three to five years, once coveted programming jobs could become automated. Now, what I'm *not* saying is don't go to school for computer programming; but what I *am* saying is that the nature of work and employment *is* changing. For example, if you and and AI are making a video, and both of you have the same script, same voiceover, and so on, the only thing separating your final product from the AI's is the way you *think and imagine*, the perspective that you have as someone who can think critically about the information and lay it out in a visually appealing manner. AI can't do that—at least not yet—because it simply spits out the information it's given. But critical thought, metalevel thinking about information, is what will be one of the most important assets to have in the coming three to five years.
What will help Lecturer/Instructors increase their earning potential?
Alexander Velasquez: I think everyone should look into their career fields and find out what it is that makes you more valuable in that field. Are there any certifications that you can get? What is it that you need to know or learn that companies will find valuable? Much can be learned online, so pick up as many of those skills as you can, and make sure they're on your resume or CV. I believe all those things could maximize salary potential, especially when starting out.
Kalee Appleton
Assistant Professor of ArtTexas Christian University
College of Fine Arts
What skills will help Lecturer/Instructors earn the most?
Kalee Appleton: Having a strong, personal portfolio. Having the ability to create a cohesive body of photographs that have a concept and good technique. In other words, being an exceptionally good fine art photographer is vital to be considered for high-paying positions.
Eladio Bobadilla Ph.D.
Assistant ProfessorUniversity of Kentucky
History, Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies
What skills stand out on Lecturer/Instructor resumes?
Eladio Bobadilla Ph.D.: History instructors should be able to formulate and pose thoughtful questions, write instructive and thought-provoking lesson plans, communicate clearly and effectively, and assess student work fairly and constructively. A good history instructor should also think empathetically not only about the past and the teaching material but also about the way students approach questions about the past. And of course, history instructors need to be good writers and teachers.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Lecturer/Instructors?
Eladio Bobadilla Ph.D.: Writing skills are essential. A good historian must be able to communicate with other specialists and non-specialists alike and to write educational, accessible, and nuanced material for public consumption.
What skills will help Lecturer/Instructors earn the most?
Eladio Bobadilla Ph.D.: Increasingly, history teaching and writing includes substantial knowledge of and engagement with new technologies and tools. Having both soft and hard skills will be invaluable in the future, as historians combine old methods with new technologies. While the ability to research, to write, and to communicate the significance of context and change over time will always be the core skills needed by historians and history instructors, other skills such as mapping skills, data, and statistical analysis, and user experience knowledge will be a plus in the future and will help people with those skills earn more.
Clinton Young Ph.D.
Professor of History, Interim Dean of Social and Behavioral SciencesUniversity of Arkansas at Monticello
School of Social and Behavioral Sciences
What soft skills should all Lecturer/Instructors possess?
Clinton Young Ph.D.: Above all, history should have developed the ability to write clearly and effectively from all the papers they have had! They should also be effective oral communicators since many classes will have involved discussion and debate. And students should have the ability to work independently and manage to meet deadlines since most classes require these traits as well.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Lecturer/Instructors?
Clinton Young Ph.D.: All history students should be able to do in-depth research-not mere Googling on the Internet, but using library databases, specialized search engines for Internet archives, and possibly even archival catalogs to find material. One would certainly hope that with all the papers they have written, history graduates would have an intimate knowledge of word processing programs.
What skills will help Lecturer/Instructors earn the most?
Clinton Young Ph.D.: Virtually every history student will have written one-if not many-of the dreaded assignments we call "research papers." This requires students to independently conceive of a project, determine how to approach it, do the necessary research to find evidence and data, write it up clearly, and present it to an audience. This sort of higher-level conceptualization and thinking, along with the ability to find specialized data and work independently, should allow history majors to advance to positions with great responsibility (and thus, hopefully, with great paychecks). The study of history does not just prepare students to find a job at graduation-it will prepare them for an entire career.
What skills stand out on Lecturer/Instructor resumes?
David Stefancic: -Attention to detail
-Strong organizational skills
-Ability to see not only the immediate but the long-range implications and effects.
-Being able to compare times and places
What soft skills should all Lecturer/Instructors possess?
David Stefancic: Being a storyteller.
Keir Fogarty Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of ChemistryOne University Parkway
Chemistry Department
What soft skills should all Lecturer/Instructors possess?
Keir Fogarty Ph.D.: -Concrete evidence of oral and written communication skills
-As well as interpersonal skills, effective time management, multitasking, making effective use of limited resources
Chantal Smith
Assistant Professor of EconomicsWashington and Lee University
Economics Department
What skills stand out on Lecturer/Instructor resumes?
Chantal Smith: Relevant work that would contribute to the literature is probably the top item that stands out on instructor resumes and experience in the classroom.
What soft skills should all Lecturer/Instructors possess?
Chantal Smith: The ability to communicate effectively with students, colleagues, and administrators is key. It is also very important to have time management skills.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Lecturer/Instructors?
Walter Greason Ph.D.: Ability to learn multiple managerial and technical platforms rapidly; facility with both quantitative and qualitative data and the capacity to discern multiple forms of mixed research methodologies.
What skills will help Lecturer/Instructors earn the most?
Walter Greason Ph.D.: Tactical and strategic leadership; clear and direct communication skills; consistent success in project management; discernment in activating emerging markets.
Jonathan Osborne Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of RhetoricLouisiana State University
English Department
What hard/technical skills are most important for Lecturer/Instructors?
Jonathan Osborne Ph.D.: Writing instructors must know how to use multiple computer programs proficiently and at times use them simultaneously. Long gone are the days where all you needed to know were the basics of Microsoft Word and Excel. In addition to the learning platform used by the university (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, Google Classroom, etc.), writing instructors must know how to use Zoom or other online video conference platforms to ensure smooth experiences for students who cannot come to the physical classroom.
Jia Yu Ph.D.
Associate Professor of EconomicsSouthern Connecticut State University
School of Business
What skills stand out on Lecturer/Instructor resumes?
Jia Yu Ph.D.: -Sufficient teaching experience
-Flexible office hours
-New course/program development
-Outstanding teaching evaluation
-Efficient classroom management
What soft skills should all Lecturer/Instructors possess?
Jia Yu Ph.D.: Communication skills: students usually have a varied backgrounds. They would love the professors who understand them and can communicate with them easily.
Public speaking skills: Teaching is the most essential work for an economics instructor. So, public speaking skills are very important.
Leadership: The instructor is the person leading students to knowledge and their future. An instructor needs to be a good leader to guide students for their future careers or even future life.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Lecturer/Instructors?
Jia Yu Ph.D.: Online teaching (very important during this pandemic period): familiar with most of the online meeting/teaching platform
Data analysis and statistics software/tools application: many economics applications need help from different statistics software (such as Excel, SPSS, Python, etc.). Mastering and teaching students these skills would help them land their jobs quickly and easily.
Gary Joiner Ph.D.
Professor and Chair, Mary Anne and Leonard Selber Professor of History, Director, Red River Regional Studies, Director, Strategy Alternatives ConsortiumLouisiana State University at Shreveport
Department of History and Social Sciences
What skills stand out on Lecturer/Instructor resumes?
Gary Joiner Ph.D.: Strong candidates who possess a wide breadth of knowledge and experience in both teaching and research have a distinct advantage in the academic job market. Historians who work in a small niche and are unwilling to expand their horizons are limited in most institutions of higher learning. Generalists will find an easier time getting their first job.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Lecturer/Instructors?
Gary Joiner Ph.D.: The days of historians working simply in Microsoft Word or similar programs is the not too distant past. You must have a firm grasp of the full suites of the programs. Adobe Creative Cloud apps are useful for presentations as well. Many historians are finding working knowledge of geographic information system programs like ArcGIS or Global Mapper to be essential in creating course materials or publishing their work. Once you gain expertise, constant use and knowledge of upgrades are vital.
Dr. Jason Pierce
Professor, Department ChairAngelo State University
Arnoldo De León Department of History
What skills stand out on Lecturer/Instructor resumes?
Dr. Jason Pierce: Colleges and universities vary in terms of their primary focus. While larger private and public institutions value research as much as teaching, smaller regional institutions, like Angelo State University, put the most emphasis on teaching. Thus, teaching experience is paramount. We look closely at how many sections a candidate has taught and what classes they could offer when hiring a tenure track or non-tenure track instructor. Faculty at my university teach 4 classes per semester, so we must have someone who is "plug and play" and can handle the workload. For larger universities, research projects may need to be emphasized more. Be sure you understand what kind of institution you are applying to so you can get a sense of what skills that institution or department values the most. Researching the institution and the department is critical for success. Thankfully, that's relatively easy to do nowadays.
What Lecturer/Instructor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Roselyn Costantino Ph.D.: Most important advice: Take initiative and be productive.
Find practical ways to use skills even if unpaid. Volunteer work is good. Use language skills. Technology skills. Exploit technology skills around the area of interest. If you want to be a teacher find out what software they are using today; what research skills are they utilize. Make sure you log your activities during the gap year especially those that relate to the area in which you want to work. If you want to go into finance, and you're working at a lawn service, understand and learn the business model and the accounting. If you're working at Starbucks (or in any commercial environment), get a chance to do inventories, learn about the ordering process and sources and suppliers for those orders; and how people are scheduled for work. All of that is relevant experience for business.
The CFO and recruiter for Keystone Staffing Solutions emphasized having evidence in your resume of of being productive during the gap time, no matter if it's one, two or three years. Evidence of being productive is what recruiters want to see on your resume: He stresses: "What did you do to expand your knowledge and skills not only in your selected area but beyond. BEING PRODUCTIVE for yourself proves to be an indicator of how productive you will be for me."
Still on gap year. How to go about it? Use teachers, friends, family, anyone in the field or related to it to provide guidance, insight, suggestions. This can lead to projects or experience that will help in learning and growth.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Lecturer/Instructors?
M. Alison Kibler Ph.D.: Some things seem to have changed in the pandemic, but F&M's graduates in American Studies did quite well in the first pandemic season of job hunting.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Lecturer/Instructor job market given the pandemic?
Elliot Neaman Ph.D.: In the corporate world, companies are now having to shift from a physical workspace to working at home, so that means young people entering the workforce have an advantage since they are usually more tech savvy than older people, although that is not always the case. There will be new opportunities in companies that see a lot of demand because of the pandemic. Think about at-home exercise companies like Peleton. Obviously a lot of businesses are suffering or disappearing, like retail and restaurants, so you'll see a shift away from that, but service industries are going to become even more important, especially those that fill the niche of providing services at home.
What general advice would you give to a Lecturer/Instructor?
Elliot Neaman Ph.D.: Above all, be flexible. The world of work was already changing very fast before the pandemic, but now all kinds of new trends are emerging. You have to be nimble and you have to learn how to learn and quickly. So don't get stuck in the old categories but think about what you can get excited about. Then, figure out the skills you need to adapt to the new workplace. If you want to start a new business, think hard about how to adapt. Even with the vaccines and the eventual overcoming of the pandemic, we are not going to be going back to the pre-COVID world. If I were in the sciences, I'd obviously think about biotech. If I were in the humanities, I would try to figure out what kind of demand there will be for people with writing skills and creative talent.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Lecturer/Instructors to find work opportunities?
Deborah Margolis Ph.D.: The COVID pandemic has triggered the retirement of many seasoned educators, so many districts are in need of committed new graduates. Typically, during non-pandemic times, urban districts tend to have more openings. Commitment to teach in an urban or otherwise underserved district can provide a wonderful experience for new graduates looking to make a meaningful contribution to the education and lives of the students with whom they work.