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Associate professor salary

Quoted expert
David McMahan Ph.D.

Average associate professor salary

$103,292

$49.66 hourly rate

Entry-level associate professor salary
$56,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Average Associate Professor Salary

The average salary for an associate professor in the United States is $103,292 annually, which equates to approximately $50 per hour. These figures reflect a range of factors, including geographic location, years of experience, and the specific academic discipline. For instance, associate professors in research-intensive institutions may earn significantly more than those in smaller colleges.

Where Can You Earn More?

Salary varies widely across states. For example, states like California and New York typically offer higher salaries, with averages exceeding $120,000. Additionally, experience plays a crucial role; associate professors with over 10 years in academia often see salaries upwards of $120,000 as well.

Salary Trends

Tracking salary trends over time reveals that associate professors have seen steady increases, reflecting the growing demand for higher education professionals. This upward trend signals a positive outlook for those entering or advancing in the academic field.

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Where can an Associate Professor earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
163k
143k
123k
103k
83k
63k
Columbus, OH$139,697
Charlottesville, VA$92,613
Compare salary by company
Vs
265k
245k
225k
205k
185k
165k
Baylor College of Medicine$243,466
SIU Medicine$195,018

Associate professor salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Indeed, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter and SalaryExpert, the average salary for an associate professor typically falls between $93,000 and $143,525.
zippia
$103,292yearly
glassdoor[1]
$143,525yearly
indeed[2]
$93,744yearly
Salary.com[3]
$123,273yearly
ZipRecruiter[4]
$93,000yearly
SalaryExpert[5]
$96,533yearly

Average associate professor salary by state

The highest-paying states for associate professors are California, Oregon, and Massachusetts. The lowest average associate professor salary states are Kentucky, Wisconsin, and Illinois.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for associate professors

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Oregon$120,285$57.83
2New York$114,044$54.83
3Texas$107,865$51.86
4Louisiana$107,100$51.49
5California$135,590$65.19
6Alabama$105,705$50.82
7Utah$111,514$53.61
8Massachusetts$114,423$55.01
9Mississippi$98,778$47.49
10North Carolina$102,456$49.26
11Michigan$101,932$49.01
12Nebraska$100,301$48.22
13Idaho$112,289$53.99
14Florida$104,815$50.39
15Alaska$99,309$47.74
16Minnesota$101,831$48.96
17Georgia$100,391$48.26
18Connecticut$106,189$51.05
19New Mexico$99,102$47.65
20Arizona$102,456$49.26
21Arkansas$98,218$47.22
22District of Columbia$95,061$45.70
23Colorado$93,504$44.95
24Washington$104,828$50.40
25Virginia$92,404$44.42
26Pennsylvania$90,819$43.66
27Maryland$96,225$46.26
28New Jersey$93,779$45.09
29Iowa$88,438$42.52
30Indiana$85,303$41.01
31South Carolina$86,818$41.74
32Montana$83,589$40.19
33Missouri$91,550$44.01
34Ohio$88,352$42.48
35Tennessee$90,257$43.39
36Oklahoma$90,960$43.73
37Rhode Island$88,185$42.40
38South Dakota$82,591$39.71
39Kentucky$81,651$39.26
40Nevada$92,806$44.62
41Vermont$83,158$39.98
42North Dakota$88,160$42.38
43New Hampshire$88,696$42.64
44Delaware$88,777$42.68
45Wisconsin$79,686$38.31
46West Virginia$58,384$28.07
47Hawaii$87,013$41.83
48Kansas$82,176$39.51
49Maine$78,146$37.57
50Illinois$79,332$38.14
51Wyoming$75,665$36.38

Highest paying cities for associate professors

The highest-paying cities for associate professors are Los Angeles, CA, Portland, OR, and New York, NY.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Los Angeles, CA$139,697$67.16
2Portland, OR$119,306$57.36
3New York, NY$116,706$56.11
4Boston, MA$115,904$55.72
5Lubbock, TX$112,769$54.22
6Salt Lake City, UT$111,599$53.65
7Gainesville, FL$111,149$53.44
8Baton Rouge, LA$110,498$53.12
9Birmingham, AL$107,681$51.77
10New Haven, CT$107,508$51.69
11Columbus, GA$106,583$51.24
12Durham, NC$106,362$51.14
13Seattle, WA$105,245$50.60
14Detroit, MI$103,346$49.69
15Little Rock, AR$100,887$48.50
16Baltimore, MD$97,351$46.80
17Washington, DC$96,190$46.25
18New Brunswick, NJ$94,310$45.34
19Aurora, CO$93,368$44.89
20Charlottesville, VA$92,613$44.53

Associate Professors are the most in-demand in these five cities:

  1. Los Angeles, CA
  2. Portland, OR
  3. New York, NY
  4. Boston, MA
  5. Lubbock, TX

Associate professor salary details

An associate professor's salary ranges from $56,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $189,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average associate professor salary graph
Average associate professor salary graph, trends, and summary

What is an associate professor's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$189,000$15,750$91
75th Percentile$142,000$11,833$68
Average$103,292$8,608$50
25th Percentile$75,000$6,250$36
10th Percentile$56,000$4,667$27

Highest paying associate professor jobs

The highest paying types of associate professors are professor, visiting professor, and faculty member.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Faculty$80,405$6,700$38.6621,142
Instructor, Adjunct Faculty$52,225$4,352$25.1137,739
Language Teacher$51,413$4,284$24.7274,479
Adjunct Faculty$83,069$6,922$39.9426,791
Faculty Member$102,849$8,571$49.4530,325
French Teacher$49,442$4,120$23.7754,716

How would you rate the starting salaries for associate professors, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?

David McMahan Ph.D.

Charles A. Dana Professor of Religious Studies, Franklin and Marshall College

Graduates in Religious Studies don't necessarily go into careers in religion. The standard career path for those involved is going to graduate school, spending several years getting a Ph.D., and facing a tough job market. Starting salaries can vary widely depending on the college or university.

Which companies pay associate professors the most?

Associate professor salaries at Baylor College of Medicine and Montefiore Mount Vernon Hospital are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average associate professor salary at companies like UTHealth and IU Health Inc are highly competitive.

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$94,000$92,800$91,600$90,400$89,200$88,000
MaleFemale

Associate professor salary trends

The average associate professor salary has risen by $10,909 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average associate professor earned $92,383 annually, but today, they earn $103,292 a year. That works out to a 2% change in pay for associate professors over the last decade.

Compare associate professor salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average associate professor salary over time

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

Associate professor salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$103,000$49.66+0.2%
2024$103,000$49.55-0.6%
2023$104,000$49.85+4.3%
2022$99,200$47.69-2.6%
2021$102,000$48.92+4.8%

Recently added associate professor salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
New York Institute of TechnologyAssistant/Associate ProfessorOld Westbury, NY06/29/2025$20,000
Hofstra UniversityAssistant/Associate Professor of Multi-Camera Studio and Field Television ProductionHempstead, NY06/28/2025$95,000
Stony Brook UniversityPsychiatrist, Clinical Assistant/Associate Professor, Psychiatry, Emergency Department/CpepFine, NY06/27/2025$308,000
Montclair Dance CompanyAssociate or Full Professor, Harm ReductionMontclair, NJ06/27/2025$81,475
Seton Hall UniversityAssociate Professor & Associate Dean of AcademicsNewark, NJ06/26/2025$110,400
New York UniversityAssociate or Full Professor, Business of Healthcare (Tenured)Fine, NY06/25/2025$250,000
Florida Atlantic UniversityDirector of The DNP Program and Associate/Professor-Practice Teaching TrackBoca Raton, FL06/24/2025$120,000
University of MinnesotaAssistant/Associate/Full Professor-Adult Congenital Heart DiseaseMinneapolis, MN06/24/2025$55,000
Northeastern UniversityAssistant/Associate/Full Professor of Supply Chain & Information TechnologyBoston, MA06/17/2025$181,000
University of Texas M.D. AndersonAssociate Professor, Clinical Faculty Appointment (CFA), PediatricsHouston, TX06/15/2025$262,965

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