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Instructor salary
Average instructor salary
$53,426
Understanding Instructor Salaries
The average salary for an instructor is approximately $53,426 per year or around $26 per hour. This figure may vary depending on several factors, such as geographic location, years of experience, and the specific educational institution or industry. For instance, instructors in higher education institutions often earn more than those in primary or secondary education settings.
Where Instructors Earn More
States such as California and New York typically offer higher salaries due to their cost of living and demand for qualified educators. Additionally, instructors with specialized skills or those teaching in high-demand subjects can command higher salaries. Understanding these dynamics can significantly impact your career trajectory and earning potential.
Job Opportunities
Instructors can find opportunities in numerous fields including academia, vocational training, and online education platforms. As the demand for skilled educators continues to grow, exploring various teaching roles can lead to fulfilling and financially rewarding careers. To maximize your earning potential, consider continuing education and professional development.
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Where can an Instructor earn more?
Instructor salary estimates from across the web
Average instructor salary by state
The highest-paying states for instructors are Connecticut, Vermont, and Massachusetts. The lowest average instructor salary states are Iowa, Montana, and Oklahoma.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for instructors
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $73,285 | $35.23 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $70,786 | $34.03 |
| 3 | Vermont | $74,052 | $35.60 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $73,481 | $35.33 |
| 5 | West Virginia | $65,206 | $31.35 |
| 6 | Delaware | $65,693 | $31.58 |
| 7 | Maryland | $68,935 | $33.14 |
| 8 | Michigan | $59,777 | $28.74 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $75,679 | $36.38 |
| 10 | North Carolina | $57,114 | $27.46 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | $70,294 | $33.80 |
| 12 | New Hampshire | $68,448 | $32.91 |
| 13 | Virginia | $58,715 | $28.23 |
| 14 | Rhode Island | $63,650 | $30.60 |
| 15 | California | $59,851 | $28.77 |
| 16 | Oregon | $55,039 | $26.46 |
| 17 | Wisconsin | $58,768 | $28.25 |
| 18 | District of Columbia | $69,720 | $33.52 |
| 19 | Kentucky | $53,672 | $25.80 |
| 20 | Ohio | $55,725 | $26.79 |
| 21 | Hawaii | $62,628 | $30.11 |
| 22 | Missouri | $57,988 | $27.88 |
| 23 | Utah | $53,042 | $25.50 |
| 24 | Georgia | $50,106 | $24.09 |
| 25 | Nevada | $50,634 | $24.34 |
| 26 | Texas | $52,117 | $25.06 |
| 27 | Maine | $55,006 | $26.45 |
| 28 | Minnesota | $53,245 | $25.60 |
| 29 | South Carolina | $47,990 | $23.07 |
| 30 | Washington | $55,766 | $26.81 |
| 31 | Alabama | $51,657 | $24.84 |
| 32 | Alaska | $49,142 | $23.63 |
| 33 | North Dakota | $49,554 | $23.82 |
| 34 | Colorado | $48,923 | $23.52 |
| 35 | Tennessee | $50,486 | $24.27 |
| 36 | Mississippi | $47,939 | $23.05 |
| 37 | Indiana | $51,450 | $24.74 |
| 38 | Louisiana | $47,875 | $23.02 |
| 39 | Arizona | $49,441 | $23.77 |
| 40 | Iowa | $46,343 | $22.28 |
| 41 | Idaho | $47,953 | $23.05 |
| 42 | Montana | $46,170 | $22.20 |
| 43 | Illinois | $49,469 | $23.78 |
| 44 | Florida | $47,302 | $22.74 |
| 45 | New Mexico | $47,108 | $22.65 |
| 46 | Wyoming | $43,447 | $20.89 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $48,095 | $23.12 |
| 48 | Nebraska | $46,830 | $22.51 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $45,840 | $22.04 |
| 50 | South Dakota | $42,918 | $20.63 |
| 51 | Kansas | $45,581 | $21.91 |
Highest paying cities for instructors
The highest-paying cities for instructors are New York, NY, Worcester, MA, and Philadelphia, PA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York, NY | $73,515 | $35.34 |
| 2 | Worcester, MA | $73,463 | $35.32 |
| 3 | Philadelphia, PA | $70,994 | $34.13 |
| 4 | Washington, DC | $69,655 | $33.49 |
| 5 | Baltimore, MD | $69,274 | $33.30 |
| 6 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $62,679 | $30.13 |
| 7 | Oakland, CA | $62,544 | $30.07 |
| 8 | Milwaukee, WI | $59,014 | $28.37 |
| 9 | East Lansing, MI | $58,923 | $28.33 |
| 10 | Saint Louis, MO | $58,630 | $28.19 |
| 11 | Cleveland, OH | $58,455 | $28.10 |
| 12 | Charlottesville, VA | $57,824 | $27.80 |
| 13 | Winston-Salem, NC | $57,313 | $27.55 |
| 14 | Seattle, WA | $56,364 | $27.10 |
| 15 | Portland, ME | $55,960 | $26.90 |
| 16 | Eugene, OR | $55,474 | $26.67 |
| 17 | San Antonio, TX | $52,846 | $25.41 |
| 18 | Salt Lake City, UT | $52,833 | $25.40 |
| 19 | Austin, MN | $52,027 | $25.01 |
| 20 | Birmingham, AL | $51,529 | $24.77 |
Instructors are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Instructor salary details
An instructor's salary ranges from $30,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $94,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is an instructor's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $94,000 | $7,833 | $45 |
| 75th Percentile | $72,000 | $6,000 | $35 |
| Average | $53,426 | $4,452 | $26 |
| 25th Percentile | $39,000 | $3,250 | $19 |
| 10th Percentile | $30,000 | $2,500 | $14 |
Highest paying instructor jobs
The highest paying types of instructors are language instructor, adjunct english instructor, and instructor of spanish.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Learning Center Instructor | $33,129 | $2,761 | $15.93 | 59,893 |
| Adjunct English Instructor | $55,901 | $4,658 | $26.88 | 38,052 |
| Cosmetology Instructor | $45,344 | $3,779 | $21.80 | 24,434 |
| Mathematics Instructor | $51,311 | $4,276 | $24.67 | 39,866 |
| Laboratory Instructor | $49,931 | $4,161 | $24.01 | 63,100 |
| Instructor Of Spanish | $54,930 | $4,578 | $26.41 | 25,516 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for instructors, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
David McMahan Ph.D.
Charles A. Dana Professor of Religious Studies, Franklin and Marshall College
Which companies pay instructors the most?
Instructor salaries at Kern Community College District and Pace University are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average instructor salary at companies like Glendale Unified School District and St. Joseph's Health are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kern Community College District | $130,609 | $62.79 |
| 2 | Pace University | $127,066 | $61.09 |
| 3 | Glendale Unified School District | $118,001 | $56.73 |
| 4 | St. Joseph's Health | $116,787 | $56.15 |
| 5 | Northwest Lineman College | $115,777 | $55.66 |
| 6 | Mission Regional Medical Center | $110,103 | $52.93 |
| 7 | Creighton University | $107,187 | $51.53 |
| 8 | Tulane University | $105,324 | $50.64 |
| 9 | Northwestern Medical Center | $104,854 | $50.41 |
| 10 | Howard University | $103,941 | $49.97 |
| 11 | Southwest General | $102,946 | $49.49 |
| 12 | Loma Linda University Health | $101,062 | $48.59 |
| 13 | New York University | $97,463 | $46.86 |
| 14 | Yeshiva University | $97,056 | $46.66 |
| 15 | Strategic Education | $97,015 | $46.64 |
| 16 | Workday | $96,991 | $46.63 |
| 17 | School of Visual Concepts | $96,472 | $46.38 |
| 18 | Columbia University in the City of New York | $94,849 | $45.60 |
| 19 | SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University | $94,712 | $45.53 |
| 20 | Rutgers University | $94,506 | $45.44 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Instructor salary by industry
The average instructor salary varies across industries:
- The average instructor salary in the government industry is $65,060, the highest of any industry.
- The average instructor salary in the finance industry is $57,146.
- Instructors in the retail industry earn an average salary of $41,441, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for instructors
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Government | $65,060 | $31.28 |
| 2 | Education | $57,146 | $27.47 |
| 3 | Health Care | $49,177 | $23.64 |
| 4 | Retail | $41,441 | $19.92 |
High paying instructor jobs
Instructor salary trends
The average instructor salary has risen by $5,746 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average instructor earned $47,680 annually, but today, they earn $53,426 a year. That works out to a 6% change in pay for instructors over the last decade.
Compare instructor salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average instructor salary over time
Compare instructor salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Instructor salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $53,400 | $25.69 | +2.4% |
| 2025 | $52,100 | $25.06 | +0.3% |
| 2024 | $52,000 | $24.99 | +1.8% |
| 2023 | $51,100 | $24.54 | +1.7% |
| 2022 | $50,200 | $24.13 | +3.6% |
Recently added instructor salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Werner Enterprises | Instructor | Orlando, FL | 06/30/2025 | $57,000 |
| Kaplan | Nclex Instructor-Indianapolis, In (In-Person) | Indianapolis, IN | 06/30/2025 | $73,045 |
| Kaplan | Nclex Instructor-York, PA (On-Site) | York, PA | 06/30/2025 | $83,480 |
| Kaplan | Nclex Instructor-Norfolk/Newport News, VA (On-Site) | Norfolk, VA | 06/30/2025 | $83,480 |
| Kaplan | Nclex Instructor-Raleigh, NC (On-Site) | Raleigh, NC | 06/30/2025 | $73,045 |
| Kaplan | Nclex Instructor-Staten Island, NY (On-Site) | New York, NY | 06/30/2025 | $104,350 |
| Kaplan | Nclex Instructor-Cleveland, OH (On-Site) | Cleveland, OH | 06/30/2025 | $83,480 |
| Kaplan | Nclex Instructor-Fort Myers, FL (On-Site) | Fort Myers, FL | 06/30/2025 | $83,480 |
| Kaplan | Mcat Prep Instructor-Texas A&M | College Station, TX | 06/30/2025 | $73,045 |
| Treasure Valley Family YMCA | Youth Enrichment Instructor (Cooking Class) | Boise, ID | 06/30/2025 | $29,531 |
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