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Professor salary
Average professor salary
$157,570
How much does a professor make?
The average professor salary in the United States is $157,570. Professor salaries typically range between $88,000 and $280,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for professors is $75.75 per hour.
Professor salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Professors earn the highest average salary in California.
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Where can a Professor earn more?
Professor salary estimates from across the web
Average professor salary by state
Highest paying states for professors
Rank  | State | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama | $162,175 | $77.97 |
| 2 | Mississippi | $158,105 | $76.01 |
| 3 | Michigan | $161,286 | $77.54 |
| 4 | Oregon | $159,500 | $76.68 |
| 5 | California | $184,725 | $88.81 |
| 6 | Utah | $179,789 | $86.44 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $169,102 | $81.30 |
| 8 | North Dakota | $166,261 | $79.93 |
| 9 | District of Columbia | $170,189 | $81.82 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $175,104 | $84.18 |
| 11 | North Carolina | $155,201 | $74.62 |
| 12 | New Mexico | $157,242 | $75.60 |
| 13 | Oklahoma | $160,897 | $77.35 |
| 14 | Maine | $156,784 | $75.38 |
| 15 | Minnesota | $157,978 | $75.95 |
| 16 | New York | $179,258 | $86.18 |
| 17 | Pennsylvania | $149,559 | $71.90 |
| 18 | Colorado | $153,528 | $73.81 |
| 19 | Texas | $158,884 | $76.39 |
| 20 | Louisiana | $148,799 | $71.54 |
| 21 | Arkansas | $152,406 | $73.27 |
| 22 | Indiana | $151,984 | $73.07 |
| 23 | Nebraska | $144,196 | $69.33 |
| 24 | Washington | $158,541 | $76.22 |
| 25 | Alaska | $148,230 | $71.26 |
| 26 | Kentucky | $139,849 | $67.24 |
| 27 | West Virginia | $136,285 | $65.52 |
| 28 | Nevada | $154,883 | $74.46 |
| 29 | Montana | $140,936 | $67.76 |
| 30 | Iowa | $137,685 | $66.19 |
| 31 | New Jersey | $140,543 | $67.57 |
| 32 | Arizona | $147,541 | $70.93 |
| 33 | Rhode Island | $138,841 | $66.75 |
| 34 | Ohio | $136,153 | $65.46 |
| 35 | Wyoming | $138,639 | $66.65 |
| 36 | Maryland | $142,323 | $68.42 |
| 37 | South Carolina | $132,732 | $63.81 |
| 38 | Kansas | $138,292 | $66.49 |
| 39 | Georgia | $136,806 | $65.77 |
| 40 | Virginia | $133,009 | $63.95 |
| 41 | Missouri | $135,213 | $65.01 |
| 42 | Vermont | $121,660 | $58.49 |
| 43 | South Dakota | $133,861 | $64.36 |
| 44 | Delaware | $131,133 | $63.04 |
| 45 | Wisconsin | $115,257 | $55.41 |
| 46 | Idaho | $132,414 | $63.66 |
| 47 | Florida | $125,167 | $60.18 |
| 48 | Tennessee | $127,349 | $61.23 |
| 49 | Illinois | $123,891 | $59.56 |
| 50 | New Hampshire | $130,081 | $62.54 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $106,075 | $51.00 |
Highest paying cities for professors
The highest-paying cities for professors are San Francisco, CA, New York, NY, and New Haven, CT.
| Rank | City | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $216,671 | $104.17 |
| 2 | New York, NY | $203,866 | $98.01 |
| 3 | New Haven, CT | $195,643 | $94.06 |
| 4 | Washington, DC | $189,600 | $91.15 |
| 5 | Boston, MA | $185,217 | $89.05 |
| 6 | Richardson, TX | $179,582 | $86.34 |
| 7 | Ann Arbor, MI | $174,263 | $83.78 |
| 8 | Minneapolis, MN | $167,838 | $80.69 |
| 9 | Chapel Hill, NC | $167,622 | $80.59 |
| 10 | Seattle, WA | $167,064 | $80.32 |
| 11 | Bloomington, IN | $163,083 | $78.41 |
| 12 | Aurora, CO | $162,469 | $78.11 |
| 13 | Philadelphia, PA | $157,528 | $75.73 |
| 14 | Tempe, AZ | $155,858 | $74.93 |
| 15 | Gainesville, FL | $152,548 | $73.34 |
| 16 | College Park, MD | $148,347 | $71.32 |
| 17 | Atlanta, GA | $143,611 | $69.04 |
| 18 | Columbus, OH | $141,095 | $67.83 |
| 19 | Columbia, MO | $139,080 | $66.87 |
| 20 | Columbia, SC | $138,205 | $66.44 |
Professor salary details
A professor's salary ranges from $88,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $280,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a professor's salary?
| Percentile | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $280,000 | $23,333 | $135 |
| 75th Percentile | $213,000 | $17,750 | $102 |
| Average | $157,570 | $13,131 | $76 |
| 25th Percentile | $116,000 | $9,667 | $56 |
| 10th Percentile | $88,000 | $7,333 | $42 |
Highest paying professor jobs
The highest paying types of professors are visiting professor, associate professor, and faculty member.
| Job Title | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adjunct Faculty | $83,069 | $6,922 | $39.94 | 26,791 |
| Faculty | $80,405 | $6,700 | $38.66 | 21,142 |
| Adjunct Faculty Member | $60,817 | $5,068 | $29.24 | 28,981 |
| Faculty Member | $102,849 | $8,571 | $49.45 | 30,325 |
| Music Internship | $64,045 | $5,337 | $30.79 | 49,414 |
| Instructor, Adjunct Faculty | $52,225 | $4,352 | $25.11 | 37,739 |
Which companies pay professors the most?
Professor salaries at Oregon Health & Science University and Stanford University are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average professor salary at companies like Baylor College of Medicine and University of Washington are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon Health & Science University | $256,269 | $123.21 |
| 2 | Stanford University | $255,075 | $122.63 |
| 3 | Baylor College of Medicine | $246,950 | $118.73 |
| 4 | University of Washington | $246,346 | $118.44 |
| 5 | Northwell Health | $243,309 | $116.98 |
| 6 | University of Massachusetts Medical School | $240,105 | $115.44 |
| 7 | University of California | $236,419 | $113.66 |
| 8 | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai | $229,664 | $110.42 |
| 9 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | $229,013 | $110.10 |
| 10 | UTHealth | $225,190 | $108.26 |
| 11 | IU Health Inc | $224,996 | $108.17 |
| 12 | Emory Healthcare | $224,694 | $108.03 |
| 13 | Duke University Health System | $224,020 | $107.70 |
| 14 | UT Southwestern Medical Center | $222,844 | $107.14 |
| 15 | The University of Chicago | $221,726 | $106.60 |
| 16 | UAB Medicine | $220,249 | $105.89 |
| 17 | Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago | $219,748 | $105.65 |
| 18 | New York University | $219,663 | $105.61 |
| 19 | Yale University | $216,834 | $104.25 |
| 20 | Finger Lakes Community Health | $216,653 | $104.16 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Professor salary trends
The average professor salary has risen by $16,641 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average professor earned $140,929 annually, but today, they earn $157,570 a year. That works out to a 2% change in pay for professors over the last decade.
Compare professor salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average professor salary over time
Compare professor salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
- National Average
Professor salary by year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $158,000 | $75.75 | +0.2% |
| 2024 | $157,000 | $75.58 | -0.6% |
| 2023 | $158,000 | $76.05 | +4.3% |
| 2022 | $151,000 | $72.75 | -2.6% |
| 2021 | $155,000 | $74.62 | +4.8% |
Recently added professor salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date Added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Colorado | Open Rank: Professor Series | Aurora, CO | 12/15/2024 | $132,864 |
| J. Craig Venter Institute | Professor (Glass) | Ione, CA | 12/15/2024 | $185,000 |
| University of Kentucky | Professor of Pediatrics | Lexington, KY | 12/11/2024 | $100,000 |
| Salk Institute | Full Professor In Neuroimmunology | Ione, CA | 12/11/2024 | $215,000 |
| The Counter Rhythm Group | Piano (Online) Lessons/Professor for AN Hour | New York, NY | 12/11/2024 | $83,480 |
| Blackphd | Professor and Director of Casm | Syracuse, NY | 12/11/2024 | $160,000 |
| American University of Sharjah | Professor Mohammad Al-Sayah | Pope, MS | 12/10/2024 | $160,000 |
| Vancouverusa | Professional Baking Professor | Vancouver, WA | 12/10/2024 | $188,811 |
| Cornell | Professor | Ithaca, NY | 12/09/2024 | $121,200 |
| Association for The Advancement of Artificial Intelligence | Tenure/Tenure Track Professor | Arlington, TX | 12/05/2024 | $45,914 |
Professor salary FAQs
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