Communications Teachers, Postsecondary
Median $78,580
Occupation · SOC 25-1121
Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary: pay and where the jobs are
What art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$78,620 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $94,700
- Hourly wages
- BLS publishes annual wages only
- Employment
- 93,560
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 25-1121.
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See where your pay falls among art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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Use these numbers
How much do art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary make?
The median annual wage for art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary was $78,620 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $47,570 and the highest-paid 10% more than $163,350. About 93,560 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Delaware ($103,320), California ($99,410) and New York ($98,850). Delaware also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $47,570 | — | $3,964 | $3,367 |
| 25th percentile | $61,620 | — | $5,135 | $4,308 |
| Median | $78,620 | — | $6,552 | $5,345 |
| 75th percentile | $103,850 | — | $8,654 | $6,824 |
| 90th percentile | $163,350 | — | $13,613 | $10,243 |
Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary: pay by state
50 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$75,770 take-home in national prices
2
$75,335 take-home in national prices
3
$71,726 take-home in national prices
Where a median art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware | 150 | $103,320 | $31,200 | $158,900 | $75,624 | $75,770 |
| California | 9,820 | $99,410 | $60,420 | $202,740 | $72,472 | $65,456 |
| New York | 14,920 | $98,850 | $58,140 | $272,120 | $73,136 | $67,768 |
| Vermont | 180 | $97,980 | $53,190 | $134,690 | $73,796 | $75,335 |
| Rhode Island | 440 | $97,580 | $62,820 | $158,850 | $73,362 | $71,726 |
| District of Columbia | 350 | $96,900 | $63,380 | $131,090 | $71,731 | $65,269 |
| Massachusetts | 4,960 | $85,820 | $59,920 | $156,070 | $64,739 | $61,214 |
| Maryland | 1,280 | $85,590 | $50,900 | $170,120 | $65,343 | $62,256 |
| Michigan | 2,410 | $82,990 | $48,820 | $136,690 | $63,937 | $66,451 |
| New Jersey | 3,300 | $80,100 | $32,220 | $205,050 | $61,741 | $56,745 |
| Georgia | 1,910 | $79,870 | $45,860 | $120,790 | $61,782 | $64,160 |
| Maine | 340 | $79,860 | $52,570 | $166,410 | $60,899 | $62,751 |
| New Hampshire | 440 | $79,090 | $48,200 | $132,250 | $64,470 | $61,892 |
| Louisiana | 720 | $78,710 | $45,640 | $190,640 | $62,227 | $70,547 |
| Connecticut | 1,430 | $78,600 | $49,420 | $165,200 | $60,159 | $58,063 |
| Montana | 190 | $78,420 | $48,460 | $127,950 | $60,929 | $64,376 |
| Ohio | 3,940 | $78,050 | $37,970 | $129,520 | $62,035 | $66,867 |
| Washington | 1,400 | $77,950 | $52,230 | $103,170 | $62,587 | $58,485 |
| Minnesota | 1,310 | $77,760 | $48,840 | $123,150 | $59,428 | $60,259 |
| Iowa | 910 | $77,740 | $47,290 | $159,410 | $61,218 | $69,754 |
| Texas | 6,730 | $77,560 | $40,170 | $128,210 | $63,393 | $65,316 |
| Wisconsin | 1,840 | $77,560 | $51,280 | $99,530 | $60,298 | $64,082 |
| Pennsylvania | 4,170 | $77,280 | $38,460 | $122,210 | $60,770 | $62,282 |
| Oregon | 1,440 | $76,770 | $48,580 | $206,120 | $57,202 | $55,341 |
| New Mexico | 380 | $76,240 | $49,330 | $133,480 | $60,047 | $65,119 |
| Indiana | 1,920 | $76,050 | $49,080 | $140,900 | $60,117 | $64,414 |
| Missouri | 1,450 | $75,960 | $46,730 | $126,520 | $59,635 | $65,665 |
| Nebraska | 490 | $75,200 | $45,820 | $123,620 | $59,191 | $65,693 |
| Virginia | 2,840 | $74,870 | $43,520 | $124,260 | $58,010 | $57,377 |
| North Carolina | 2,880 | $73,800 | $45,460 | $104,620 | $58,312 | $61,820 |
| West Virginia | 340 | $73,280 | $51,280 | $99,250 | $57,915 | $64,712 |
| Idaho | 250 | $72,300 | $47,650 | $101,160 | $56,969 | $59,658 |
| Arizona | 1,040 | $72,060 | $62,150 | $110,050 | $58,116 | $57,726 |
| Tennessee | 1,370 | $72,030 | $49,000 | $108,110 | $59,503 | $64,769 |
| Colorado | 1,950 | $70,060 | $30,910 | $120,380 | $55,435 | $53,793 |
| North Dakota | 130 | $67,190 | $50,790 | $107,570 | $56,047 | $63,003 |
| Utah | 790 | $66,220 | $47,210 | $107,130 | $52,783 | $53,389 |
| Kentucky | 900 | $64,440 | $35,470 | $104,850 | $51,820 | $57,476 |
| Florida | 2,490 | $63,820 | $52,830 | $114,310 | $53,459 | $51,695 |
| Alabama | 900 | $63,540 | $51,000 | $96,320 | $50,570 | $56,933 |
| Puerto Rico | 110 | $63,500 | $37,760 | $126,000 | — | — |
| South Dakota | 200 | $63,380 | $51,360 | $81,890 | $53,106 | $59,948 |
| Illinois | 4,170 | $62,960 | $31,200 | $118,270 | $49,797 | $49,818 |
| South Carolina | 1,290 | $62,420 | $29,160 | $104,440 | $50,511 | $53,879 |
| Oklahoma | 760 | $62,200 | $34,570 | $83,650 | $49,904 | $56,811 |
| Kansas | 640 | $61,260 | $42,930 | $129,520 | $48,784 | $54,163 |
| Arkansas | 360 | $60,650 | $46,640 | $100,340 | $49,156 | $56,542 |
| Mississippi | 540 | $60,580 | $40,350 | $79,820 | $49,165 | $56,542 |
| Wyoming | 180 | $59,190 | $47,960 | $79,030 | $49,739 | $53,661 |
| Nevada | 260 | $52,870 | $49,850 | $107,470 | $44,661 | $44,670 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 25-1121. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.