Occupation · SOC 25-1123

English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary: pay and where the jobs are

What english language and literature teachers, postsecondary earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.

BLS May 2025 data · methodology

National pay, May 2025

$78,760 median annual wage

Mean (average) annual wage
$89,580
Hourly wages
BLS publishes annual wages only
Employment
57,720

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 25-1123.

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How much do english language and literature teachers, postsecondary make?

The median annual wage for english language and literature teachers, postsecondary was $78,760 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $48,270 and the highest-paid 10% more than $137,250. About 57,720 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in California ($130,490), New Hampshire ($98,650) and Connecticut ($97,310). California also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.

Pay ladder

What each step of the pay range for english language and literature 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.

English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary: pay at each percentile
StepAnnualHourlyMonthly grossMonthly after federal tax & FICA
10th percentile$48,270—$4,023$3,414
25th percentile$60,900—$5,075$4,259
Median$78,760—$6,563$5,353
75th percentile$103,130—$8,594$6,782
90th percentile$137,250—$11,438$8,756

English Language and Literature 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

California

$82,071 take-home in national prices

2

New Hampshire

$75,102 take-home in national prices

3

Delaware

$71,822 take-home in national prices

Where a median english language and literature teachers, postsecondary paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.

Annual wages by state, May 2025, with after-tax and price-adjusted estimates
StateEmploymentMedian10th pct.90th pct.Median after tax*In national prices†
California5,460$130,490$62,360$216,190$90,869$82,071
New Hampshire230$98,650$63,750$135,440$78,230$75,102
Connecticut940$97,310$60,240$131,520$72,199$69,683
DelawareNot published$97,100$63,970$124,580$71,684$71,822
Oregon960$91,870$52,060$162,800$66,473$64,311
Michigan1,730$90,240$50,770$137,400$68,729$71,432
Vermont170$86,870$51,290$160,980$66,714$68,104
Nevada280$85,830$54,920$102,540$69,211$69,226
New York6,110$84,850$52,220$173,580$64,139$59,432
Maine230$84,290$60,230$139,640$63,695$65,631
Minnesota920$84,200$56,640$127,160$63,492$64,380
Massachusetts2,900$83,980$62,050$175,580$63,545$60,085
Maryland830$83,760$46,130$135,130$64,143$61,112
Alaska90$82,770$65,030$83,840$66,788$65,248
District of Columbia410$82,300$62,590$138,270$62,701$57,052
Wisconsin840$80,800$60,540$127,910$62,385$66,300
Pennsylvania2,530$80,670$49,290$122,700$63,048$64,617
Washington1,000$79,840$56,220$102,360$63,890$59,703
Iowa510$79,720$48,960$102,530$62,535$71,256
Rhode Island540$79,190$64,700$129,890$61,316$59,949
Texas4,310$78,900$46,840$130,870$64,336$66,287
New Jersey1,950$78,760$32,220$149,590$60,889$55,962
Nebraska500$78,450$45,610$127,140$61,330$68,066
Illinois2,570$77,570$37,270$125,520$59,706$59,731
Arizona870$76,990$61,860$137,250$61,461$61,048
Puerto Rico130$73,490$55,070$96,220——
Utah420$73,280$48,110$130,040$57,372$58,031
Montana130$73,160$48,710$116,850$57,525$60,780
Missouri1,040$73,070$47,310$111,020$57,738$63,576
Colorado1,220$72,910$47,390$119,830$57,302$55,605
Indiana1,000$69,180$47,790$132,830$55,487$59,453
Virginia1,810$67,330$43,250$135,710$53,139$52,559
New Mexico230$66,450$51,650$126,760$53,615$58,143
Georgia1,140$65,530$41,530$105,510$52,312$54,326
Ohio2,240$65,140$46,840$104,370$53,172$57,314
Kentucky540$65,090$40,450$106,250$52,319$58,030
South Carolina840$64,470$47,400$104,990$52,023$55,491
Tennessee1,150$64,220$48,580$99,170$53,781$58,540
North Dakota120$63,690$50,870$96,820$53,355$59,977
North Carolina2,140$63,370$42,620$99,810$51,078$54,151
West Virginia250$63,280$40,890$99,190$51,016$57,003
South Dakota110$62,960$49,200$85,340$52,768$59,567
Alabama1,040$62,910$46,450$92,140$50,091$56,394
Kansas460$62,340$46,440$107,350$49,591$55,060
Wyoming140$62,030$48,730$96,480$52,021$56,123
Mississippi530$60,680$30,450$78,540$49,241$56,630
Louisiana430$60,350$50,510$102,640$49,247$55,831
Florida2,480$59,740$49,740$82,720$50,181$48,524
Arkansas320$56,520$31,770$83,540$45,990$52,901
Oklahoma500$53,200$30,930$83,040$43,078$49,039

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 25-1123. *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

  1. OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
  2. OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.