Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary
Median $78,620
Occupation · SOC 25-1124
Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary: pay and where the jobs are
What foreign language and literature teachers, postsecondary earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$79,350 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $89,990
- Hourly wages
- BLS publishes annual wages only
- Employment
- 19,830
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 25-1124.
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See where your pay falls among foreign language and literature teachers, postsecondary nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do foreign language and literature teachers, postsecondary make?
The median annual wage for foreign language and literature teachers, postsecondary was $79,350 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $49,060 and the highest-paid 10% more than $136,050. About 19,830 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in New Hampshire ($101,750), Delaware ($101,100) and California ($99,860). New Hampshire also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for foreign 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.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $49,060 | — | $4,088 | $3,467 |
| 25th percentile | $62,510 | — | $5,209 | $4,367 |
| Median | $79,350 | — | $6,613 | $5,388 |
| 75th percentile | $102,730 | — | $8,561 | $6,758 |
| 90th percentile | $136,050 | — | $11,338 | $8,688 |
Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary: pay by state
46 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
$77,196 take-home in national prices
2
$74,361 take-home in national prices
3
$74,357 take-home in national prices
Where a median foreign language and literature 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† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire | 150 | $101,750 | $64,220 | $157,090 | $80,411 | $77,196 |
| Delaware | 70 | $101,100 | $63,230 | $125,070 | $74,218 | $74,361 |
| California | 2,170 | $99,860 | $45,580 | $208,410 | $72,741 | $65,698 |
| Massachusetts | 960 | $98,750 | $63,100 | $164,060 | $73,129 | $69,148 |
| Maine | 70 | $96,970 | $58,280 | $151,460 | $71,651 | $73,829 |
| New York | 1,520 | $95,120 | $59,290 | $208,840 | $70,733 | $65,541 |
| Oregon | 510 | $91,670 | $72,240 | $140,450 | $66,351 | $64,193 |
| Maryland | 280 | $87,280 | $51,920 | $131,060 | $66,452 | $63,312 |
| Nevada | 90 | $84,980 | $64,710 | $107,630 | $68,613 | $68,628 |
| Michigan | 500 | $83,190 | $51,320 | $131,640 | $64,069 | $66,588 |
| Illinois | 690 | $81,530 | $48,920 | $127,070 | $62,295 | $62,322 |
| South Dakota | 40 | $81,080 | $60,430 | $103,830 | $65,870 | $74,357 |
| Puerto Rico | 150 | $81,050 | $51,570 | $95,470 | — | — |
| Minnesota | 410 | $80,650 | $59,820 | $133,440 | $61,252 | $62,108 |
| Connecticut | 340 | $80,630 | $61,610 | $127,900 | $61,465 | $59,324 |
| Montana | 80 | $79,970 | $49,280 | $131,660 | $61,931 | $65,436 |
| Iowa | 210 | $79,880 | $62,470 | $153,640 | $62,642 | $71,377 |
| New Jersey | 850 | $79,060 | $32,220 | $152,430 | $61,080 | $56,137 |
| District of Columbia | 360 | $78,930 | $63,170 | $120,200 | $60,617 | $55,156 |
| Utah | 180 | $78,570 | $37,510 | $122,720 | $60,789 | $61,487 |
| Wisconsin | 450 | $78,490 | $52,340 | $134,470 | $60,897 | $64,719 |
| Washington | 370 | $78,320 | $51,380 | $105,390 | $62,842 | $58,723 |
| Colorado | 410 | $77,840 | $51,780 | $128,910 | $60,531 | $58,739 |
| South Carolina | 320 | $77,790 | $57,620 | $100,190 | $60,713 | $64,761 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,060 | $77,210 | $47,360 | $120,290 | $60,723 | $62,234 |
| Alaska | 80 | $76,490 | $47,300 | $79,990 | $62,370 | $60,932 |
| Tennessee | 310 | $76,350 | $48,330 | $105,170 | $62,542 | $68,077 |
| West Virginia | 40 | $76,340 | $50,310 | $90,810 | $59,928 | $66,961 |
| Florida | 430 | $76,230 | $48,550 | $98,810 | $62,458 | $60,396 |
| Missouri | 330 | $76,110 | $46,840 | $146,900 | $59,734 | $65,774 |
| Louisiana | 130 | $75,410 | $49,220 | $123,620 | $60,005 | $68,027 |
| Texas | 1,460 | $75,090 | $39,170 | $126,920 | $61,656 | $63,525 |
| Indiana | 660 | $74,590 | $49,840 | $130,970 | $59,133 | $63,360 |
| Ohio | 960 | $74,310 | $38,260 | $103,810 | $59,507 | $64,142 |
| Virginia | 890 | $74,000 | $49,290 | $131,190 | $57,448 | $56,821 |
| Georgia | 280 | $73,370 | $45,550 | $128,580 | $57,533 | $59,748 |
| New Mexico | 60 | $71,720 | $51,350 | $133,860 | $57,080 | $61,901 |
| Arizona | 360 | $71,230 | $60,350 | $118,910 | $57,553 | $57,166 |
| Alabama | 110 | $70,580 | $52,750 | $95,300 | $55,529 | $62,516 |
| Kansas | 140 | $65,890 | $46,190 | $109,250 | $52,246 | $58,007 |
| Kentucky | 180 | $65,630 | $43,920 | $106,600 | $52,734 | $58,490 |
| North Dakota | 30 | $64,540 | $42,480 | $94,350 | $54,038 | $60,745 |
| North Carolina | 690 | $63,900 | $46,670 | $105,310 | $51,483 | $54,580 |
| Arkansas | 120 | $62,900 | $45,300 | $82,130 | $50,880 | $58,526 |
| Oklahoma | 80 | $61,580 | $34,640 | $79,940 | $49,434 | $56,275 |
| Mississippi | 60 | $54,670 | $45,380 | $80,860 | $44,653 | $51,353 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 25-1124. *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.