Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary
Median $42,910
Occupation · SOC 25-9045
Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary: pay and where the jobs are
What teaching assistants, except postsecondary earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$36,780 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $38,290
- Hourly wages
- BLS publishes annual wages only
- Employment
- 1,420,350
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 25-9045.
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See where your pay falls among teaching assistants, except postsecondary nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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Use these numbers
How much do teaching assistants, except postsecondary make?
The median annual wage for teaching assistants, except postsecondary was $36,780 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $27,150 and the highest-paid 10% more than $50,040. About 1,420,350 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Washington ($49,120), District of Columbia ($46,920) and Maine ($46,750). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Maine.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for teaching assistants, except 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 | $27,150 | — | $2,263 | $1,997 |
| 25th percentile | $31,060 | — | $2,588 | $2,261 |
| Median | $36,780 | — | $3,065 | $2,644 |
| 75th percentile | $45,360 | — | $3,780 | $3,219 |
| 90th percentile | $50,040 | — | $4,170 | $3,532 |
Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary: pay by state
54 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
$39,172 take-home in national prices
2
$38,282 take-home in national prices
3
$37,097 take-home in national prices
Where a median teaching assistants, except postsecondary paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 43,420 | $49,120 | $37,870 | $62,810 | $40,967 | $38,282 |
| District of Columbia | 3,950 | $46,920 | $38,370 | $58,100 | $38,231 | $34,787 |
| Maine | 8,700 | $46,750 | $36,210 | $56,920 | $38,016 | $39,172 |
| California | 177,140 | $46,490 | $37,240 | $59,520 | $38,088 | $34,400 |
| Vermont | 4,960 | $43,800 | $29,140 | $51,580 | $36,340 | $37,097 |
| Minnesota | 38,540 | $40,100 | $31,420 | $50,410 | $32,897 | $33,357 |
| Oregon | 23,030 | $39,850 | $30,300 | $50,860 | $31,538 | $30,512 |
| Massachusetts | 39,210 | $39,380 | $31,200 | $59,970 | $31,892 | $30,156 |
| Virginia | 31,370 | $38,520 | $28,220 | $57,030 | $31,730 | $31,384 |
| New Hampshire | 7,880 | $38,440 | $28,920 | $48,780 | $33,067 | $31,744 |
| New York | 137,820 | $38,240 | $32,240 | $54,990 | $31,241 | $28,948 |
| North Dakota | 5,600 | $38,240 | $29,130 | $46,260 | $32,906 | $36,990 |
| Connecticut | 19,740 | $38,110 | $34,010 | $49,690 | $31,416 | $30,321 |
| Delaware | 5,040 | $37,830 | $31,200 | $47,300 | $31,002 | $31,062 |
| Wisconsin | 26,520 | $37,800 | $29,060 | $46,270 | $31,577 | $33,558 |
| Virgin Islands | 400 | $37,710 | $29,820 | $43,800 | — | — |
| New Jersey | 55,580 | $37,290 | $32,220 | $49,580 | $31,240 | $28,712 |
| Rhode Island | 5,200 | $37,220 | $31,200 | $47,720 | $30,898 | $30,209 |
| Alaska | 3,810 | $37,190 | $27,440 | $57,210 | $31,876 | $31,142 |
| Maryland | 23,340 | $37,060 | $31,200 | $59,680 | $30,563 | $29,119 |
| Utah | 18,170 | $37,050 | $27,730 | $47,400 | $31,022 | $31,379 |
| Illinois | 64,210 | $36,990 | $31,200 | $48,100 | $30,215 | $30,228 |
| Hawaii | 5,470 | $36,810 | $30,130 | $46,990 | $30,464 | $27,707 |
| Missouri | 20,930 | $36,300 | $28,600 | $47,310 | $30,578 | $33,670 |
| Wyoming | 3,680 | $36,100 | $27,840 | $44,040 | $31,186 | $33,645 |
| Ohio | 47,300 | $35,920 | $26,810 | $46,890 | $30,504 | $32,880 |
| Arizona | 25,280 | $35,900 | $30,960 | $42,590 | $30,522 | $30,317 |
| New Mexico | 8,970 | $35,900 | $27,050 | $46,390 | $30,449 | $33,021 |
| Colorado | 21,910 | $35,760 | $30,800 | $48,470 | $29,891 | $29,006 |
| Idaho | 8,710 | $35,560 | $23,980 | $48,800 | $29,976 | $31,391 |
| Nebraska | 11,190 | $35,160 | $28,080 | $45,110 | $29,711 | $32,974 |
| Michigan | 39,030 | $35,110 | $27,550 | $45,370 | $29,149 | $30,296 |
| Montana | 3,930 | $34,750 | $23,950 | $45,430 | $29,225 | $30,879 |
| Pennsylvania | 48,310 | $34,740 | $23,380 | $45,980 | $29,003 | $29,724 |
| Florida | 54,530 | $34,430 | $28,490 | $40,150 | $29,845 | $28,859 |
| Indiana | 28,450 | $33,300 | $23,970 | $44,610 | $27,984 | $29,984 |
| Nevada | 7,100 | $31,900 | $27,880 | $41,640 | $27,812 | $27,817 |
| Iowa | 24,520 | $30,510 | $22,400 | $37,520 | $26,187 | $29,839 |
| Kentucky | 16,330 | $30,160 | $23,980 | $46,370 | $25,476 | $28,256 |
| Texas | 108,960 | $29,850 | $22,480 | $42,520 | $26,164 | $26,958 |
| West Virginia | 5,110 | $29,800 | $27,400 | $36,750 | $25,403 | $28,385 |
| North Carolina | 32,150 | $29,790 | $25,110 | $38,050 | $25,436 | $26,966 |
| Kansas | 20,000 | $29,490 | $21,800 | $38,190 | $25,006 | $27,763 |
| Tennessee | 23,280 | $29,210 | $22,010 | $40,310 | $25,650 | $27,920 |
| Arkansas | 11,270 | $28,790 | $23,670 | $38,360 | $24,735 | $28,452 |
| Georgia | 33,410 | $28,770 | $21,190 | $39,120 | $24,610 | $25,557 |
| South Dakota | 4,650 | $28,220 | $24,800 | $35,410 | $24,849 | $28,051 |
| Oklahoma | 13,860 | $27,920 | $17,940 | $37,370 | $23,891 | $27,198 |
| South Carolina | 14,410 | $27,860 | $21,910 | $44,290 | $24,297 | $25,917 |
| Louisiana | 14,530 | $27,400 | $20,680 | $38,620 | $23,738 | $26,912 |
| Mississippi | 9,750 | $25,840 | $18,830 | $32,300 | $22,588 | $25,977 |
| Alabama | 10,140 | $24,070 | $21,440 | $30,590 | $20,533 | $23,117 |
| Puerto Rico | 9,910 | $23,180 | $22,230 | $31,030 | — | — |
| Guam | 180 | $21,250 | $21,180 | $35,010 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 25-9045. *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.