Occupation · SOC 25-9044

Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary: pay and where the jobs are

What teaching assistants, 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

$42,910 median annual wage

Mean (average) annual wage
$47,670
Hourly wages
BLS publishes annual wages only
Employment
164,090

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 25-9044.

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How much do teaching assistants, postsecondary make?

The median annual wage for teaching assistants, postsecondary was $42,910 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $28,600 and the highest-paid 10% more than $76,420. About 164,090 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Maryland ($58,330), Massachusetts ($56,370) and Texas ($55,670). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Texas.

Pay ladder

What each step of the pay range for teaching assistants, 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.

Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary: pay at each percentile
StepAnnualHourlyMonthly grossMonthly after federal tax & FICA
10th percentile$28,600—$2,383$2,097
25th percentile$35,270—$2,939$2,543
Median$42,910—$3,576$3,055
75th percentile$60,510—$5,043$4,233
90th percentile$76,420—$6,368$5,216

Teaching Assistants, 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

Texas

$48,333 take-home in national prices

2

North Dakota

$47,576 take-home in national prices

3

Oklahoma

$46,207 take-home in national prices

Where a median teaching assistants, 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†
Maryland5,030$58,330$40,460$75,980$46,643$44,440
Massachusetts3,040$56,370$32,890$77,920$44,615$42,187
Texas13,540$55,670$23,660$64,160$46,911$48,333
New Jersey3,390$54,260$35,940$81,120$43,910$40,356
Minnesota600$53,380$24,450$61,780$42,730$43,327
Utah2,020$52,300$26,730$76,910$42,399$42,886
Washington1,480$50,460$34,650$64,740$42,025$39,271
North Carolina2,900$50,050$33,130$73,980$40,907$43,368
North Dakota90$49,960$36,960$59,080$42,323$47,576
Oklahoma1,680$49,920$29,120$60,230$40,590$46,207
Virginia1,660$49,890$31,670$80,310$40,212$39,773
Arizona7,200$49,810$30,900$74,830$41,351$41,073
Kentucky990$49,680$31,270$80,200$40,477$44,895
Oregon880$49,550$38,970$80,570$38,527$37,274
Rhode Island50$49,420$31,200$64,880$40,109$39,215
California19,120$49,140$35,460$77,440$40,037$36,161
Georgia2,470$48,800$21,900$73,190$39,704$41,233
Ohio2,210$48,710$23,600$92,200$40,422$43,571
Vermont60$48,620$35,030$59,510$40,051$40,886
New Mexico370$48,270$34,400$65,100$39,857$43,223
Wisconsin4,210$47,990$30,670$58,740$39,262$41,726
Puerto Rico1,640$47,440$30,220$64,330——
Maine90$47,210$36,910$74,780$38,357$39,523
South Carolina2,730$46,760$19,630$60,510$38,967$41,565
New York17,390$43,610$34,680$75,190$35,243$32,656
District of Columbia130$43,160$36,400$73,370$35,435$32,243
Kansas640$41,580$16,640$57,270$34,069$37,826
South Dakota460$39,840$27,620$65,130$34,191$38,597
Michigan18,440$39,830$33,240$76,420$32,741$34,029
Nebraska730$39,650$28,080$69,680$33,114$36,752
Iowa560$38,960$22,790$66,080$32,656$37,209
Pennsylvania2,480$38,020$21,060$60,130$31,535$32,320
Louisiana440$37,950$21,380$59,880$31,921$36,188
Florida9,130$37,770$35,080$44,270$32,528$31,454
Colorado530$37,450$32,430$81,240$31,167$30,244
Idaho220$37,310$27,430$71,400$31,289$32,766
Tennessee300$36,950$22,580$45,270$31,869$34,690
Illinois12,340$36,040$31,850$96,230$29,499$29,511
West Virginia40$35,960$28,880$36,990$30,158$33,697
Alaska70$35,790$31,550$40,360$30,758$30,049
Indiana1,940$34,910$20,850$62,290$29,230$31,319
Montana380$30,070$21,940$61,620$25,685$27,138
New Hampshire480$26,810$22,860$48,190$23,688$22,741
Nevada540$24,960$24,960$24,960$22,165$22,169
Arkansas2,600$23,140$22,880$35,530$20,280$23,327
AlabamaNot published$22,600$17,730$37,510$19,389$21,828

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 25-9044. *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.