Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary
Median $103,170
Occupation · SOC 25-1054
Physics Teachers, Postsecondary: pay and where the jobs are
What physics teachers, postsecondary earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$100,310 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $111,460
- Hourly wages
- BLS publishes annual wages only
- Employment
- 13,090
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 25-1054.
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See where your pay falls among physics teachers, postsecondary nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do physics teachers, postsecondary make?
The median annual wage for physics teachers, postsecondary was $100,310 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $60,200 and the highest-paid 10% more than $177,850. About 13,090 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in California ($139,420), Connecticut ($112,410) and Massachusetts ($111,280). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Iowa.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for physics 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 | $60,200 | — | $5,017 | $4,213 |
| 25th percentile | $74,050 | — | $6,171 | $5,077 |
| Median | $100,310 | — | $8,359 | $6,617 |
| 75th percentile | $132,650 | — | $11,054 | $8,494 |
| 90th percentile | $177,850 | — | $14,821 | $11,069 |
Physics Teachers, Postsecondary: pay by state
48 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
$89,872 take-home in national prices
2
$89,538 take-home in national prices
3
$88,278 take-home in national prices
Where a median physics 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† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 1,130 | $139,420 | $80,060 | $292,150 | $96,026 | $86,729 |
| Connecticut | 260 | $112,410 | $65,270 | $214,810 | $81,854 | $79,002 |
| Massachusetts | 680 | $111,280 | $63,660 | $213,120 | $81,260 | $76,836 |
| Maryland | 300 | $110,980 | $63,130 | $223,870 | $81,908 | $78,038 |
| Michigan | 460 | $109,090 | $55,450 | $176,760 | $81,189 | $84,381 |
| New Mexico | 70 | $108,850 | $80,800 | $142,800 | $81,403 | $88,278 |
| Delaware | 70 | $108,810 | $83,040 | $214,320 | $79,102 | $79,254 |
| Minnesota | 250 | $107,240 | $65,150 | $164,950 | $78,033 | $79,124 |
| Idaho | 50 | $106,040 | $64,340 | $148,100 | $78,917 | $82,641 |
| Virginia | 610 | $104,490 | $52,640 | $171,100 | $77,145 | $76,302 |
| Oregon | 230 | $104,320 | $71,310 | $164,720 | $73,804 | $71,405 |
| Iowa | 120 | $104,270 | $66,490 | $222,150 | $78,873 | $89,872 |
| Maine | 60 | $104,270 | $67,750 | $180,530 | $76,198 | $78,514 |
| New York | 1,080 | $103,100 | $61,320 | $209,940 | $75,875 | $70,306 |
| Indiana | 270 | $102,970 | $61,600 | $161,080 | $78,261 | $83,855 |
| North Dakota | 40 | $101,700 | $62,200 | $139,990 | $79,652 | $89,538 |
| Georgia | 210 | $101,580 | $63,710 | $168,000 | $75,971 | $78,896 |
| Missouri | 230 | $99,970 | $56,140 | $164,810 | $75,398 | $83,022 |
| Utah | 120 | $99,860 | $51,610 | $159,570 | $74,638 | $75,495 |
| Colorado | 280 | $99,280 | $52,870 | $161,810 | $74,577 | $72,368 |
| New Hampshire | 40 | $99,050 | $53,630 | $235,610 | $78,512 | $75,372 |
| New Jersey | 530 | $98,920 | $34,480 | $178,220 | $73,703 | $67,739 |
| Nebraska | 70 | $98,460 | $61,240 | $165,280 | $74,496 | $82,679 |
| Vermont | 50 | $98,390 | $64,570 | $129,260 | $74,058 | $75,601 |
| Pennsylvania | 580 | $98,370 | $59,160 | $134,610 | $74,944 | $76,809 |
| West Virginia | 50 | $98,320 | $56,940 | $129,780 | $74,384 | $83,114 |
| Montana | 70 | $98,050 | $59,950 | $170,770 | $73,629 | $77,795 |
| Texas | 1,110 | $97,760 | $60,590 | $167,090 | $77,604 | $79,957 |
| Kansas | 110 | $97,140 | $48,440 | $171,150 | $72,547 | $80,547 |
| Washington | 310 | $96,930 | $57,580 | $166,100 | $75,676 | $70,716 |
| Nevada | 90 | $96,330 | $68,050 | $133,100 | $76,598 | $76,614 |
| Ohio | 420 | $96,310 | $47,960 | $132,700 | $74,372 | $80,165 |
| Illinois | 540 | $94,900 | $61,150 | $166,410 | $71,039 | $71,069 |
| Oklahoma | 90 | $91,580 | $48,730 | $132,750 | $69,681 | $79,324 |
| Louisiana | 90 | $90,040 | $59,080 | $151,240 | $69,858 | $79,198 |
| Wisconsin | 210 | $89,630 | $68,560 | $175,810 | $68,073 | $72,345 |
| North Carolina | 440 | $87,370 | $54,890 | $143,460 | $67,317 | $71,367 |
| South Dakota | 30 | $86,010 | $56,590 | $107,950 | $69,338 | $78,272 |
| District of Columbia | 130 | $85,190 | $63,260 | $130,370 | $64,489 | $58,679 |
| Puerto Rico | 80 | $83,830 | $53,040 | $96,150 | — | — |
| Alabama | 170 | $82,750 | $58,510 | $121,120 | $63,616 | $71,621 |
| South Carolina | 150 | $81,210 | $61,470 | $128,940 | $62,892 | $67,086 |
| Tennessee | 340 | $80,630 | $57,590 | $157,710 | $65,553 | $71,354 |
| Kentucky | 160 | $80,270 | $37,810 | $138,980 | $62,608 | $69,442 |
| Florida | 180 | $74,050 | $55,370 | $104,870 | $60,924 | $58,913 |
| Mississippi | 100 | $71,160 | $57,370 | $121,310 | $56,777 | $65,296 |
| Arizona | 350 | $65,730 | $61,040 | $139,860 | $53,745 | $53,383 |
| Arkansas | 30 | $64,900 | $46,730 | $130,830 | $52,413 | $60,289 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 25-1054. *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.