Occupation · SOC 25-1067

Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary: pay and where the jobs are

What sociology 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

$84,290 median annual wage

Mean (average) annual wage
$96,980
Hourly wages
BLS publishes annual wages only
Employment
11,850

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 25-1067.

Check your pay

See where your pay falls among sociology teachers, postsecondary nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.

Pay is

Enter your pay to see where it falls.

Use these numbers

How much do sociology teachers, postsecondary make?

The median annual wage for sociology teachers, postsecondary was $84,290 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $49,930 and the highest-paid 10% more than $160,140. About 11,850 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in California ($127,680), Delaware ($123,710) and New Hampshire ($112,890). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Delaware.

Pay ladder

What each step of the pay range for sociology 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.

Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary: pay at each percentile
StepAnnualHourlyMonthly grossMonthly after federal tax & FICA
10th percentile$49,930—$4,161$3,525
25th percentile$64,990—$5,416$4,533
Median$84,290—$7,024$5,677
75th percentile$110,650—$9,221$7,223
90th percentile$160,140—$13,345$10,060

Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary: pay by state

47 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

Delaware

$88,673 take-home in national prices

2

New Hampshire

$84,720 take-home in national prices

3

California

$80,605 take-home in national prices

Where a median sociology 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†
California810$127,680$71,710$233,850$89,246$80,605
DelawareNot published$123,710$59,090$216,680$88,503$88,673
New Hampshire40$112,890$80,450$167,700$88,248$84,720
District of Columbia70$103,160$66,410$224,340$75,603$68,792
Michigan370$102,870$54,660$174,740$77,078$80,108
Oregon150$101,960$67,710$147,770$72,365$70,012
Connecticut320$101,490$67,800$201,880$74,881$72,272
Pennsylvania440$99,660$48,420$132,230$75,811$77,698
Utah70$99,350$65,630$131,770$74,302$75,155
New York1,130$97,540$61,360$203,820$72,292$66,986
Massachusetts580$96,790$61,200$195,940$71,857$67,945
Maryland200$95,980$54,180$172,980$72,159$68,750
Vermont40$87,620$36,270$123,950$67,192$68,592
Nevada100$87,480$66,720$103,870$70,372$70,387
Minnesota240$87,340$62,470$131,700$65,474$66,389
Wisconsin450$84,960$62,220$176,150$65,065$69,148
Georgia230$84,330$54,230$162,850$64,697$67,187
Idaho50$84,140$71,200$127,980$64,671$67,723
Puerto Rico70$84,090$45,130$96,520——
Louisiana80$83,700$56,790$124,130$65,588$74,357
Washington200$83,140$55,610$119,310$66,166$61,830
Illinois440$82,610$52,260$131,440$63,002$63,028
Iowa140$81,910$49,460$150,230$63,993$72,916
Texas1,040$81,220$47,130$133,610$65,968$67,969
Indiana290$79,880$52,680$145,190$62,699$67,180
Ohio550$79,690$46,530$123,980$63,144$68,062
Colorado220$78,630$41,400$139,920$61,049$59,241
Kansas110$78,630$41,950$171,420$60,558$67,236
Arizona230$78,430$54,080$147,830$62,439$62,019
South Carolina120$78,410$41,440$109,170$61,108$65,183
New Jersey550$78,350$32,220$156,300$60,629$55,722
Virginia400$78,120$44,980$127,460$60,110$59,453
Missouri100$77,800$45,530$169,070$60,843$66,995
New Mexico50$77,740$58,390$126,680$61,032$66,187
West Virginia60$77,380$52,890$132,810$60,612$67,725
Tennessee190$77,370$50,030$122,820$63,260$68,858
North Carolina550$76,430$45,470$109,850$60,058$63,670
Nebraska70$76,230$57,690$95,200$59,869$66,445
Maine80$76,010$61,700$137,320$58,470$60,247
Montana30$75,880$25,560$125,390$59,285$62,640
Alabama210$73,670$48,480$104,780$57,582$64,828
Mississippi90$70,860$30,250$100,600$56,578$65,067
Oklahoma120$64,900$30,710$88,710$51,952$59,142
South Dakota40$64,210$50,750$91,260$53,773$60,701
Florida230$63,470$52,950$100,900$53,178$51,423
Arkansas30$62,390$46,630$125,310$50,490$58,076
Kentucky150$61,260$35,590$136,960$49,376$54,765

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 25-1067. *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.