Educational Instruction and Library Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 25-1124

Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary

The published band from $49,060 to $136,050 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Economics Teachers, Postsecondary.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary: Economics Teachers, Postsecondary ($124K) , Environmental Science Teachers, Postsecondary ($95K) , Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary ($97K) , Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary ($103K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 25-1124 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts
  2. 2. Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records
  3. 3. Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers
  4. 4. Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions
  5. 5. Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as how to speak and write a foreign language and the cu…
  6. 6. Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in scholarly journals, books, or electronic media
  7. 7. Keep abreast of developments in their field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional org…
  8. 8. Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others
  9. 9. Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students
  10. 10. Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction
  11. 11. Select and obtain materials and supplies, such as textbooks
  12. 12. Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work

Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary: O*NET ranks Speaking first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 25-1124 - lead skill Speaking at 4.1 ; lead knowledge Foreign Language. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Speaking 4.1
  2. 2. Reading Comprehension 4.0
  3. 3. Active Listening 4.0
  4. 4. Writing 4.0
  5. 5. Learning Strategies 4.0
  6. 6. Instructing 4.0
  7. 7. Active Learning 3.9
  8. 8. Critical Thinking 3.8

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Foreign Language 5.0
  2. 2. English Language 4.4
  3. 3. Education and Training 4.1
  4. 4. History and Archeology 3.3
  5. 5. Philosophy and Theology 3.3
  6. 6. Sociology and Anthropology 3.1
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$49,060 to $136,050
median $79,350 · ~2.8× spread
$79K
National median
↓ -0%
Growth 2024-2034
1,900
Annual openings
19,830
Estimated US jobs
Economics Teachers, Postsecondary
Highest-pay peer · $124K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Doctoral or professional degree

Top Paying States for Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary

1. California $99,860
2. Oregon $91,670
3. Massachusetts $98,750
4. New Hampshire $101,750
5. Maryland $87,280
6. Maine $96,970
7. Michigan $83,190
8. New York $95,120
9. Nevada $84,980
10. Delaware $101,100

Other Educational Instruction and Library Occupations titles

  1. 1. Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary $96,980
  2. 2. Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary $103,170
  3. 3. Economics Teachers, Postsecondary $123,920
  4. 4. Forestry and Conservation Science Teachers, Postsecondary $101,420
  5. 5. Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary $109,270
  6. 6. Environmental Science Teachers, Postsecondary $94,980

The OEWS band for Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary runs from $49,060 (10th) to $136,050 (90th), about 2.8× wide, with median $79,350. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect -0% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 1,900 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Doctoral or professional degree as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: California at $99,860. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Economics Teachers, Postsecondary at $123,920. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary pay-rank #26 in Educational Instruction and Library Occupations

Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary sits at pay-rank #26 of 64 detailed Educational Instruction and Library Occupations, the middle third of the major-group median table. ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.

Other mid-table titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

The 10th-to-90th percentile spread for Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary is unusually wide, so the state map and peer comparison carry more signal than the median alone.

Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 25-1124

California · top state for Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary

$100K published median

Oregon · #2 state pay

$92K · behind California

Economics Teachers, Postsecondary

Highest-pay peer vs Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary · $124K

Environmental Science Teachers, Postsecondary

Lower-pay peer beside Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary · $95K

Compare Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary mid-table among Educational Instruction and Library Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #26 of 64 detailed Educational Instruction and Library Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary ($79K), Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary ($80K), Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary ($79K), Communications Teachers, Postsecondary ($79K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What do foreign language and literature teachers, postsecondary do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary. Leading ones include: Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts; Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records; Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers; Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for foreign language and literature teachers, postsecondary? ▼
For SOC 25-1124, O*NET importance scores lead with Speaking (4.1), Reading Comprehension (4.0), Active Listening (4.0), Writing (4.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Foreign Language, English Language, Education and Training. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $49,060 and the 90th at $136,050 for Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary (2.8× spread). The national median is $79,350. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary is -0%. Projected annual openings: about 1,900. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary? ▼
BLS assigns Doctoral or professional degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary? ▼
California ($99,860), Oregon ($91,670), Massachusetts ($98,750) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 25-1124. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics