Educational Instruction and Library Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 25-1054

Physics Teachers, Postsecondary

The published band from $60,200 to $177,850 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Law Teachers, Postsecondary.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Physics Teachers, Postsecondary: Law Teachers, Postsecondary ($129K) , Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary ($93K) , Economics Teachers, Postsecondary ($124K) , Architecture Teachers, Postsecondary ($97K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Physics Teachers, Postsecondary publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 25-1054 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Evaluate and grade students' class work, laboratory work, assignments, and papers
  2. 2. Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts
  3. 3. Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others
  4. 4. Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as quantum mechanics, particle physics, and optics
  5. 5. Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students
  6. 6. Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work
  7. 7. Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions
  8. 8. Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records
  9. 9. Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction
  10. 10. Supervise students' laboratory work
  11. 11. Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional confe…
  12. 12. Collaborate with colleagues to address teaching and research issues

Physics Teachers, Postsecondary: O*NET ranks Instructing first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 25-1054 - lead skill Instructing at 4.3 ; lead knowledge Mathematics. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Instructing 4.3
  2. 2. Reading Comprehension 4.1
  3. 3. Speaking 4.1
  4. 4. Science 4.1
  5. 5. Active Listening 4.0
  6. 6. Writing 4.0
  7. 7. Critical Thinking 4.0
  8. 8. Active Learning 4.0

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Mathematics 4.8
  2. 2. Physics 4.5
  3. 3. Education and Training 4.4
  4. 4. English Language 4.2
  5. 5. Computers and Electronics 3.9
  6. 6. Chemistry 3.4
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$60,200 to $177,850
median $100,310 · ~3.0× spread
$100K
National median
↑ +3%
Growth 2024-2034
1,300
Annual openings
13,090
Estimated US jobs
Law Teachers, Postsecondary
Highest-pay peer · $129K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Doctoral or professional degree

Top Paying States for Physics Teachers, Postsecondary

1. Minnesota $107,240
2. California $139,420
3. Massachusetts $111,280
4. Idaho $106,040
5. Delaware $108,810
6. New Mexico $108,850
7. Maryland $110,980
8. Virginia $104,490
9. Connecticut $112,410
10. Michigan $109,090

Other Educational Instruction and Library Occupations titles

  1. 1. Economics Teachers, Postsecondary $123,920
  2. 2. Law Teachers, Postsecondary $128,500
  3. 3. Architecture Teachers, Postsecondary $96,870
  4. 4. Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary $98,700
  5. 5. Geography Teachers, Postsecondary $97,590
  6. 6. Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary $93,250

The OEWS band for Physics Teachers, Postsecondary runs from $60,200 (10th) to $177,850 (90th), about 3.0× wide, with median $100,310. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +3% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 1,300 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: Minnesota at $107,240. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Law Teachers, Postsecondary at $128,500. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Physics Teachers, Postsecondary pay-rank #7 in Educational Instruction and Library Occupations

Among 64 detailed Educational Instruction and Library Occupations with a published OEWS median, Physics Teachers, Postsecondary is pay-rank #7, the upper third of that major group. The order is ROW_NUMBER on national median (title as tiebreak), not a worker-level percentile.

Other upper-third 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 Physics Teachers, Postsecondary is unusually wide, so the state map and peer comparison carry more signal than the median alone.

Physics Teachers, Postsecondary salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 25-1054

Minnesota · top state for Physics Teachers, Postsecondary

$107K published median

California · #2 state pay

$139K · behind Minnesota

Law Teachers, Postsecondary

Highest-pay peer vs Physics Teachers, Postsecondary · $129K

Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary

Lower-pay peer beside Physics Teachers, Postsecondary · $93K

Compare Physics Teachers, Postsecondary

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Physics 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

Which Educational Instruction and Library Occupations titles sit near Physics Teachers, Postsecondary at the top of the pay table? ▼
Physics Teachers, Postsecondary is pay-rank #7 of 64 detailed Educational Instruction and Library Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary ($100K), Forestry and Conservation Science Teachers, Postsecondary ($101K), Business Teachers, Postsecondary ($99K), Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary ($99K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do physics teachers, postsecondary do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Physics Teachers, Postsecondary. Leading ones include: Evaluate and grade students' class work, laboratory work, assignments, and papers; Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts; Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others; Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as quantum mechanics, particle physics, and optics. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for physics teachers, postsecondary? ▼
For SOC 25-1054, O*NET importance scores lead with Instructing (4.3), Reading Comprehension (4.1), Speaking (4.1), Science (4.1). Knowledge areas emphasize Mathematics, Physics, Education and Training. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Physics Teachers, Postsecondary? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $60,200 and the 90th at $177,850 for Physics Teachers, Postsecondary (3.0× spread). The national median is $100,310. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Physics Teachers, Postsecondary? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Physics Teachers, Postsecondary is +3%. Projected annual openings: about 1,300. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Physics Teachers, Postsecondary? ▼
BLS assigns Doctoral or professional degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Physics Teachers, Postsecondary. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Physics Teachers, Postsecondary? ▼
Minnesota ($107,240), California ($139,420), Massachusetts ($111,280) 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 Physics Teachers, Postsecondary card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 25-1054. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Physics 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