Educational Instruction and Library Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 25-9044

Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary

The published band from $28,600 to $76,420 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary: Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary ($109K) , Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary ($93K) , Physics Teachers, Postsecondary ($100K) , Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary ($100K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 25-9044 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Teach undergraduate-level courses
  2. 2. Evaluate and grade examinations, assignments, or papers, and record grades
  3. 3. Lead discussion sections, tutorials, or laboratory sections
  4. 4. Develop teaching materials, such as syllabi, visual aids, answer keys, supplementary notes, or course Web sites
  5. 5. Inform students of the procedures for completing and submitting class work, such as lab reports
  6. 6. Return assignments to students in accordance with established deadlines
  7. 7. Prepare or proctor examinations
  8. 8. Tutor or mentor students who need additional instruction
  9. 9. Complete laboratory projects prior to assigning them to students so that any needed modifications can be made
  10. 10. Provide assistance to faculty members or staff with laboratory or field research
  11. 11. Demonstrate use of laboratory equipment and enforce laboratory rules
  12. 12. Meet with supervisors to discuss students' grades or to complete required grade-related paperwork

Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary: O*NET ranks Reading Comprehension first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 25-9044 - lead skill Reading Comprehension at 3.9 ; lead knowledge English Language. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Reading Comprehension 3.9
  2. 2. Active Listening 3.6
  3. 3. Speaking 3.5
  4. 4. Instructing 3.5
  5. 5. Learning Strategies 3.4
  6. 6. Writing 3.3
  7. 7. Critical Thinking 3.1
  8. 8. Monitoring 3.1

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. English Language 4.7
  2. 2. Education and Training 4.5
  3. 3. Computers and Electronics 3.5
  4. 4. Mathematics 3.3
  5. 5. Communications and Media 2.9
  6. 6. Psychology 2.6
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$28,600 to $76,420
median $42,910 · ~2.7× spread
$43K
National median
↑ +3%
Growth 2024-2034
24,600
Annual openings
164,090
Estimated US jobs
Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary
Highest-pay peer · $109K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Bachelor's degree

Top Paying States for Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary

1. North Dakota $49,960
2. Minnesota $53,380
3. North Carolina $50,050
4. Maryland $58,330
5. New Jersey $54,260
6. Washington $50,460
7. Utah $52,300
8. Texas $55,670
9. Massachusetts $56,370
10. Oklahoma $49,920

Other Educational Instruction and Library Occupations titles

  1. 1. Physics Teachers, Postsecondary $100,310
  2. 2. Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary $93,250
  3. 3. Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary $109,270
  4. 4. Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary $99,650
  5. 5. Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary $96,980
  6. 6. Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary $107,310

The OEWS band for Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary runs from $28,600 (10th) to $76,420 (90th), about 2.7× wide, with median $42,910. 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 24,600 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Bachelor's 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: North Dakota at $49,960. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary at $109,270. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary pay-rank #61 in Educational Instruction and Library Occupations

On the Educational Instruction and Library Occupations median table (64 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary lands at #61, in the lower third. That rank is a table position, not a statement about individual workers.

Other lower-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.

SOC 25-9044 · national median $42,910 · lower third of Educational Instruction and Library Occupations (#61/64). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 25-9044

North Dakota · top state for Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary

$50K published median

Minnesota · #2 state pay

$53K · behind North Dakota

Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary

Highest-pay peer vs Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary · $109K

Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary

Lower-pay peer beside Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary · $93K

Compare Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Teaching Assistants, 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

Where does Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary land on the Educational Instruction and Library Occupations median table? ▼
Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary is pay-rank #61 of 64 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Tutors ($43K), Substitute Teachers, Short-Term ($42K), Library Technicians ($45K), Self-Enrichment Teachers ($47K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do teaching assistants, postsecondary do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary. Leading ones include: Teach undergraduate-level courses; Evaluate and grade examinations, assignments, or papers, and record grades; Lead discussion sections, tutorials, or laboratory sections; Develop teaching materials, such as syllabi, visual aids, answer keys, supplementary notes, or course Web sites. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for teaching assistants, postsecondary? ▼
For SOC 25-9044, O*NET importance scores lead with Reading Comprehension (3.9), Active Listening (3.6), Speaking (3.5), Instructing (3.5). Knowledge areas emphasize English Language, Education and Training, Computers and Electronics. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $28,600 and the 90th at $76,420 for Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary (2.7× spread). The national median is $42,910. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary is +3%. Projected annual openings: about 24,600. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary? ▼
BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary? ▼
North Dakota ($49,960), Minnesota ($53,380), North Carolina ($50,050) 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 Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 25-9044. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Teaching Assistants, 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