25 Series · SOC 25-1064
Geography Teachers, Postsecondary Salary
National pay, percentile range, growth outlook, and state-by-state detail from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey (May 2025).
- $97,590
- Median / year
- +12.5%
- 2024→2025
- $165,460
- Top 10% earn
- +3.3%
- Growth '24–'34
- 3,330
- Estimated US jobs
Geography Teachers, Postsecondary earn a median of $97,590 per year.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey, the median annual wage is $97,590, based on the most recent survey of employers. Reported pay ranges from $52,550 (10th percentile) to $165,460 (90th percentile) nationally, across roughly 3,330 estimated jobs in covered establishments. The highest published state median in this ranking is California ($146,040).
The pay verdict
Geography Teachers, Postsecondary earn a median of $97,590, putting them among the better-paid US occupations and higher than 82% of the 825 occupations with a published BLS median. Within Educational Instruction and Library, it ranks #12 of 64 by median pay. Employment is projected to grow 3.3% by 2034.
- $97,590
- Median annual wage
- Top 18%
- of 825 US occupations with published wages
- #12 of 64
- in Educational Instruction and Library
- 3.1×
- 90th-to-10th pay spread
Highest-paying state: California at $146,040. Typical entry-level education: Doctoral or professional degree.
Observed pay change
What changed, BLS OEWS 2019–2025
- The published national median for Geography Teachers, Postsecondary moved from $80,520 in May 2019 to $97,590 in May 2025 (+21.2%).
- Across the 749 occupations priced in both releases under SOC-2018, the median occupation changed +24.5%.
- Geography Teachers, Postsecondary sits -3.3 pp near that median, nominal dollars, no price deflator applied.
Geography Teachers, Postsecondary (SOC 25-1064) has a national median of $97,590 per year in the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025 release. The published 10th-to-90th-percentile boundaries run from $52,550 to $165,460, and the published mean is $102,350. Those summary statistics describe the estimated distribution; their difference alone does not identify its cause. OEWS estimates 3,330 jobs in covered establishments nationally. WageDex has published rows for 28 state or territory areas and 15 metropolitan or nonmetropolitan wage areas. The published national median moved from $86,730 in the May 2024 OEWS release to $97,590 in May 2025, a rise of $10,860 (+12.5%). This is a change between two BLS survey estimates, not an inflation-adjusted same-worker pay raise.
BLS Employment Projections forecast a +3.3% change in employment from 2024 to 2034, which we classify as about as fast as average relative to the all-occupations baseline of 3.1%. About 300 openings are projected per year from growth, occupational transfers, and labor-force exits. BLS assigns Doctoral or professional degree as typical education needed for entry. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific fatality and injury rate for this role in the current release. The safety panel below shows its broad Educational Instruction and Library Occupations SOC-group context and is not an occupation-level measurement or ranking.
Geographic variation matters as much as the headline median. California pays the highest state median at $146,040, which is +50% above the national figure. The highest published metropolitan-area median in this ranking is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA at $146,040. The observed difference does not identify its cause. Pair the national median with the state and metropolitan-area rows below while keeping the geography and statistic consistent. OEWS includes tips, commissions, incentive pay, and production bonuses, but not employer benefits, overtime premiums, stock compensation, or nonproduction bonuses. See our methodology for the sourcing and calculation details.
Median Salary
$97,590
per year
Median Hourly
N/A
per hour
Mean Salary
$102,350
average
Employment
3,330
jobs nationwide
How does this pay compare nationally?
Where Geography Teachers, Postsecondary pay sits nationally
Median annual wage vs. 825 detailed BLS occupations with a published median
$97,590 Top 18% higher than 82% of 825 US occupations
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Read the chart as text · as of May 2025
| Band | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| $0–$20,000 | 0 US occupations | 0% |
| $20,000–$40,000 | 98 US occupations | 12% |
| $40,000–$60,000 | 298 US occupations | 36% |
| $60,000–$80,000 | 209 US occupations | 25% |
| $80,000–$100,000 (this entry) | 82 US occupations | 10% |
| $100,000–$120,000 | 58 US occupations | 7% |
| $120,000–$140,000 | 32 US occupations | 4% |
| $140,000–$160,000 | 14 US occupations | 2% |
| $160,000–$180,000 | 9 US occupations | 1% |
| $180,000 and above | 25 US occupations | 3% |
$97,590 · 82nd percentile of 825 US occupations
Source U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS · May 2025
Does this job pay well and grow?
Each dot is a 25-series occupation, placed by projected 2024–2034 growth and median pay. The highlighted dot is Geography Teachers, Postsecondary; the upper-right quadrant is the sweet spot (high pay + fast growth).
Read the chart as text
- Teaching Assistants,…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -1.5%, Median annual wage $36780
- Elementary School Te…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -2%, Median annual wage $63970
- Secondary School Tea…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -1.6%, Median annual wage $72040
- Middle School Teache…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -2%, Median annual wage $64370
- Substitute Teachers,…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 1.6%, Median annual wage $41670
- Preschool Teachers, …: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 4.1%, Median annual wage $38140
- Self-Enrichment Teac…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 3.7%, Median annual wage $46800
- Special Education Te…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -1.8%, Median annual wage $65120
- Instructional Coordi…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 1.3%, Median annual wage $77440
- Health Specialties T…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 17.3%, Median annual wage $107310
- Tutors: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 0.6%, Median annual wage $43350
- Teaching Assistants,…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 3.1%, Median annual wage $42910
- Special Education Te…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -1.6%, Median annual wage $74260
- Postsecondary Teache…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 1.8%, Median annual wage $77640
- Librarians and Media…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 1.7%, Median annual wage $68270
- Educational Instruct…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 1.5%, Median annual wage $50890
- Career/Technical Edu…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 0.7%, Median annual wage $63820
- Teachers and Instruc…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -0.1%, Median annual wage $66140
- Career/Technical Edu…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -1.8%, Median annual wage $66270
- Kindergarten Teacher…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -1.6%, Median annual wage $62680
- Special Education Te…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -1.9%, Median annual wage $66810
- Art, Drama, and Musi…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 1.7%, Median annual wage $78620
- Business Teachers, P…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 5.7%, Median annual wage $99080
- Nursing Instructors …: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 16.8%, Median annual wage $80250
- Geography Teachers, Postsecondary: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 3.3%, Median annual wage $97590
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS (wages, May 2025) and Employment Projections (2024–2034).
Job Outlook (2024–2034)
Projected Growth
+3.3%
About as fast as average
Annual Openings
300
per year (projected)
Employment Change
+100
4,000 (2024) → 4,200 (2034)
Typical Education
Doctoral or professional degree
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2024–2034
Workplace Safety
All safety ratings →Educational Instruction and Library Occupations context
Broad SOC context, not an occupation grade
Fatality Rate
0.3/100K
Injury Rate
0.8/100
Danger Index
3.4/100
Source: BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) & Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII), 2023
Career Intelligence
Skills, knowledge, and tasks most important for Geography Teachers, Postsecondary roles, ranked by importance. Source: O*NET.
Top Skills
Knowledge Areas
Key Tasks
- ▸ Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
- ▸ Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as urbanization, environmental systems, and cultural geography.
- ▸ Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media.
- ▸ Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers.
- ▸ Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
- ▸ Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
- ▸ Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
- ▸ Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
- ▸ Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work.
- ▸ Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction.
Source: O*NET Online, National Center for O*NET Development. Data represents typical importance ratings for this occupation.
Salary Range
Annual Salary Distribution
Hourly Rate Distribution
Geography Teachers, Postsecondary pay history, 2015–2025
Published national median across 11 BLS OEWS releases. Nominal dollars, not inflation-adjusted.
Read the chart as text
| Period | National median |
|---|---|
| 2015 | $75,400 |
| 2016 | $76,810 |
| 2017 | $78,040 |
| 2018 | $80,350 |
| 2019 | $80,520 |
| 2020 | $82,330 |
| 2021 | $81,440 |
| 2022 | $81,920 |
| 2023 | $85,600 |
| 2024 | $86,730 |
| 2025 | $97,590 |
2015 median
$75,400
2025 median
$97,590
2019–2025 change (same SOC)
+$17,070 (+21.2%)
Avg/year (same SOC)
+3.3%
| Release | Median | Change | Estimated jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2015 | $75,400 | First banked release | 4,350 |
| May 2016 | $76,810 | +1.9% | 4,140 |
| May 2017 | $78,040 | +1.6% | 3,980 |
| May 2018 | $80,350 | +3.0% | 3,960 |
| May 2019 | $80,520 | Classification break | 3,970 |
| May 2020 | $82,330 | +2.2% | 3,720 |
| May 2021 | $81,440 | -1.1% | 3,440 |
| May 2022 | $81,920 | +0.6% | 3,340 |
| May 2023 | $85,600 | +4.5% | 3,480 |
| May 2024 | $86,730 | +1.3% | 3,290 |
| May 2025 | $97,590 | +12.5% | 3,330 |
Across the 11 releases WageDex holds for this occupation, the published national median went from $75,400 in May 2015 to $97,590 in May 2025. Within the SOC-2018 classification (2019–2025), the like-for-like change averages +3.3% per year in nominal terms. Within the same SOC classification, estimated employment went from 3,970 in May 2019 to 3,330 in May 2025.
Each figure is a separate BLS survey estimate, so a change between releases reflects the estimated occupation-wide median in each year. It is not the raise any individual worker received, and it is not adjusted for inflation. Years where BLS did not publish an annual median for this occupation are omitted rather than filled in. This span also crosses a classification change: releases before May 2019 use the 2010 Standard Occupational Classification and later releases use the 2018 SOC, so figures either side of that boundary are not strictly like-for-like. Headline change rates on this page use only the same-classification subset.
Salary by State
Highest Paying States
View all 28 states →
| # | State | Median Salary | vs National |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $146,040 | +50% above national |
| 2 | Oregon | $113,500 | +16% above national |
| 3 | Vermont | $107,790 | +10% above national |
| 4 | Connecticut | $105,470 | +8% above national |
| 5 | Maryland | $103,430 | +6% above national |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $101,870 | +4% above national |
| 7 | Illinois | $100,790 | +3% above national |
| 8 | New York | $100,420 | +3% above national |
| 9 | Texas | $99,510 | +2% above national |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | $97,120 | same as national |
| 11 | Minnesota | $95,890 | 2% below national |
| 12 | Washington | $90,550 | 7% below national |
| 13 | New Mexico | $89,060 | 9% below national |
| 14 | Kentucky | $86,790 | 11% below national |
| 15 | South Carolina | $85,810 | 12% below national |
| 16 | Georgia | $85,420 | 12% below national |
| 17 | North Carolina | $84,630 | 13% below national |
| 18 | Oklahoma | $84,170 | 14% below national |
| 19 | Missouri | $83,530 | 14% below national |
| 20 | Indiana | $82,830 | 15% below national |
| 21 | Arizona | $82,510 | 15% below national |
| 22 | Michigan | $81,380 | 17% below national |
| 23 | Ohio | $81,290 | 17% below national |
| 24 | Tennessee | $81,220 | 17% below national |
| 25 | Wisconsin | $78,710 | 19% below national |
| 26 | New Jersey | $78,540 | 20% below national |
| 27 | Mississippi | $75,130 | 23% below national |
| 28 | Nebraska | $72,300 | 26% below national |
Salary by Metro Area
Highest Paying Metros
View all 15 metro areas →
| # | Metro Area | Median Salary | vs National |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $146,040 | +50% above national |
| 2 | Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | $109,900 | +13% above national |
| 3 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $107,830 | +10% above national |
| 4 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $104,790 | +7% above national |
| 5 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $103,470 | +6% above national |
| 6 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $103,280 | +6% above national |
| 7 | Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | $101,590 | +4% above national |
| 8 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $100,080 | +3% above national |
| 9 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $99,640 | +2% above national |
| 10 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $99,560 | +2% above national |
| 11 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $96,180 | 1% below national |
| 12 | College Station-Bryan, TX | $88,300 | 10% below national |
| 13 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $85,420 | 12% below national |
| 14 | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | $84,630 | 13% below national |
| 15 | Omaha, NE-IA | $72,300 | 26% below national |
Same SOC major group
Other detailed occupations in SOC major group 25 (Educational Instruction and Library Occupations) - category peers, not a pay match.
Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors
SOC 25-3011
Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary
SOC 25-1041
Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary
SOC 25-1061
Architecture Teachers, Postsecondary
SOC 25-1031
Archivists
SOC 25-4011
Showing 5 of 63 detailed occupations BLS assigns to this SOC major group.
Nationwide occupations with similar pay or employment scale
Two OEWS peer sets outside this SOC major group (Educational Instruction and Library Occupations). Same-category cards above stay inside the group; these neighborhoods are cross-group nearest neighbors on national median pay ($97,590 here) and reported employment (3,330 jobs here).
Similar median pay
Nearest other detailed occupations by BLS OEWS national median annual wage.
Similar employment scale
Nearest headcount peers (floor 1,000 national jobs), distinct from the pay column.
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on BLS OEWS national median annual wage and reported employment. Employment peers exclude occupations already listed in the pay column so the two link sets stay distinct.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do Geography Teachers, Postsecondary make? ▼
Where does Geography Teachers, Postsecondary pay rank nationally? ▼
What state pays Geography Teachers, Postsecondary the most? ▼
What education do Geography Teachers, Postsecondary need? ▼
Does BLS publish a safety rate for Geography Teachers, Postsecondary? ▼
Is Geography Teachers, Postsecondary a good career? ▼
How does Geography Teachers, Postsecondary pay vary by state? ▼
Which metro areas pay the most for Geography Teachers, Postsecondary? ▼
What to do with this data
How to use Geography Teachers, Postsecondary pay figures in a real decision
- The 75th-percentile wage is about $123,900/year. Treat it as the upper-quartile market boundary, not an automatic target for experience alone; role scope, location, industry, credentials, performance, and employer context still need separate evidence. Salary calculator
- Location moves pay significantly: California leads at $146,040/year for this role. Weigh state pay against local cost of living before relocating or negotiating remote. Pay by state
- Compare this occupation against similar roles before you decide, so you are reading the pay band in context rather than in isolation. Compare jobs
These are BLS survey estimates for the occupation, not a salary offer or a prediction for any individual. Your pay depends on experience, employer, exact role, and location.
Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Occupation wages use BLS OEWS May 2025; outlook uses BLS Employment Projections for 2024–2034; safety, skills, knowledge, and task panels identify their BLS or O*NET sources in context. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.
This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or career advice. Actual pay for a specific role, employer, or offer may differ from these national/state figures, consult a qualified career counselor, recruiter, or financial advisor before making decisions based on this data.