Key Takeaways
- When faculty belong to a union, they get paid more. In 2022, union faculty earned $5,000 more, on average, than non-union faculty—in the same states.
- The faculty of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) earned $24,000 less, on average, than their colleagues at other institutions, or 75 cents to the dollar in 2021-22.
- Women earned 85 cents to every dollar earned by men in public higher education institutions in 2021-22
$17,000
The average difference in pay between union faculty and faculty in non-union states.
2.1%
Average salary increase for full-time faculty on 9/10-month contracts from the year prior.
Higher Education Faculty Salary Analysis
In this report, we consider trends in faculty salary by rank, gender, and collective bargaining status in 2021-22.
In 2021-22, state budgets were a mixed bag, with some restoring funding to pre-pandemic levels or higher, and others cutting funding. ASA Research. (October 25, 2022). The Higher Ed Funding Rollercoaster: State funding of higher education during financial crises. National Education Association. Go to reference
This analysis reflects the status of faculty of record in November 2021. The fact that real, or nominal, salaries continued to increase during states’ ongoing financial flux is promising for the financial future of faculty once the economy stabilizes.
- 1 ASA Research. (October 25, 2022). The Higher Ed Funding Rollercoaster: State funding of higher education during financial crises. National Education Association.
Key Findings
Faculty who collectively bargain earn more. Specifically, community college faculty with union contracts get paid, on average, $19,000 more than their non-union colleagues. At comprehensive institutions, the union advantage is $14,000; at research universities, it’s $6,000.
While salaries increased an overall 2.1% for full-time (9/10-month) faculty in 2022, inflation stripped them of purchasing power. On average, faculty experienced a $4,837 loss.
Pay parity almost exists in community colleges, where women earned 97% to 98% of men’s wages in 2022, but notably, community colleges have the lowest-paid faculty among public institutions.
In 2021-22, the faculty of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) earned $24,000 less, on average, than their colleagues at other institutions, or 75 cents to the dollar.
In some states, HBCU faculty are paid about half as much as those teaching in non-HBCU land-grant universities. For example, HBCU faculty in Missouri and Ohio earn 51 cents to the dollar of non-HBCU colleagues.
Higher Education Faculty Pay
Average salaries and change in salaries for faculty on 9/10-month contracts, by state and sector, 2021-22
| State | Public 4-year | Public 4-year Rank | Public 4-year Percent Change | Public 2-year | Public 2-year Rank | Public 2-year Percent Change | Private | Private Rank | Private Percent Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $86,762 | 34 | 2.7% | $62,997 | 27 | 2.7% | $65,650 | 39 | 1.4% |
| Alaska | $84,063 | 38 | -0.1% | 0.0% | $60,098 | 44 | -1.2% | ||
| Arizona | $99,098 | 15 | 5.0% | $76,990 | 11 | 2.7% | $74,152 | 34 | 0.6% |
| Arkansas | $74,163 | 49 | -2.5% | $51,204 | 48 | 1.5% | $61,846 | 43 | 2.2% |
| California | $121,071 | 1 | 1.1% | $105,759 | 1 | 3.6% | $122,200 | 4 | 1.6% |
| Colorado | $92,181 | 26 | 3.6% | $62,819 | 28 | 0.3% | $95,660 | 14 | 0.2% |
| Connecticut | $109,530 | 5 | -0.9% | $85,602 | 4 | -1.7% | $125,745 | 3 | 3.7% |
| Delaware | $116,394 | 3 | 0.8% | $74,977 | 13 | 3.1% | $79,190 | 27 | 3.0% |
| District of Columbia | $87,026 | 32 | -1.2% | 0.0% | $119,460 | 6 | 3.0% | ||
| Florida | $100,126 | 13 | 1.7% | $62,576 | 30 | 2.7% | $89,836 | 21 | 2.5% |
| Georgia | $84,655 | 36 | 0.8% | $53,647 | 41 | 0.7% | $87,885 | 23 | 1.0% |
| Hawaii | $110,204 | 4 | 2.6% | $80,791 | 8 | 1.1% | $77,016 | 31 | 1.1% |
| Idaho | $78,392 | 45 | 3.1% | $58,203 | 35 | 3.3% | $66,561 | 38 | 3.9% |
| Illinois | $97,392 | 17 | 1.8% | $83,029 | 6 | 0.6% | $108,030 | 10 | 1.1% |
| Indiana | $93,107 | 25 | 1.1% | $53,133 | 42 | 1.8% | $89,881 | 20 | 2.6% |
| Iowa | $101,207 | 11 | 2.4% | $64,642 | 25 | 1.9% | $70,153 | 37 | 3.5% |
| Kansas | $83,153 | 39 | 1.0% | $59,201 | 34 | 2.3% | $56,635 | 46 | 1.4% |
| Kentucky | $77,923 | 46 | 1.3% | $51,451 | 47 | 0.3% | $62,849 | 41 | -0.1% |
| Louisiana | $73,995 | 50 | 3.0% | $50,278 | 49 | 3.9% | $92,788 | 16 | 0.8% |
| Maine | $84,209 | 37 | 0.5% | $59,606 | 32 | -2.5% | $92,618 | 17 | 3.0% |
| Maryland | $99,713 | 14 | 2.8% | $79,011 | 10 | 2.4% | $109,971 | 9 | 4.3% |
| Massachusetts | $102,048 | 8 | 0.3% | $68,324 | 21 | -0.9% | $129,866 | 1 | 2.7% |
| Michigan | $104,706 | 6 | 1.7% | $85,773 | 3 | 0.3% | $73,297 | 36 | 1.1% |
| Minnesota | $96,553 | 19 | 0.6% | $73,985 | 15 | -0.8% | $81,605 | 26 | 1.5% |
| Mississippi | $73,096 | 51 | 2.5% | $52,335 | 46 | -0.2% | $61,960 | 42 | 0.1% |
| Missouri | $80,980 | 40 | 3.4% | $62,692 | 29 | 3.1% | $94,941 | 15 | 4.4% |
| Montana | $79,719 | 43 | 1.5% | $54,160 | 39 | 6.1% | $55,592 | 48 | -1.1% |
| Nebraska | $89,770 | 27 | 2.9% | $64,133 | 26 | -0.1% | $73,394 | 35 | 4.0% |
| Nevada | $94,143 | 23 | -0.9% | $74,759 | 14 | -0.1% | $48,686 | 50 | -24.9% |
| New Hampshire | $95,237 | 20 | -0.9% | $71,017 | 18 | -0.3% | $117,018 | 7 | 1.2% |
| New Jersey | $121,056 | 2 | 2.3% | $80,528 | 9 | 1.4% | $128,785 | 2 | 4.1% |
| New Mexico | $80,444 | 41 | 1.9% | $56,200 | 38 | 0.5% | $77,470 | 30 | -3.7% |
| New York | $100,189 | 12 | 4.3% | $86,601 | 2 | 3.5% | $115,817 | 8 | 2.1% |
| North Carolina | $87,011 | 33 | -0.6% | $52,811 | 43 | 1.6% | $97,151 | 13 | 2.0% |
| North Dakota | $80,213 | 42 | 1.0% | $59,273 | 33 | 3.0% | $56,298 | 47 | -3.1% |
| Ohio | $96,972 | 18 | 2.3% | $70,510 | 19 | 1.6% | $78,510 | 29 | 1.6% |
| Oklahoma | $79,342 | 44 | 1.3% | $54,103 | 40 | 1.2% | $75,198 | 32 | 1.3% |
| Oregon | $93,307 | 24 | 0.8% | $81,428 | 7 | 2.5% | $82,250 | 25 | 4.2% |
| Pennsylvania | $101,519 | 9 | 1.9% | $73,046 | 16 | 2.9% | $101,919 | 11 | 1.1% |
| Rhode Island | $98,997 | 16 | 4.7% | $67,666 | 22 | 2.8% | $120,968 | 5 | 0.0% |
| South Carolina | $87,379 | 31 | 3.4% | $52,370 | 45 | 4.3% | $63,300 | 40 | 1.8% |
| South Dakota | $75,541 | 48 | 2.7% | $60,103 | 31 | 1.9% | $57,321 | 45 | -0.5% |
| Tennessee | $85,032 | 35 | 2.9% | $57,312 | 37 | 3.1% | $91,798 | 18 | -1.0% |
| Texas | $94,781 | 21 | 2.5% | $64,719 | 24 | 3.7% | $99,838 | 12 | 2.0% |
| Utah | $94,364 | 22 | 4.3% | $72,844 | 17 | 2.6% | $91,018 | 19 | 1.9% |
| Vermont | $88,273 | 30 | -1.1% | $64,738 | 23 | -1.5% | $89,278 | 22 | 1.8% |
| Virginia | $101,425 | 10 | 5.3% | $69,697 | 20 | 4.4% | $78,923 | 28 | 0.2% |
| Washington | $103,101 | 7 | 2.6% | $75,636 | 12 | 4.3% | $83,724 | 24 | 0.9% |
| West Virginia | $76,407 | 47 | 1.1% | $52,721 | 44 | -0.3% | $53,612 | 49 | 0.4% |
| Wisconsin | $89,651 | 29 | 2.1% | $84,623 | 5 | 1.8% | $75,021 | 33 | 0.7% |
| Wyoming | $89,741 | 28 | -0.3% | $58,120 | 36 | -3.6% | 0.0% | ||
| United States | $96,414 | 2.1% | $74,173 | 2.4% | $103,033 | 2.1% |
Higher Education Faculty Pay 2023
NEA’s Higher Education Faculty Salary Analysis looks at faculty and graduate assistant salaries at the national, state, and institutional level.
Download the Report (pdf)
