SalariesWhat the occupation covers
Teach or instruct out-of-school youths and adults in basic education, literacy, or English as a Second Language classes, or in classes for earning a high school equivalency credential.
Official definition from the Standard Occupational Classification, code 25-3011.
The pay range
Pay differs a lot inside one occupation, with experience, employer and place. The table shows where the lines fall.
| Share of workers | A year | A month* | A week* | An hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest 10% earn less than | $41,810 | $3,484 | $804 | $20.10 |
| Lowest 25% earn less than | $49,100 | $4,092 | $944 | $23.61 |
| Median (half earn less, half more) | $61,540 | $5,128 | $1,183 | $29.59 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $77,690 | $6,474 | $1,494 | $37.35 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $98,030 | $8,169 | $1,885 | $47.13 |
* Month and week are the yearly figure divided by 12 and by 52, worked out here for convenience. BLS publishes the yearly and hourly figures.
How it compares
The median for all occupations in the United States was $50,980 a year. The median for Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors is $61,540, which is 21% higher. Among the 64 occupations of the field Educational Instruction and Library, it ranks number 54 by median pay. With 37,310 jobs, it makes up about 2.4 of every 10,000 jobs in the country.
Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors pay by state
The highest median pay was in California ($102,030), New Jersey ($81,100) and Delaware ($78,600). The lowest was in South Dakota ($35,760), Arkansas ($43,240) and Hawaii ($44,600). The most jobs were in North Carolina (3,720), Florida (3,670) and Minnesota (2,880). The occupation is most concentrated in Minnesota, where its share of all jobs is 4.1 times the national share.
No state matches.
| State | Jobs | Median a year | Average a year | Median an hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 1,660 | $102,030 | $97,890 | $49.05 |
| New Jersey | 1,350 | $81,100 | $77,410 | $38.99 |
| Delaware | 200 | $78,600 | $76,660 | $37.79 |
| New York | 2,810 | $78,010 | $86,880 | $37.50 |
| Minnesota | 2,880 | $76,800 | $75,930 | $36.92 |
| Connecticut | 410 | $72,180 | $70,930 | $34.70 |
| Washington | 1,310 | $69,990 | $71,640 | $33.65 |
| Louisiana | 100 | $66,870 | $65,600 | $32.15 |
| Oregon | 510 | $65,700 | $80,160 | $31.59 |
| West Virginia | 250 | $65,050 | $63,300 | $31.27 |
| Wisconsin | 1,050 | $64,980 | $67,160 | $31.24 |
| Virginia | 700 | $64,540 | $70,180 | $31.03 |
| New Hampshire | 50 | $64,440 | $61,550 | $30.98 |
| North Dakota | 180 | $63,820 | $66,760 | $30.68 |
| District of Columbia | 570 | $62,940 | $72,130 | $30.26 |
| South Carolina | 480 | $62,940 | $62,770 | $30.26 |
| Vermont | 70 | $62,500 | $68,350 | $30.05 |
| Illinois | 1,970 | $62,370 | $66,810 | $29.99 |
| Massachusetts | 1,420 | $62,290 | $68,650 | $29.95 |
| Arizona | 570 | $61,750 | $64,480 | $29.69 |
| Tennessee | 240 | $60,340 | $66,070 | $29.01 |
| Maryland | 450 | $59,950 | $58,090 | $28.82 |
| Michigan | 560 | $59,900 | $59,230 | $28.80 |
| Florida | 3,670 | $58,920 | $60,080 | $28.33 |
| Maine | 330 | $58,880 | $62,610 | $28.31 |
| Indiana | 650 | $58,660 | $58,620 | $28.20 |
| Rhode Island | not published | $57,690 | $59,330 | $27.74 |
| Pennsylvania | 790 | $57,230 | $61,820 | $27.51 |
| Montana | 110 | $56,500 | $61,300 | $27.16 |
| Wyoming | 100 | $52,060 | $53,400 | $25.03 |
| Kansas | 160 | $52,030 | $51,890 | $25.01 |
| Oklahoma | 300 | $51,840 | $53,150 | $24.92 |
| North Carolina | 3,720 | $51,810 | $54,100 | $24.91 |
| Missouri | 620 | $51,770 | $58,310 | $24.89 |
| Colorado | 820 | $51,170 | $57,010 | $24.60 |
| Idaho | 270 | $50,040 | $57,960 | $24.06 |
| Mississippi | 240 | $49,900 | $51,930 | $23.99 |
| Utah | 60 | $49,680 | $52,160 | $23.89 |
| Texas | 1,830 | $49,490 | $53,480 | $23.79 |
| New Mexico | 210 | $49,170 | $57,660 | $23.64 |
| Nebraska | 130 | $49,040 | $50,220 | $23.58 |
| Nevada | 40 | $48,930 | $52,670 | $23.53 |
| Alabama | 470 | $48,870 | $50,320 | $23.49 |
| Iowa | 370 | $48,010 | $49,330 | $23.08 |
| Georgia | 470 | $47,540 | $46,740 | $22.86 |
| Ohio | 750 | $47,190 | $53,910 | $22.69 |
| Kentucky | 350 | $44,990 | $46,710 | $21.63 |
| Hawaii | 300 | $44,600 | $47,470 | $21.44 |
| Arkansas | 230 | $43,240 | $44,300 | $20.79 |
| South Dakota | 100 | $35,760 | $45,080 | $17.19 |
Sorted by median pay, highest first. "Not published" means BLS did not release that figure for the state, usually because too few employers were surveyed. "$239,200 or more" is the highest value BLS reports in the state tables.
Similar occupations by pay
- Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary$63,820 a year
- Curators$63,420 a year
- Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education$62,680 a year
- Farm and Home Management Educators$60,220 a year
- Museum Technicians and Conservators$51,440 a year
- Educational Instruction and Library Workers, All Other$50,890 a year
Common questions
How much do Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors earn in the United States?
The median pay was $61,540 a year in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $41,810 and the highest-paid 10% more than $98,030.
How many people work as Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors?
About 37,310 jobs in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Checked in November 2026. Figures are for employees, before tax, and leave out overtime pay and benefits. They are official statistics, not advice or a pay offer; see bls.gov/oes for the original tables.