SalariesWhat the occupation covers
Teach vocational courses intended to provide occupational training below the baccalaureate level in subjects such as construction, mechanics/repair, manufacturing, transportation, or cosmetology, primarily to students who have graduated from or left high school. Teaching takes place in public or private schools whose primary business is academic or vocational education. Excludes “Training and Development Specialists” (13-1151), “Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors” (25-3011), and postsecondary teachers classified elsewhere in the 25-1000 minor group. Flight instructors are included with “Aircraft Pilots and Flight Engineers” (53-2010).
Official definition from the Standard Occupational Classification, code 25-1194.
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 | $41,960 | $3,497 | $807 | $20.17 |
| Lowest 25% earn less than | $50,320 | $4,193 | $968 | $24.19 |
| Median (half earn less, half more) | $63,820 | $5,318 | $1,227 | $30.68 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $82,360 | $6,863 | $1,584 | $39.60 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $108,620 | $9,052 | $2,089 | $52.22 |
* 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 Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary is $63,820, which is 25% higher. Among the 64 occupations of the field Educational Instruction and Library, it ranks number 51 by median pay. With 114,110 jobs, it makes up about 7.3 of every 10,000 jobs in the country. The average ($72,060) is well above the median, a sign that a smaller group of high earners pulls the average up.
Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary pay by state
The highest median pay was in Wisconsin ($82,620), South Carolina ($79,610) and Massachusetts ($78,780). The lowest was in Puerto Rico ($42,470), Kansas ($48,790) and Arkansas ($50,120). The most jobs were in Texas (12,620), California (11,040) and Florida (7,600). The occupation is most concentrated in Alaska, where its share of all jobs is 4.7 times the national share.
No state matches.
| State | Jobs | Median a year | Average a year | Median an hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin | 2,000 | $82,620 | $88,930 | $39.72 |
| South Carolina | 1,980 | $79,610 | $73,120 | $38.27 |
| Massachusetts | 1,660 | $78,780 | $82,620 | $37.88 |
| Washington | 3,610 | $77,530 | $83,500 | $37.27 |
| Alaska | 1,120 | $77,310 | $83,650 | $37.17 |
| Minnesota | 1,510 | $76,920 | $78,910 | $36.98 |
| California | 11,040 | $76,630 | $90,340 | $36.84 |
| New York | 5,250 | $75,170 | $81,330 | $36.14 |
| Wyoming | 360 | $74,210 | $78,850 | $35.68 |
| North Dakota | 430 | $73,570 | $76,940 | $35.37 |
| South Dakota | 350 | $72,940 | $69,010 | $35.07 |
| New Jersey | 2,590 | $72,440 | $74,290 | $34.83 |
| Colorado | 2,060 | $70,130 | $69,730 | $33.72 |
| Oklahoma | 3,040 | $67,060 | $73,180 | $32.24 |
| Oregon | 1,140 | $65,430 | $78,780 | $31.46 |
| Rhode Island | 310 | $65,210 | $71,710 | $31.35 |
| West Virginia | 300 | $65,200 | $65,190 | $31.35 |
| Texas | 12,620 | $65,180 | $70,680 | $31.34 |
| New Hampshire | 220 | $65,040 | $81,430 | $31.27 |
| Arizona | 2,190 | $64,930 | $73,580 | $31.21 |
| Michigan | 3,480 | $63,440 | $73,080 | $30.50 |
| Pennsylvania | 4,780 | $63,160 | $71,090 | $30.37 |
| Alabama | 2,350 | $62,580 | $73,230 | $30.09 |
| Illinois | 4,420 | $62,480 | $72,140 | $30.04 |
| Vermont | 210 | $62,450 | $73,790 | $30.02 |
| Delaware | 190 | $62,400 | $68,030 | $30.00 |
| North Carolina | 6,510 | $62,390 | $63,320 | $30.00 |
| Tennessee | 2,140 | $62,310 | $64,280 | $29.96 |
| Iowa | 1,170 | $62,270 | $68,130 | $29.94 |
| Maryland | 780 | $62,060 | $66,970 | $29.84 |
| Maine | 510 | $61,740 | $75,240 | $29.68 |
| Nevada | 950 | $61,740 | $61,480 | $29.68 |
| Kentucky | 1,560 | $61,080 | $59,040 | $29.37 |
| Ohio | 3,440 | $60,600 | $67,940 | $29.14 |
| Nebraska | 470 | $60,490 | $69,620 | $29.08 |
| New Mexico | 1,070 | $60,490 | $77,800 | $29.08 |
| Georgia | 3,920 | $60,320 | $60,630 | $29.00 |
| Florida | 7,600 | $59,990 | $68,820 | $28.84 |
| Idaho | 570 | $59,730 | $63,640 | $28.72 |
| Missouri | 1,630 | $59,640 | $64,200 | $28.67 |
| Connecticut | 1,130 | $59,420 | $69,360 | $28.57 |
| District of Columbia | not published | $59,220 | $66,820 | $28.47 |
| Indiana | 2,250 | $57,820 | $64,440 | $27.80 |
| Virginia | 1,860 | $57,820 | $60,480 | $27.80 |
| Montana | 430 | $57,270 | $60,590 | $27.54 |
| Louisiana | 780 | $56,480 | $56,340 | $27.16 |
| Hawaii | 70 | $51,990 | $51,790 | $25.00 |
| Utah | 2,280 | $50,740 | $52,590 | $24.39 |
| Mississippi | 1,030 | $50,670 | $54,620 | $24.36 |
| Arkansas | 1,550 | $50,120 | $56,200 | $24.10 |
| Kansas | 1,160 | $48,790 | $57,070 | $23.46 |
| Puerto Rico | 1,530 | $42,470 | $55,680 | $20.42 |
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
- Archivists$64,550 a year
- Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$64,370 a year
- Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education$63,970 a year
- Curators$63,420 a year
- Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education$62,680 a year
- Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors$61,540 a year
Common questions
How much do Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary earn in the United States?
The median pay was $63,820 a year in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $41,960 and the highest-paid 10% more than $108,620.
How many people work as Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary?
About 114,110 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.