SalariesWhat the occupation covers
Teach languages and literature courses in languages other than English. Includes teachers of American Sign Language (ASL). Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
Official definition from the Standard Occupational Classification, code 25-1124.
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* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest 10% earn less than | $49,060 | $4,088 | $943 |
| Lowest 25% earn less than | $62,510 | $5,209 | $1,202 |
| Median (half earn less, half more) | $79,350 | $6,612 | $1,526 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $102,730 | $8,561 | $1,976 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $136,050 | $11,338 | $2,616 |
* 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.
BLS publishes only yearly pay for this occupation, because many of these workers are paid by the year and work fewer than 2,080 hours in it.
How it compares
The median for all occupations in the United States was $50,980 a year. The median for Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary is $79,350, which is 56% higher. Among the 64 occupations of the field Educational Instruction and Library, it ranks number 26 by median pay. With 19,830 jobs, it makes up about 1.3 of every 10,000 jobs in the country. The average ($89,990) is well above the median, a sign that a smaller group of high earners pulls the average up.
Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary pay by state
The highest median pay was in New Hampshire ($101,750), Delaware ($101,100) and California ($99,860). The lowest was in Mississippi ($54,670), Oklahoma ($61,580) and Arkansas ($62,900). The most jobs were in California (2,170), New York (1,520) and Texas (1,460). The occupation is most concentrated in Vermont, where its share of all jobs is 4.4 times the national share.
No state matches.
| State | Jobs | Median a year | Average a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire | 150 | $101,750 | $104,790 |
| Delaware | 70 | $101,100 | $103,300 |
| California | 2,170 | $99,860 | $116,230 |
| Massachusetts | 960 | $98,750 | $109,700 |
| Maine | 70 | $96,970 | $98,500 |
| New York | 1,520 | $95,120 | $109,490 |
| Oregon | 510 | $91,670 | $99,990 |
| Maryland | 280 | $87,280 | $94,620 |
| Nevada | 90 | $84,980 | $82,800 |
| Michigan | 500 | $83,190 | $85,460 |
| Illinois | 690 | $81,530 | $85,840 |
| South Dakota | 40 | $81,080 | $79,090 |
| Puerto Rico | 150 | $81,050 | $79,420 |
| Minnesota | 410 | $80,650 | $89,150 |
| Connecticut | 340 | $80,630 | $94,330 |
| Montana | 80 | $79,970 | $89,410 |
| Iowa | 210 | $79,880 | $88,940 |
| New Jersey | 850 | $79,060 | $87,900 |
| District of Columbia | 360 | $78,930 | $88,700 |
| Utah | 180 | $78,570 | $78,600 |
| Wisconsin | 450 | $78,490 | $83,800 |
| Washington | 370 | $78,320 | $80,500 |
| Colorado | 410 | $77,840 | $87,480 |
| South Carolina | 320 | $77,790 | $79,780 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,060 | $77,210 | $82,320 |
| Alaska | 80 | $76,490 | $72,730 |
| Tennessee | 310 | $76,350 | $77,160 |
| West Virginia | 40 | $76,340 | $71,590 |
| Florida | 430 | $76,230 | $75,350 |
| Missouri | 330 | $76,110 | $86,550 |
| Louisiana | 130 | $75,410 | $79,280 |
| Texas | 1,460 | $75,090 | $81,220 |
| Indiana | 660 | $74,590 | $82,240 |
| Ohio | 960 | $74,310 | $72,870 |
| Virginia | 890 | $74,000 | $83,590 |
| Georgia | 280 | $73,370 | $78,340 |
| New Mexico | 60 | $71,720 | $81,140 |
| Arizona | 360 | $71,230 | $79,280 |
| Alabama | 110 | $70,580 | $72,140 |
| Kansas | 140 | $65,890 | $74,980 |
| Kentucky | 180 | $65,630 | $72,830 |
| North Dakota | 30 | $64,540 | $70,410 |
| North Carolina | 690 | $63,900 | $70,780 |
| Arkansas | 120 | $62,900 | $68,500 |
| Oklahoma | 80 | $61,580 | $58,950 |
| Mississippi | 60 | $54,670 | $61,690 |
| Idaho | 30 | not published | not published |
| Rhode Island | 100 | not published | not published |
| Vermont | 170 | not published | not published |
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
- Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary$80,260 a year
- Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary$80,250 a year
- Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary$79,940 a year
- English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary$78,760 a year
- Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary$78,620 a year
- Communications Teachers, Postsecondary$78,580 a year
Common questions
How much do Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary earn in the United States?
The median pay was $79,350 a year in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $49,060 and the highest-paid 10% more than $136,050.
How many people work as Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary?
About 19,830 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.