SalariesWhat the occupation covers
Assist faculty or other instructional staff in postsecondary institutions by performing instructional support activities, such as developing teaching materials, leading discussion groups, preparing and giving examinations, and grading examinations or papers. Graduate students who teach one or more full courses should be classified in the 25-1000 minor group.
Official definition from the Standard Occupational Classification, code 25-9044.
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 | $28,600 | $2,383 | $550 |
| Lowest 25% earn less than | $35,270 | $2,939 | $678 |
| Median (half earn less, half more) | $42,910 | $3,576 | $825 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $60,510 | $5,042 | $1,164 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $76,420 | $6,368 | $1,470 |
* 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 Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary is $42,910, which is 16% lower. Among the 64 occupations of the field Educational Instruction and Library, it ranks number 61 by median pay. With 164,090 jobs, it makes up about 11 of every 10,000 jobs in the country. The average ($47,670) is well above the median, a sign that a smaller group of high earners pulls the average up.
Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary pay by state
The highest median pay was in Maryland ($58,330), Massachusetts ($56,370) and Texas ($55,670). The lowest was in Alabama ($22,600), Arkansas ($23,140) and Nevada ($24,960). The most jobs were in California (19,120), Michigan (18,440) and New York (17,390). The occupation is most concentrated in Michigan, where its share of all jobs is 4.0 times the national share.
No state matches.
| State | Jobs | Median a year | Average a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland | 5,030 | $58,330 | $59,850 |
| Massachusetts | 3,040 | $56,370 | $54,020 |
| Texas | 13,540 | $55,670 | $49,560 |
| New Jersey | 3,390 | $54,260 | $57,210 |
| Minnesota | 600 | $53,380 | $51,350 |
| Utah | 2,020 | $52,300 | $48,230 |
| Washington | 1,480 | $50,460 | $50,000 |
| North Carolina | 2,900 | $50,050 | $51,580 |
| North Dakota | 90 | $49,960 | $49,880 |
| Oklahoma | 1,680 | $49,920 | $44,140 |
| Virginia | 1,660 | $49,890 | $50,720 |
| Arizona | 7,200 | $49,810 | $52,880 |
| Kentucky | 990 | $49,680 | $48,400 |
| Oregon | 880 | $49,550 | $53,660 |
| Rhode Island | 50 | $49,420 | $49,920 |
| California | 19,120 | $49,140 | $53,330 |
| Georgia | 2,470 | $48,800 | $45,310 |
| Ohio | 2,210 | $48,710 | $55,560 |
| Vermont | 60 | $48,620 | $50,130 |
| New Mexico | 370 | $48,270 | $50,280 |
| Wisconsin | 4,210 | $47,990 | $45,940 |
| Puerto Rico | 1,640 | $47,440 | $47,820 |
| Maine | 90 | $47,210 | $53,250 |
| South Carolina | 2,730 | $46,760 | $46,240 |
| New York | 17,390 | $43,610 | $49,990 |
| District of Columbia | 130 | $43,160 | $51,390 |
| Kansas | 640 | $41,580 | $40,820 |
| South Dakota | 460 | $39,840 | $42,710 |
| Michigan | 18,440 | $39,830 | $49,740 |
| Nebraska | 730 | $39,650 | $44,450 |
| Iowa | 560 | $38,960 | $43,760 |
| Pennsylvania | 2,480 | $38,020 | $40,440 |
| Louisiana | 440 | $37,950 | $38,420 |
| Florida | 9,130 | $37,770 | $38,300 |
| Colorado | 530 | $37,450 | $46,930 |
| Idaho | 220 | $37,310 | $42,720 |
| Tennessee | 300 | $36,950 | $33,580 |
| Illinois | 12,340 | $36,040 | $49,630 |
| West Virginia | 40 | $35,960 | $34,790 |
| Alaska | 70 | $35,790 | $35,740 |
| Indiana | 1,940 | $34,910 | $38,480 |
| Montana | 380 | $30,070 | $37,990 |
| New Hampshire | 480 | $26,810 | $29,170 |
| Nevada | 540 | $24,960 | $27,190 |
| Arkansas | 2,600 | $23,140 | $26,580 |
| Alabama | not published | $22,600 | $25,850 |
| Connecticut | 4,700 | not published | not published |
| Mississippi | 390 | 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
- Self-Enrichment Teachers$46,800 a year
- Library Technicians$44,580 a year
- Tutors$43,350 a year
- Substitute Teachers, Short-Term$41,670 a year
- Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education$38,140 a year
- Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary$36,780 a year
Common questions
How much do Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary earn in the United States?
The median pay was $42,910 a year in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $28,600 and the highest-paid 10% more than $76,420.
How many people work as Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary?
About 164,090 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.