Occupation overview

Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary Salary in the United States

The median annual wage for foreign language and literature teachers, postsecondary is $79,350, or — per hour. About 19,830 people work in this occupation nationwide. Wages vary substantially by state — from $101,750 in New Hampshire to $54,670 in Mississippi.

Median annual

$79,350

Median hourly

—

Entry level (P10)

$49,060

Top 10% (P90)

$136,050

Employment

19,830

States covered

Wage distribution nationwide

Earnings spread across all U.S. workers in this occupation.

10th percentile90th percentile

$49,060

$62,510

$79,350

$102,730

$49,060$79,350$136,050

Annual wage distribution. Highlighted segment contains the median of $79,350.

Salary by state

All 45 states with published data, ranked by median annual wage.

#	State	Median annual	Median hourly	Employment	Location quotient
1	New Hampshire	$101,750	—	150	1.74
2	Delaware	$101,100	—	70	1.20
3	California	$99,860	—	2,170	0.93
4	Massachusetts	$98,750	—	960	2.07
5	Maine	$96,970	—	70	0.80
6	New York	$95,120	—	1,520	1.23
7	Oregon	$91,670	—	510	2.03
8	Maryland	$87,280	—	280	0.78
9	Nevada	$84,980	—	90	0.43
10	Michigan	$83,190	—	500	0.88
11	Illinois	$81,530	—	690	0.89
12	South Dakota	$81,080	—	40	0.70
13	Minnesota	$80,650	—	410	1.09
14	Connecticut	$80,630	—	340	1.56
15	Montana	$79,970	—	80	1.18
16	Iowa	$79,880	—	210	1.07
17	New Jersey	$79,060	—	850	1.55
18	District of Columbia	$78,930	—	360	3.97
19	Utah	$78,570	—	180	0.83
20	Wisconsin	$78,490	—	450	1.21
21	Washington	$78,320	—	370	0.81
22	Colorado	$77,840	—	410	1.12
23	South Carolina	$77,790	—	320	1.07
24	Pennsylvania	$77,210	—	1,060	1.37
25	Alaska	$76,490	—	80	1.96
26	Tennessee	$76,350	—	310	0.75
27	West Virginia	$76,340	—	40	0.46
28	Florida	$76,230	—	430	0.34
29	Missouri	$76,110	—	330	0.89
30	Louisiana	$75,410	—	130	0.52
31	Texas	$75,090	—	1,460	0.81
32	Indiana	$74,590	—	660	1.63
33	Ohio	$74,310	—	960	1.36
34	Virginia	$74,000	—	890	1.70
35	Georgia	$73,370	—	280	0.45
36	New Mexico	$71,720	—	60	0.55
37	Arizona	$71,230	—	360	0.86
38	Alabama	$70,580	—	110	0.42
39	Kansas	$65,890	—	140	0.78
40	Kentucky	$65,630	—	180	0.72
41	North Dakota	$64,540	—	30	0.58
42	North Carolina	$63,900	—	690	1.10
43	Arkansas	$62,900	—	120	0.75
44	Oklahoma	$61,580	—	80	0.37
45	Mississippi	$54,670	—	60	0.38

Related occupations

Same job family, ranked by national employment.

Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary$36,780 Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education$63,970 Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$72,040 Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$64,370 Substitute Teachers, Short-Term$41,670 Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education$38,140

Frequently asked questions

How much do foreign language and literature teachers, postsecondary make?

The median annual wage for foreign language and literature teachers, postsecondary in the United States is $79,350, or — per hour. Entry-level workers (10th percentile) earn $49,060, and the top 10% earn $136,050.

How many foreign language and literature teachers, postsecondary are employed in the U.S.?

About 19,830 people work as foreign language and literature teachers, postsecondary nationwide.

Which state pays foreign language and literature teachers, postsecondary the most?

New Hampshire pays the most at a median of $101,750, followed by Delaware ($101,100) and California ($99,860).

Which state pays foreign language and literature teachers, postsecondary the least?

Mississippi has the lowest median at $54,670.

Where are foreign language and literature teachers, postsecondary jobs most concentrated?

The location quotient measures employment concentration relative to the national average. The highest is District of Columbia at 3.97×.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025. Retrieved 2026-10-26. bls.gov/oes