What is the hourly rate of a college professor?
|
Annual Salary |
Monthly Pay |
Weekly Pay |
Hourly Wage |
| 75th Percentile |
$166,830 |
$13,902 |
$3,208 |
$80 |
| Average |
$111,252 |
$9,271 |
$2,139 |
$53 |
| 25th Percentile |
$85,887 |
$7,157 |
$1,652 |
$41 |
Use our Salary Calculator to explore typical earnings for a college professor, including an hourly rate of $53, weekly pay of $2,139, monthly pay of $9,271, and an annual salary of $111,252.
Based on Salary IQ data from real job postings, this tool helps you convert a salary between its hourly, weekly, biweekly, monthly, and annually.
What is the pay difference between an Entry college professor and an Expert college professor?
Experience and job level are key drivers of a college professor's salary.
Entry college professors earn around $102,923, while Intermediate college professors make $103,680.
Senior college professors see salaries rise to $106,709, and Expert college professors can earn up to $138,626.
These numbers show a clear trend: as experience grows, so does earning potential. This reflects the IT industry's strong value placed on experience level.
| Levels |
Salary |
|
Entry Level college professor
|
$102,923
|
|
Intermediate Level college professor
|
$103,680
|
|
Senior Level college professor
|
$106,709
|
|
Specialist Level college professor
|
$121,207
|
|
Expert Level college professor
|
$138,626
|
$102,923
0 yr
$103,680
< 2 yrs
$106,709
2-4 yrs
$121,207
5-8 yrs
$138,626
> 8 yrs
|
Entry Level
|
7%
|
|
Mid Level
|
7%
|
|
Senior Level
|
4%
|
|
Top Level
|
9%
|
|
Experienced
|
25%
|
View as graph
View as table
What state pays the most for college professors?
From August 01, 2026, District of Columbia offers the highest college professor
salaries in the United States,
ranging from $95,094 to $184,714 followed by California
at $94,733 - $184,013. While these states provide top pay for college professor,
high living costs impact earnings. Rhode Island and Hawaii offer competitive salaries with lower expenses,
making them attractive options for the role.
| Rank |
State |
Average Salary |
|
1
|
District of Columbia
|
$123,179
|
|
2
|
California
|
$122,711
|
|
3
|
Massachusetts
|
$121,076
|
|
4
|
Washington
|
$120,631
|
|
5
|
New Jersey
|
$120,586
|
|
6
|
Alaska
|
$120,431
|
|
7
|
Connecticut
|
$118,895
|
|
8
|
New York
|
$118,272
|
|
9
|
Hawaii
|
$116,281
|
|
10
|
Rhode Island
|
$115,346
|
What is the highest paying city for college professors?
The highest-paying cities for college professors in the USA are primarily concentrated in Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area, with locations such as Menlo Park, Cupertino, Mountain View, and San Francisco offering some of the most competitive salaries. This is largely due to the presence of tech giants like Google, Apple, Meta, and Tesla, which continuously seek top talent and offer lucrative compensation packages and performance-based bonuses. The average annual salary for college professors in San Francisco is $138,786.
| City |
Average Annual Salary |
Average Hourly Rate |
|
San Jose, CA
|
$140,323
|
$67
|
|
San Francisco, CA
|
$138,786
|
$67
|
|
Oakland, CA
|
$135,861
|
$65
|
|
New York, NY
|
$128,095
|
$62
|
|
Paramus, NJ
|
$126,537
|
$61
|
|
Queens Village, NY
|
$126,532
|
$61
|
|
Passaic, NJ
|
$126,426
|
$61
|
|
Bergenfield, NJ
|
$126,416
|
$61
|
|
Stamford, CT
|
$126,171
|
$61
|
|
Huntington, NY
|
$126,126
|
$61
|
