Pay by state · 46 states
Foreign Language and Literature Teacher, Postsecondary Salary by State (2026)
Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary earn the most in New Hampshire at $101,750 a year and the least in Mississippi at $54,670 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $79,350. All 46 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $101,750New Hampshire
- National median
- $79,350BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $54,670Mississippi
- States reporting
- 46of 54 OEWS areas
All states
Foreign Language and Literature Teacher, Postsecondary salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of foreign language and literature teachers, postsecondary OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NHNew Hampshire | $101,750 | $81,260 | $127,940 | 150 | $97,682 |
| 2 | DEDelaware | $101,100 | $94,590 | $125,070 | 70 | $101,294 |
| 3 | CACalifornia | $99,860 | $64,680 | $166,400 | 2,170 | $90,191 |
| 4 | MAMassachusetts | $98,750 | $81,480 | $127,190 | 960 | $93,374 |
| 5 | MEMaine | $96,970 | $62,030 | $131,250 | 70 | $99,918 |
| 6 | NYNew York | $95,120 | $74,910 | $126,790 | 1,520 | $88,139 |
| 7 | OROregon | $91,670 | $76,170 | $124,910 | 510 | $88,689 |
| 8 | MDMaryland | $87,280 | $64,260 | $106,640 | 280 | $83,156 |
| 9 | NVNevada | $84,980 | $68,920 | $89,940 | 90 | $84,998 |
| 10 | MIMichigan | $83,190 | $66,030 | $104,000 | 500 | $86,461 |
| 11 | ILIllinois | $81,530 | $64,780 | $99,650 | 690 | $81,564 |
| 12 | SDSouth Dakota | $81,080 | $67,220 | $88,390 | 40 | $91,527 |
| 13 | PRPuerto Rico | $81,050 | $67,920 | $95,200 | 150 | N/A |
| 14 | MNMinnesota | $80,650 | $63,280 | $100,760 | 410 | $81,778 |
| 15 | CTConnecticut | $80,630 | $73,790 | $102,490 | 340 | $77,821 |
| 16 | MTMontana | $79,970 | $60,270 | $106,850 | 80 | $84,495 |
| 17 | IAIowa | $79,880 | $63,800 | $103,550 | 210 | $91,019 |
| 18 | NJNew Jersey | $79,060 | $52,760 | $107,890 | 850 | $72,662 |
| 19 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $78,930 | $63,810 | $104,210 | 360 | $71,819 |
| 20 | UTUtah | $78,570 | $62,330 | $95,310 | 180 | $79,473 |
| 21 | WIWisconsin | $78,490 | $66,260 | $95,490 | 450 | $83,416 |
| 22 | WAWashington | $78,320 | $63,730 | $97,410 | 370 | $73,187 |
| 23 | COColorado | $77,840 | $60,470 | $101,080 | 410 | $75,535 |
| 24 | SCSouth Carolina | $77,790 | $62,510 | $83,540 | 320 | $82,977 |
| 25 | PAPennsylvania | $77,210 | $61,450 | $101,410 | 1,060 | $79,131 |
| 26 | AKAlaska | $76,490 | $72,760 | $76,820 | 80 | $74,727 |
| 27 | TNTennessee | $76,350 | $60,830 | $84,830 | 310 | $83,107 |
| 28 | WVWest Virginia | $76,340 | $61,850 | $77,150 | 40 | $85,299 |
| 29 | FLFlorida | $76,230 | $60,010 | $88,820 | 430 | $73,713 |
| 30 | MOMissouri | $76,110 | $60,710 | $99,680 | 330 | $83,806 |
| 31 | LALouisiana | $75,410 | $60,110 | $97,220 | 130 | $85,492 |
| 32 | TXTexas | $75,090 | $58,260 | $99,540 | 1,460 | $77,367 |
| 33 | INIndiana | $74,590 | $61,340 | $101,210 | 660 | $79,922 |
| 34 | OHOhio | $74,310 | $53,330 | $95,660 | 960 | $80,098 |
| 35 | VAVirginia | $74,000 | $59,780 | $98,110 | 890 | $73,192 |
| 36 | GAGeorgia | $73,370 | $61,030 | $98,230 | 280 | $76,195 |
| 37 | NMNew Mexico | $71,720 | $63,270 | $82,380 | 60 | $77,777 |
| 38 | AZArizona | $71,230 | $67,760 | $76,500 | 360 | $70,751 |
| 39 | ALAlabama | $70,580 | $60,130 | $81,350 | 110 | $79,461 |
| 40 | KSKansas | $65,890 | $59,110 | $82,320 | 140 | $73,156 |
| 41 | KYKentucky | $65,630 | $50,490 | $83,740 | 180 | $72,794 |
| 42 | NDNorth Dakota | $64,540 | $55,520 | $91,930 | 30 | $72,550 |
| 43 | NCNorth Carolina | $63,900 | $52,690 | $79,030 | 690 | $67,744 |
| 44 | ARArkansas | $62,900 | $55,600 | $78,970 | 120 | $72,351 |
| 45 | OKOklahoma | $61,580 | $40,480 | $67,320 | 80 | $70,102 |
| 46 | MSMississippi | $54,670 | $49,080 | $69,910 | 60 | $62,873 |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary, that changes the ranking: New Hampshire leads on raw pay at $101,750, while Delaware leads once prices are taken into account at $101,294.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Foreign Language and Literature Teacher, Postsecondary pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary the most?
New Hampshire reports the highest median wage for Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary at $101,750 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Delaware ($101,100) and California ($99,860).
Which state pays Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary the least?
Mississippi reports the lowest median for Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary at $54,670 a year, $47,080 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts Delaware first at $101,294 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $101,100. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.