Pay by state · 52 states
Nursing Instructor and Teacher, Postsecondary Salary by State (2026)
Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary earn the most in Hawaii at $129,530 a year and the least in Puerto Rico at $58,210 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $80,250. All 52 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $129,530Hawaii
- National median
- $80,250BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $58,210Puerto Rico
- States reporting
- 52of 54 OEWS areas
All states
Nursing Instructor and Teacher, Postsecondary salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HIHawaii | $129,530 | $129,420 | $129,620 | 1,890 | $117,807 |
| 2 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $107,770 | $86,840 | $125,510 | 110 | $98,061 |
| 3 | DEDelaware | $98,170 | $81,060 | $117,840 | 240 | $98,359 |
| 4 | NVNevada | $96,500 | $75,940 | $101,270 | 870 | $96,520 |
| 5 | CTConnecticut | $95,500 | $79,550 | $100,170 | 1,380 | $92,173 |
| 6 | IDIdaho | $90,890 | $70,980 | $124,000 | 430 | $95,179 |
| 7 | AKAlaska | $85,650 | $84,690 | $105,350 | N/A | $83,676 |
| 8 | MAMassachusetts | $85,130 | $75,210 | $108,590 | 2,280 | $80,496 |
| 9 | TXTexas | $84,930 | $65,560 | $106,140 | 6,830 | $87,505 |
| 10 | WIWisconsin | $84,700 | $76,960 | $100,330 | 1,760 | $90,015 |
| 11 | MDMaryland | $84,050 | $67,510 | $105,860 | 840 | $80,079 |
| 12 | NYNew York | $82,950 | $63,270 | $106,520 | 6,340 | $76,862 |
| 13 | NENebraska | $82,720 | $67,910 | $98,470 | 300 | $91,806 |
| 14 | VAVirginia | $82,550 | $73,410 | $99,420 | 1,670 | $81,649 |
| 15 | COColorado | $82,530 | $65,820 | $104,660 | 1,350 | $80,086 |
| 16 | FLFlorida | $82,410 | $63,580 | $96,720 | 4,320 | $79,689 |
| 17 | UTUtah | $82,320 | $61,650 | $95,990 | 580 | $83,266 |
| 18 | CACalifornia | $81,960 | $62,530 | $116,460 | 5,610 | $74,025 |
| 19 | WAWashington | $81,630 | $69,340 | $104,300 | 1,300 | $76,280 |
| 20 | MNMinnesota | $81,280 | $73,330 | $101,170 | 1,340 | $82,417 |
| 21 | NDNorth Dakota | $80,710 | $67,140 | $106,380 | 150 | $90,727 |
| 22 | NCNorth Carolina | $80,400 | $74,000 | $100,210 | 2,560 | $85,236 |
| 23 | TNTennessee | $80,050 | $65,480 | $98,160 | 1,150 | $87,134 |
| 24 | LALouisiana | $79,960 | $65,510 | $100,240 | 440 | $90,650 |
| 25 | ALAlabama | $79,690 | $61,920 | $93,360 | 1,460 | $89,718 |
| 26 | MEMaine | $79,600 | $63,350 | $101,440 | 420 | $82,020 |
| 27 | SCSouth Carolina | $79,540 | $65,370 | $99,410 | 1,150 | $84,844 |
| 28 | NMNew Mexico | $79,380 | $59,250 | $90,530 | 320 | $86,084 |
| 29 | ILIllinois | $79,150 | $61,060 | $94,750 | 4,940 | $79,183 |
| 30 | AZArizona | $78,980 | $71,230 | $100,590 | 1,930 | $78,449 |
| 31 | MIMichigan | $78,870 | $52,460 | $102,780 | 1,740 | $81,971 |
| 32 | PAPennsylvania | $78,460 | $60,360 | $99,300 | 4,290 | $80,412 |
| 33 | RIRhode Island | $78,340 | $64,120 | $99,590 | 260 | $76,594 |
| 34 | NHNew Hampshire | $78,310 | $66,540 | $91,320 | 320 | $75,179 |
| 35 | OROregon | $78,050 | $60,430 | $100,620 | 450 | $75,512 |
| 36 | MTMontana | $77,980 | $62,430 | $96,420 | 240 | $82,392 |
| 37 | GAGeorgia | $77,720 | $64,000 | $88,850 | 1,590 | $80,712 |
| 38 | IAIowa | $77,360 | $61,360 | $80,080 | 770 | $88,147 |
| 39 | NJNew Jersey | $76,980 | $63,940 | $105,820 | 2,000 | $70,750 |
| 40 | OHOhio | $76,700 | $59,520 | $83,560 | 4,290 | $82,674 |
| 41 | MOMissouri | $76,340 | $61,160 | $97,870 | 1,040 | $84,059 |
| 42 | INIndiana | $76,080 | $61,670 | $96,630 | 1,520 | $81,518 |
| 43 | MSMississippi | $75,060 | $64,280 | $83,120 | 1,050 | $86,322 |
| 44 | WYWyoming | $72,590 | $55,030 | $78,220 | 150 | $78,314 |
| 45 | KYKentucky | $71,920 | $59,550 | $83,830 | 1,130 | $79,770 |
| 46 | OKOklahoma | $67,840 | $61,450 | $77,640 | 640 | $77,229 |
| 47 | VTVermont | $66,660 | $63,520 | $83,430 | N/A | $68,050 |
| 48 | SDSouth Dakota | $66,630 | $62,360 | $79,530 | 250 | $75,215 |
| 49 | ARArkansas | $63,090 | $51,240 | $77,590 | 830 | $72,570 |
| 50 | KSKansas | $62,870 | $52,590 | $79,320 | 470 | $69,803 |
| 51 | WVWest Virginia | $62,210 | $58,540 | $77,220 | 400 | $69,511 |
| 52 | PRPuerto Rico | $58,210 | $48,780 | $81,010 | 380 | N/A |
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 Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary, that changes the ranking: Hawaii leads on raw pay at $129,530, while Hawaii leads once prices are taken into account at $117,807.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Nursing Instructor and Teacher, Postsecondary pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary the most?
Hawaii reports the highest median wage for Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary at $129,530 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by District of Columbia ($107,770) and Delaware ($98,170).
Which state pays Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary the least?
Puerto Rico reports the lowest median for Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary at $58,210 a year, $71,320 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts Hawaii first at $117,807 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $129,530. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.