How much does a language professor make?
a year · about $38 an hour
A typical language professor in the United States makes $79,350 a year, about $38 an hour, about 1.6× a typical US worker (median, May 2025, US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
What do they do?
They teach language and culture, lead class discussions, and grade students’ writing or exams. They prepare course materials, help students during office hours, and may do research and publish it.
Did you know? Surprise: this U.S. job category includes college teachers of American Sign Language (ASL), even though the title says “foreign language.”
Is that a lot?
Compared with jobs you knowIf 100 people had this job
Most earn between $49,060 and $136,050How do you become one?
In the U.S., earn a bachelor’s degree, then usually a Ph.D. in your language or literature field; some community colleges may accept a master’s. Graduate students can gain teaching practice as teaching assistants.
School needed: Graduate degree or long training
Good for people who like helping and teaching and figuring things out
Why does pay differ?
In the U.S., pay can vary with experience, advanced degrees, employer type, and location. Full-time versus part-time work matters too; colleges, universities, and professional schools generally pay more than community colleges.
Where does it pay most?
Highest in California ($99,860), lowest in North Carolina ($63,900).
See every state
Top 5 and bottom 3 states, typical (median) yearly pay.
Jobs like this
Data table and sources
| Lower earner (10th from bottom) | Typical person (median) | Higher earner (10th from top) | People in this job |
|---|---|---|---|
| $49,060 | $79,350 | $136,050 | about 20,000 |
| State | Typical person (median) | People in this job |
|---|---|---|
| California | $99,860 | about 2,000 |
| Massachusetts | $98,750 | about 960 |
| New York | $95,120 | about 2,000 |
| Oregon | $91,670 | about 510 |
| Michigan | $83,190 | about 500 |
Official definition: Teach languages and literature courses in languages other than English. Includes teachers of American Sign Language (ASL). Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (bls.gov); descriptions and related jobs from O*NET 31.0. Figures as of May 2025, full-time yearly pay (hourly × 2,080 hours). bls.gov/oes · O*NET OnLine
Pages used for the text
- www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes251124.htm
- www.onetonline.org/link/details/25-1124.00
- www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/postsecondary-teachers.htm
- www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2015/article/wage-differences.htm
Data: US BLS OEWS, May 2025 · 1 USD = 150 JPY