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Economics Teachers, Postsecondary

Economics Teachers, Postsecondary: Career Overview

Teach courses in economics. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

The Daily Work of Economics Teachers, Postsecondary Perform?

The core tasks performed by economics teachers, postsecondary span:

  • Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as econometrics, price theory, and macroeconomics.
  • Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
  • Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media.
  • Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
  • Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers.
  • Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction.
  • Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
  • Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.

Skills and Knowledge

Successful economics teachers, postsecondary combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.

Most Important Skills

The competencies most central to this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Speaking  4.1 / 5
0
5
Reading Comprehension  4.0 / 5
0
5
Active Listening  4.0 / 5
0
5
Writing  4.0 / 5
0
5
Instructing  4.0 / 5
0
5
Learning Strategies  3.9 / 5
0
5

Top Knowledge Areas

Mathematics  4.5 / 5
0
5
Education and Training  4.3 / 5
0
5
Economics and Accounting  4.2 / 5
0
5
English Language  4.1 / 5
0
5
Computers and Electronics  2.9 / 5
0
5
Administration and Management  2.9 / 5
0
5

Other Economics Teachers, Postsecondary Job Titles

People in this occupation may also be known by titles such as:

  • Accounting Lecturer
  • Adjunct Economics Instructor
  • Adjunct Economics Professor
  • Adjunct Professor
  • Agricultural Economics Professor
  • Agricultural Economics Teacher
  • Assistant Professor
  • Associate Professor

Employment and Demand

The U.S. employs around 807,075 economics teachers, postsecondary working in the United States today. Demand is forecast to grow by +2.9% over the projection horizon.

Forecasted number of jobs for Economics Teachers, Postsecondary

Economics Teachers, Postsecondary Pay

Statistic Value
Annual median $69,831
Hourly median $33.57
10th percentile $41,396
25th percentile $55,613
75th percentile $84,048
90th percentile $98,265

Wages vary widely based on experience, location, and industry.

Salary ranges for Economics Teachers, Postsecondary

Economics Teachers, Postsecondary Salary by State

State Annual median salary
New Hampshire $154,840
Connecticut $136,630
Massachusetts $135,070
District of Columbia $134,620
New York $134,480
California $133,230
Arizona $131,710
Maryland $128,150
Virginia $127,420
New Jersey $127,050
Illinois $125,230
Michigan $123,840
Texas $121,610
Pennsylvania $120,010
Maine $118,150
Alabama $116,190
North Carolina $109,890
Iowa $108,320
Kentucky $107,810
Georgia $107,680
Vermont $107,040
New Mexico $105,570
Tennessee $104,760
Minnesota $103,920
Wisconsin $103,740
Oregon $103,560
Oklahoma $102,930
Indiana $102,780
Utah $102,590
Idaho $102,100
Delaware $101,670
South Carolina $101,110
Arkansas $100,110
Kansas $99,320
Colorado $98,060
Ohio $96,840
Mississippi $95,420
West Virginia $86,250
Washington $85,630
Florida $56,560

Pay by U.S. Region

Compensation for economics teachers, postsecondary shift depending on where you work. These regions lead on median pay:

Region Median annual wage Share of U.S. jobs Location quotient
Middle Atlantic $129,151 22.8% 1.59
New England $124,665 11.7% 2.44
Far Western US $122,729 11.7% 0.74
Southwest $119,584 9.3% 0.75
Great Lakes $113,582 13.3% 0.94
Southeast $100,659 22.4% 0.99
Rocky Mountains $99,990 4.0% 1.11
Plains States $77,008 4.9% 0.91

Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Economics Teachers, Postsecondary

Metro area State Median annual wage Employment
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA CA $186,670 60
College Station-Bryan, TX TX $168,620 60
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX TX $162,440 120
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH MA $162,050 550
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ NY $157,180 1,030
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV DC $155,870 320
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA CA $153,130 140
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA CA $145,190 170

Industry Breakdown

The largest employers of economics teachers, postsecondary are concentrated in the following sectors:

Industry Employment Median annual wage
Educational Services 12,420 n/a

The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.

Tech Stack

  • Web page creation and editing software: Facebook (hot technology)
  • Word processing software: Google Docs (hot technology)
  • Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
  • Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
  • Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
  • Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
  • Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
  • Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
  • Object or component oriented development software: Python (hot technology)
  • Object or component oriented development software: R (hot technology)
  • Analytical or scientific software: The MathWorks MATLAB (hot technology)
  • Computer based training software: Learning management system LMS (in demand)

Work Environment

The on-the-job environment of economics teachers, postsecondary reflects the following characteristics:

  • E-Mail
  • Freedom to Make Decisions
  • Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals
  • Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
  • Spend Time Sitting

Getting Started in This Career

The role falls in Extensive Preparation Needed (Job Zone 5), reflecting the level of preparation typically expected.

Similar Occupations

References

Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:

  • U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
  • BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
  • O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.

SOC code: 25-1063.00 (Economics Teachers, Postsecondary).

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