Occupation salary profile

Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary

SOC 25-1052 BLS OEWS May 2025 H-1B LCAs, last 12 months

Teach courses pertaining to the chemical and physical properties and compositional changes of substances. Work may include providing instruction in the methods of qualitative and quantitative chemical analysis. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching, and those who do a combination of teaching and research. Excludes “Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary” (25-1042) who teach biochemistry.

National median · BLS
$93,250
▲ +8.15% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
$79,250
▲ +3.96% YoY · 251 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$105,210
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
19,980
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.

Pay range for Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 251 certified Labor Condition Applications filed by sponsoring employers in the last 12 months.

Percentile All U.S. workers (BLS) H-1B sponsored
10th — entry pay$57,870$59,000
25th$68,530$65,170
Median (50th)$93,250$79,250
75th$127,280$97,668
90th — top pay$172,110$111,500
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $79,250 for Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary — 15% below the BLS national median of $93,250.

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Based on hrs/week × weeks/year = 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary

BLS projects employment of chemistry teachers, postsecondary to grow 2.3% from 2025 to 2035, slower than the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 1,700 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
24,900 → 25,400
+600 jobs
Projected change
+2.3%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
1,700
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Doctoral or professional degree
No related experience required
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 5)
Extensive Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Fastest-growing jobs → Best-paying jobs that need a doctoral or professional degree →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035 · BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook →

H-1B sponsored pay

Pay by H-1B wage level

Employers assign every H-1B filing a Department of Labor prevailing-wage level, from Level I (entry) to Level IV (fully competent). Pay rises steeply with level.

H-1B median $79,250
Change vs prior year +3.96%
After inflation (CPI-U) +0.8%
Wage level LCAs Share P25 Median P75
Level I 170 67.7% $63,000 $71,340 $91,550
Level II 46 18.3% $85,099 $98,050 $115,000
H-1B job titles

Salaries by job title in Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary

The 3 most-filed job titles inside SOC 25-1052, from 251 H-1B filings. Seniority words and level numbers are grouped (“Senior Data Engineer II” counts as Data Engineer). Tap a title for its full range, wage levels and the exact titles employers used.

Job title LCAs Share P25 Median P75 YoY
Assistant Professor 100 39.84% $80,962 $94,728 $105,200 +2.09%
Assistant Professor of Chemistry 41 16.33% $65,774 $72,250 $87,000 +1.76%
Lecturer 13 5.18% $63,213 $66,000 $78,000 -2.7%

Titles are cleaned from the employer's own LCA text (codes and typos removed, nothing invented). Rows need 10+ filings in this SOC.

Skills & tools

Skills needed for Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary

How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.

Top skills
  • Reading Comprehension4.1
  • Speaking4.1
  • Writing4.1
  • Active Learning4.0
  • Active Listening4.0
  • Critical Thinking4.0
  • Learning Strategies4.0
  • Monitoring4.0
  • Science4.0
  • Complex Problem Solving3.9
Top knowledge areas
  • Chemistry4.8
  • English Language4.5
  • Mathematics4.5
  • Education and Training4.5
  • Biology3.6
  • Physics3.4
  • Engineering and Technology3.4
  • Computers and Electronics3.3
Software and technology used
Learning management system LMSGoogle DocsMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft WordAuto3DEMBlackboard LearnCCP4Collaborative editing softwareCourse management system softwareDesire2Learn LMS softwareDOC CopEmail softwareIHRSR++Image scanning softwareiParadigms Turnitin

Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

About the job

What chemistry teachers, postsecondary do

  • Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as organic chemistry, analytical chemistry, and chemical separation.
  • Establish, teach, and monitor students' compliance with safety rules for handling chemicals, equipment, and other hazardous materials.
  • Evaluate and grade students' class work, laboratory performance, assignments, and papers.
  • Supervise students' laboratory work.
  • Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
  • Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work.
  • Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
  • Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
Also called
Assistant ProfessorChemistry InstructorChemistry ProfessorProfessorAssociate ProfessorBiochemistry ProfessorChemistry Faculty MemberInstructorLecturerOrganic Chemistry Professor
More job titles for this occupation (22)
Adjunct Chemistry InstructorAdjunct Chemistry ProfessorAdjunct InstructorAnalytical Chemistry TeacherChemical EducatorChemistry Adjunct InstructorChemistry Adjunct ProfessorChemistry Assistant ProfessorChemistry Lab InstructorCollege Faculty MemberCollege ProfessorGeneral Chemistry InstructorIndustrial Chemistry TeacherInorganic Chemistry ProfessorInorganic Chemistry TeacherOrganic Chemistry InstructorOrganic Chemistry TeacherPharmacognosy TeacherPhysical Chemistry ProfessorPhysical Chemistry TeacherPhytochemistry ProfessorUniversity Faculty Member

Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.