Occupation salary profile

Physics Teachers, Postsecondary

SOC 25-1054 BLS OEWS May 2025 H-1B LCAs, last 12 months

Teach courses pertaining to the laws of matter and energy. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

National median · BLS
$100,310
▲ +3.03% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
$88,732
▼ -1.41% YoY · 220 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$111,460
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
13,090
Jobs (BLS)
Highest-paying state (cost-adjusted) Loading…
Most jobs Loading…
Highest-paying metro (cost-adjusted) Loading…

Check your salary

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 Physics Teachers, Postsecondary

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 220 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$60,200$62,040
25th$74,050$70,000
Median (50th)$100,310$88,732
75th$132,650$105,000
90th — top pay$177,850$118,675
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $88,732 for Physics Teachers, Postsecondary — 11.5% below the BLS national median of $100,310.

Hourly ⇄ annual pay

Type in either box; the other updates instantly.

Monthly—
Every 2 weeks—
Weekly—
Daily—
Based on hrs/week × weeks/year = 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Physics Teachers, Postsecondary

BLS projects employment of physics teachers, postsecondary to grow 2.4% from 2025 to 2035, slower than the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 1,100 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
16,400 → 16,800
+400 jobs
Projected change
+2.4%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
1,100
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 $88,732
Change vs prior year -1.41%
After inflation (CPI-U) -4.4%
Wage level LCAs Share P25 Median P75
Level I 138 62.7% $66,062 $79,550 $100,438
Level II 39 17.7% $82,000 $97,000 $111,754
H-1B job titles

Salaries by job title in Physics Teachers, Postsecondary

The 3 most-filed job titles inside SOC 25-1054, from 220 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 113 51.36% $88,930 $97,343 $108,500 -1.01%
Lecturer 19 8.64% $67,340 $72,467 $80,526 +5.68%
Assistant Professor of Physics 17 7.73% $65,000 $73,902 $91,800 -0.6%

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 Physics 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
  • Instructing4.3
  • Reading Comprehension4.1
  • Science4.1
  • Speaking4.1
  • Active Learning4.0
  • Active Listening4.0
  • Critical Thinking4.0
  • Learning Strategies4.0
  • Writing4.0
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.8
Top knowledge areas
  • Mathematics4.8
  • Physics4.5
  • Education and Training4.4
  • English Language4.2
  • Computers and Electronics3.9
  • Chemistry3.4
  • Engineering and Technology3.3
  • Mechanical2.9
Software and technology used
Learning management system LMSAutodesk AutoCADCC++Google DocsMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft WindowsMicrosoft WordPerlThe MathWorks MATLABBlackboard LearnCollaborative editing softwareCourse management system softwareDesire2Learn LMS softwareDOC Cop

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 physics teachers, postsecondary do

  • Evaluate and grade students' class work, laboratory work, assignments, and papers.
  • Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
  • Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
  • Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as quantum mechanics, particle physics, and optics.
  • Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students.
  • Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work.
  • Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
  • Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
Also called
InstructorPhysics InstructorPhysics ProfessorProfessorAdjunct ProfessorAssistant ProfessorAssociate ProfessorPhysical Science ProfessorPhysics LecturerScience Instructor
More job titles for this occupation (35)
Acoustics TeacherAdjunct InstructorAdjunct Physics InstructorAdjunct Physics ProfessorAerodynamics ProfessorAerodynamics TeacherAstrophysics ProfessorAstrophysics TeacherAtomic Physics ProfessorAtomic Physics TeacherBallistics ProfessorBallistics TeacherCollege Faculty MemberCollege ProfessorGeospatial Analysis InstructorHydrodynamics ProfessorHydrodynamics TeacherLecturerMCAT Physics Instructor (Medical College Admission Test Physics Instructor)Medical Physics ProfessorMedical Physics TeacherNuclear InstructorNuclear Physics ProfessorNuclear Physics TeacherPhysical Optics TeacherPhysics Adjunct InstructorPhysics Adjunct ProfessorPhysics Faculty MemberPostdoctoral Scholar (Postdoc Scholar)Science ProfessorTeacherTheoretical Physics TeacherThermodynamics ProfessorThermodynamics TeacherUniversity 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.