SalaryExplorer

SOC 11-9033 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Education Administrators, Postsecondary — Grand Rapids

Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI · 4 metro areas compared

$99,120 /year
$47.65per hour
550jobs in area
−5.2%vs US median

At $99,120, median pay for Education Administrators, Postsecondary in Grand Rapids, MI tracks the national median of $104,590 closely.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $104,59010TH$60,50025TH$77,370MEDIAN$99,12075TH$124,54090TH$177,220

How pay has moved

$109,653$71,2982019202020212022202320242025$99,120
$82,070 in 2019 to $99,120 in 2025, +20.8% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow more slowly than average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+1.7%
Openings per year
15,100
Typical entry-level education
Master's degree
Related work experience
Less than 5 years

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

At $99,120, median pay for Education Administrators, Postsecondary in Grand Rapids, MI tracks the national median of $104,590 closely. Pay ranges from under $60,500 at the tenth percentile to more than $177,220 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $77,370 to $124,540.

The area has 550 jobs in this occupation, giving a location quotient of 0.79 — a measure of how concentrated the occupation is here relative to the country as a whole. Within the state, Lansing records the highest median at $158,720. Of the 572 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 68th.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$60,500−42.2%
25th$77,370−26.0%
Median (50th)$99,120−5.2%
75th$124,540+19.1%
90th$177,220+69.4%
Mean$108,420+3.7%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Michigan

Median annual wage for Education Administrators, Postsecondary, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Lansing$158,720480
2Ann Arbor$144,340790
3Flint$125,730130
4Detroit$105,9801,410

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Grand Rapids run 4.5% below the national average, so the median of $99,120 goes as far as $103,791 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 0.8% below the national median in real terms.

Published median

$99,120as reported by BLS

Local price level

95.5US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$103,791US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $99,120 a year, 5.2% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $60,500 to $177,220 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 550 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Lansing, at $158,720.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Education Administrators, Postsecondary in Grand Rapids, MI?

The median annual wage is $99,120, or $47.65 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $104,590, so pay in Grand Rapids, MI is 5.2% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Grand Rapids, MI earns more than $177,220 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $60,500 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Lansing, at $158,720 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 550 jobs in this occupation in Grand Rapids, MI. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.