SOC 25-1065 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary — New Orleans
New Orleans-Metairie, LA
Median pay for this occupation in New Orleans, LA is $81,070 a year, trailing the national median of $98,070 by 17.3%.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to grow about as fast as average
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- +2.0%
- Openings per year
- 1,600
- Typical entry-level education
- Doctoral or professional degree
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 New Orleans-Metairie, LA.
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
Median pay for this occupation in New Orleans, LA is $81,070 a year, trailing the national median of $98,070 by 17.3%. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $64,950 and $97,730. The lowest tenth earn under $49,990, while the highest tenth earn more than $157,750.
Of the 505 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 109th.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $49,990 | −49.0% |
| 25th | $64,950 | −33.8% |
| Median (50th) | $81,070 | −17.3% |
| 75th | $97,730 | −0.3% |
| 90th | $157,750 | +60.9% |
| Mean | $91,360 | −6.8% |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in New Orleans run 7.4% below the national average, so the median of $81,070 goes as far as $87,549 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 10.7% below the national median in real terms.
Published median
$81,070as reported by BLSLocal price level
92.6US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$87,549US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $81,070 a year, 17.3% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $49,990 to $157,750 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary in New Orleans, LA?
The median annual wage is $81,070, 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 $98,070, so pay in New Orleans, LA is 17.3% 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 New Orleans, LA earns more than $157,750 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $49,990 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.
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.
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