SalaryExplorer

SOC 25-1193 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary — Philadelphia

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD · 2 metro areas compared

$83,600 /year
240jobs in area
+8.2%vs US median

In Philadelphia, PA the median wage for Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary is $83,600 a year, which is 8.2% higher than the national figure of $77,270.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $77,27010TH$44,93025TH$65,370MEDIAN$83,60075TH$119,63090TH$139,300

How pay has moved

$88,963$56,7882019202020212022202320242025$83,600
$69,650 in 2019 to $83,600 in 2025, +20% 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 about as fast as average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+2.4%
Openings per year
1,100
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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD.

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

In Philadelphia, PA the median wage for Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary is $83,600 a year, which is 8.2% higher than the national figure of $77,270. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $65,370 and $119,630. The lowest tenth earn under $44,930, while the highest tenth earn more than $139,300.

The area has 240 jobs in this occupation, giving a location quotient of 1.01 — a measure of how concentrated the occupation is here relative to the country as a whole. Within the state, Pittsburgh records the highest median at $101,550. Of the 713 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 189th.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$44,930−41.9%
25th$65,370−15.4%
Median (50th)$83,600+8.2%
75th$119,630+54.8%
90th$139,300+80.3%
Mean$94,610+22.4%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Pennsylvania

Median annual wage for Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Pittsburgh$101,55080
2Harrisburg$64,530—

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Philadelphia run 2.6% above the national average, so the median of $83,600 buys what $81,481 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way the gap against the national median narrows to 5.4% above the national median in real terms.

Published median

$83,600as reported by BLS

Local price level

102.6US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$81,481US average = 100 · BEA 2024

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

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $83,600 a year, 8.2% above the national median.
  • Published pay spans $44,930 to $139,300 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 240 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Pittsburgh, at $101,550.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary in Philadelphia, PA?

The median annual wage is $83,600, 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 $77,270, so pay in Philadelphia, PA is 8.2% higher. 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 Philadelphia, PA earns more than $139,300 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $44,930 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 Pittsburgh, at $101,550 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 240 jobs in this occupation in Philadelphia, PA. 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.