SalaryExplorer

SOC 25-1067 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary — South Bend

South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI · 1 metro areas compared

$75,580 /year
60jobs in area
−10.3%vs US median

Median pay for this occupation in South Bend, IN is $75,580 a year, trailing the national median of $84,290 by 10.3%.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $84,29010TH$46,270MEDIAN$75,58075TH$93,84090TH$144,820

How pay has moved

$107,143$69,2682022202320242025$75,580
$100,830 in 2022 to $75,580 in 2025, -25% 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
+2.1%
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 South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-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

Median pay for this occupation in South Bend, IN is $75,580 a year, trailing the national median of $84,290 by 10.3%. Half of workers earn between $72,240 and $93,840. Beyond that band, the tenth percentile sits at $46,270 and the ninetieth at $144,820.

The area has 60 jobs in this occupation, giving a location quotient of 5.96 — a measure of how concentrated the occupation is here relative to the country as a whole. Indianapolis leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $97,280. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 84th of 387 by median pay.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$46,270−45.1%
25th$72,240−14.3%
Median (50th)$75,580−10.3%
75th$93,840+11.3%
90th$144,820+71.8%
Mean$86,560+2.7%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Indiana

Median annual wage for Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Indianapolis$97,28060

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in South Bend run 7.1% below the national average, so the median of $75,580 goes as far as $81,356 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 3.5% below the national median in real terms.

Published median

$75,580as reported by BLS

Local price level

92.9US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$81,356US average = 100 · BEA 2024

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

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $75,580 a year, 10.3% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $46,270 to $144,820 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 60 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Indianapolis, at $97,280.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary in South Bend, IN?

The median annual wage is $75,580, 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 $84,290, so pay in South Bend, IN is 10.3% 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 South Bend, IN earns more than $144,820 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $46,270 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 Indianapolis, at $97,280 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 60 jobs in this occupation in South Bend, IN. 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.