SalaryExplorer

SOC 25-9045 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary — Waco

Waco, TX · 10 metro areas compared

$30,400 /year
1,320jobs in area
−17.3%vs US median

In Waco, TX the median wage is $30,400.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $36,78010TH$22,91025TH$28,780MEDIAN$30,40075TH$35,81090TH$42,130

How pay has moved

$32,715$18,8252019202020212022202320242025$30,400
$21,140 in 2019 to $30,400 in 2025, +43.8% 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 decline

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
-1.5%
Openings per year
170,400
Typical entry-level education
Some college, no 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 Waco, TX.

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 Waco, TX the median wage is $30,400. That is 17.3% lower than the national median of $36,780. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $28,780 and $35,810. The lowest tenth earn under $22,910, while the highest tenth earn more than $42,130.

Employment stands at 1,320, or 10.2 jobs per thousand held locally. Austin leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $36,740. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 313th of 340 by median pay.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Waco, TX · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$22,910−37.7%
25th$28,780−21.8%
Median (50th)$30,400−17.3%
75th$35,810−2.6%
90th$42,130+14.5%
Mean$31,990−13.0%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Texas

Median annual wage for Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Austin$36,7408,160
2Brownsville$36,7102,160
3Odessa$34,800730
4Dallas$31,48025,270
5Midland$30,000600
6El Paso$29,7402,570
7McAllen$29,5204,030
8Houston$29,30023,930
9Sherman$29,260610
10Killeen$29,2502,110

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Waco run 7.4% below the national average, so the median of $30,400 goes as far as $32,829 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

$30,400as reported by BLS

Local price level

92.6US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$32,829US average = 100 · BEA 2024

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

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $30,400 a year, 17.3% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $22,910 to $42,130 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 1,320 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Austin, at $36,740.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary in Waco, TX?

The median annual wage is $30,400, 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 $36,780, so pay in Waco, TX 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 Waco, TX earns more than $42,130 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $22,910 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 Austin, at $36,740 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 1,320 jobs in this occupation in Waco, TX. 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.