Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary · SOC 25-1072
Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondarys
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025U.S. metropolitan areas
Metro areas ranked by published median annual wage for nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary. Areas where BLS suppressed the median are not ranked (1 such areas are excluded here). Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.
Top 25 of 177 metro areas
| # | Metro area | Median annual | Employment | Per 1,000 jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Waco, TX | $206,810 | 60 | 0.4 |
| 2 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $150,400 | 140 | 0.1 |
| 3 | Fresno, CA | $135,080 | 110 | 0.2 |
| 4 | Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC | $111,820 | 260 | 1.1 |
| 5 | Amherst Town-Northampton, MA | $111,440 | 100 | 1.4 |
| 6 | Wilmington, NC | $110,620 | 220 | 1.1 |
| 7 | Ann Arbor, MI | $109,080 | 230 | 1.1 |
| 8 | Fargo, ND-MN | $106,380 | 70 | 0.5 |
| 9 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $103,900 | 360 | 0.2 |
| 10 | Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $103,010 | 1,580 | 0.5 |
| 11 | Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | $101,640 | Not published | Not published |
| 12 | Columbia, SC | $101,340 | 260 | 0.7 |
| 13 | Springfield, IL | $101,250 | 40 | 0.4 |
| 14 | Flagstaff, AZ | $101,160 | 50 | 0.8 |
| 15 | New Haven, CT | $100,170 | 360 | 1.3 |
| 16 | Reno, NV | $99,120 | 150 | 0.6 |
| 17 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $98,970 | 1,180 | 0.3 |
| 18 | Greenville, NC | $98,380 | 100 | 1.3 |
| 19 | Bakersfield-Delano, CA | $98,360 | 70 | 0.2 |
| 20 | Bellingham, WA | $97,870 | 60 | 0.7 |
| 21 | Eau Claire, WI | $97,630 | 80 | 1.0 |
| 22 | Omaha, NE-IA | $97,390 | 180 | 0.4 |
| 23 | Visalia, CA | $97,360 | 80 | 0.5 |
| 24 | Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT | $97,190 | 60 | 0.5 |
| 25 | Binghamton, NY | $97,130 | 110 | 1.1 |
Full state and metro tables, the national distribution, and the pay map are on the Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary overview.
About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.