PathMosaic
Career card

Economics Teachers, Postsecondary

Also called: Economics Instructor, Economics Professor, Instructor, Professor

Teach courses in economics. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

Share on LinkedIn Download images

LinkedIn posts a link with a summary picture. Images: two pictures to save or post. PDF: the whole card. More

Median pay BLS, 2025$123,920
Openings a year BLS, 2025–351,000
Typical education to start BLSDoctoral or professional degree
AI exposure BLS, Aug 2026 High
Projected job growth BLS, 2025–35 +2.4%

What the data says: AI could halve the time on 14 of its 22 tasks, yet jobs are projected to grow 2.4% by 2035. How to think about this →

About this projection

BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”

It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”

On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”

Recent conditions

  • In 2024, 2.1% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Postsecondary teachers”
  • From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.8 hires for every 10 job openings in private educational services, which employs about 100% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.

How to read these

Pay compared with all occupations BLS median wages Pays more than 91% of 825 occupations
lowest-paidhighest-paid

Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates

$77k$202knot published

Median pay in every state
StateMedianMiddle half earnJobs
Alabama$101,250$76,590 to $129,65090
Arizona$137,250$110,100 to $190,510100
Arkansas$76,610$70,190 to $105,90040
California$137,360$100,310 to $205,580770
Colorado$98,870$73,490 to $138,460270
Connecticut$155,950$99,260 to $213,490300
District of Columbia$161,860$128,480 to $211,020220
Florida$91,140$64,600 to $100,450150
Georgia$117,600$85,430 to $147,370370
Illinois$124,850$86,890 to $166,630460
Indiana$105,390$76,790 to $167,630150
Iowa$85,090$78,410 to $116,01080
Kansas$103,490$86,510 to $173,880130
Kentucky$106,250$62,700 to $167,950120
Louisiana$132,670$102,010 to $161,75070
Maine$125,960$90,430 to $144,21070
Maryland$133,540$96,190 to $216,470200
Massachusetts$164,410$110,130 to $214,310750
Michigan$129,400$86,880 to $180,650350
Minnesota$108,460$82,290 to $128,990250
Mississippi$88,290$81,480 to $101,12070
Missouri$116,530$87,230 to $184,080150
Nebraska$130,980$87,310 to $164,46090
New Hampshire$201,610$167,770 to $323,84080
New Jersey$109,880$70,550 to $173,200410
New Mexico$110,020$109,190 to $132,27060
New York$127,500$87,660 to $178,7801,240
North Carolina$114,200$77,750 to $147,090490
Ohio$105,930$97,510 to $127,420410
Oklahoma$107,260$83,070 to $137,990110
Oregon$136,450$104,090 to $173,760180
Pennsylvania$117,970$97,360 to $129,900610
South Carolina$109,060$83,860 to $135,710110
South Dakota$85,700$53,840 to $105,88040
Tennessee$104,560$77,220 to $144,530250
Texas$118,530$83,130 to $160,330770
Utah$128,370$102,870 to $170,490150
Vermont$134,850$105,420 to $138,94080
Virginia$128,790$83,740 to $174,530460
Washington$96,500$75,670 to $123,330190
West Virginia$91,170$71,190 to $129,96040
Wisconsin$99,970$84,300 to $160,730310

Nationally: $123,920. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this

How AI touches the work

What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.

AI could halve the time on 14 of its 22 tasks

5 · AI alone could halve the time 9 · AI + software built on it could 8 · Not much
AI ratingIts main tasks Share of Claude conversations
May 2026
Not much Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as econometrics, price theory, and macroeconomics. Not published
Not much Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences. Not published
AI alone Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts. Not published
AI + software Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers. Not published
AI alone Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media. Not published
AI + software Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction. Not published
See all 22 tasks
AI + software Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others. Not published
Not much Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions. Not published
AI + software Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records. Not published
AI + software Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students. Not published
AI + software Advise students on academic and vocational curricula and on career issues. Not published
AI + software Collaborate with colleagues to address teaching and research issues. Not published
AI + software Select and obtain materials and supplies, such as textbooks. Not published
Not much Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work. Not published
AI alone Compile bibliographies of specialized materials for outside reading assignments. Not published
Not much Participate in student recruitment, registration, and placement activities. Not published
Not much Serve on academic or administrative committees that deal with institutional policies, departmental matters, and academic issues. Not published
AI + software Perform administrative duties, such as serving as department head. Not published
Not much Participate in campus and community events. Not published
AI alone Write grant proposals to procure external research funding. Not published
Not much Act as advisers to student organizations. Not published
AI alone Provide professional consulting services to government or industry. Not published

Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 22 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.

Where people already use AI

The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 22 tasks fall under 19 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.

Tasks AI could speed up14 of 22 tasksEloundou et al. ratings (2023)
Its activities among the 50 people ask AI for help with most7 of 19 activities
  • #4 Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise
  • #10 Write material for artistic or commercial purposes
  • #23 Prepare informational or instructional materials
  • and 4 more, in the table below
Microsoft Copilot (2024), ranked among all 332 activities. The cut-off of 50 is ours.
Work activity This occupation's tasks under it People asked AI for help
in 10,000 conversations		 AI did it for them
in 10,000 conversations
Advise others on educational or vocational matters 14#74 34#36
Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise 408#4 247#8
Teach academic or vocational subjects 22#54 143#14
Assess student capabilities, needs, or performance 2.31#189 0.62#188
Write material for artistic or commercial purposes 149#10 105#18
Prepare informational or instructional materials 73#23 195#11
Perform administrative or clerical activities 58#30 25#44
Compile records, documentation, or other data 52#33 33#37
Show all 19 activities
Purchase goods or services 47#36 0.39#220
Select materials or equipment for operations or projects 45#38 19#49
Evaluate programs, practices, or processes 15#67 5.67#80
Promote products, services, or programs 14#72 85#20
Plan events or programs 5.26#123 1.90#133
Maintain operational records 2.92#170 0.49#209
Develop educational programs, plans, or procedures 2.52#181 2.47#121
Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures 1.85#204 0.36#225
Prepare proposals or grant applications 1.47#214 0.60#190
Supervise personnel activities 0.56#266 0.05#283
Serve on organizational committees 0.21#294 0.04#288
Task: AI alone Task: AI + software Task: not much #: rank among all 332 activities Microsoft measured (#1 = most common; activities that never came up share last place, shown as “tied”)
Where the two sources differ: “Assess student capabilities, needs, or performance” holds 2 tasks rated AI + software, yet people asked AI for help with it in 2.31 of every 10,000 conversations, #189 of 332.

How people in this work use Claude

What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations

  • An explanation or answer24%
  • Teaching material18%
  • A document or report14%
  • Advice or a recommendation10%
  • An analysis or summary9%

How they worked with Claude

29% handed the task off71% worked on it together

19% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.

How to read this

Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for economics teachers, postsecondary specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.

The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.

More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude

High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs

BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.

AI exposure and projected job growth, 831 occupationsLow exposure: 134 of 213 occupations projected to grow. Moderate exposure: 151 of 206 occupations projected to grow. High exposure: 165 of 206 occupations projected to grow. Very high exposure: 141 of 206 occupations projected to grow.-20%-15%-10%-5%0%+5%+10%+15%+20%+25%Low134 of 213 growingModerate151 of 206 growingHigh165 of 206 growingVery high141 of 206 growing11 occupations outside −20% to +25% are drawn at the edge. Click a dot to see that occupation.Economics teachers, postsecondary: +2.4%Economics Teachers, PostsecondaryAI exposure and projected job growth, 831 occupationsLow exposure: 134 of 213 occupations projected to grow. Moderate exposure: 151 of 206 occupations projected to grow. High exposure: 165 of 206 occupations projected to grow. Very high exposure: 141 of 206 occupations projected to grow.-20%-15%-10%-5%0%+5%+10%+15%+20%+25%Low134 of 213Moderate151 of 206High165 of 206Very high141 of 20611 occupations outside −20% to +25% are drawn at the edge. Tap a dot.Economics teachers, postsecondary: +2.4%Economics Teachers, Postsecondary

Career moves into and out of this occupation

From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.

Where people moved next

of 1,879 moves out

  1. 1 Management Analysts Very high +10.1% 9%
  2. 2 Operations Research Analysts Very high +11.9% 6%
  3. 3 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 6%
  4. 4 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
  5. 5 Chief Executives Very high +3.2% 3%

Where people moved in from

of 4,113 moves in

  1. 1 Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse Low -2.4% 9%
  2. 2 Operations Research Analysts Very high +11.9% 8%
  3. 3 Management Analysts Very high +10.1% 6%
  4. 4 Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists Very high +7.0% 5%
  5. 5 Human Resources Specialists Very high +6.4% 5%

Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).

Education and training for the occupation

Education people in it hold

O*NET survey of workers in this occupation

  • 2% bachelor's
  • 7% master's
  • 10% post-master's certificate
  • 81% research doctorate

O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 26 people answered.

Census survey (American Community Survey)

  • 1% less than high school
  • 3% high school
  • 4% some college
  • 2% associate's
  • 16% bachelor's
  • 28% master's
  • 5% professional degree
  • 42% doctorate

Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Postsecondary teachers” · 15,280 people surveyed.

Why the two can differ

O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide

Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Postsecondary teachers”

Programs that prepare people for it (NCES)
15 programs, such as Agricultural Economics, Environmental/Natural Resource Economics and Economics and Computer Science.
See all
  • Agricultural Economics
  • Environmental/Natural Resource Economics
  • Economics and Computer Science
  • Economics and Foreign Language/Literature
  • Mathematical Economics
  • Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
  • Economics, General
  • Applied Economics
  • Econometrics and Quantitative Economics
  • Development Economics and International Development
  • International Economics
  • Economics, Other
  • Political Economy
  • Pharmacoeconomics/Pharmaceutical Economics
  • Business/Managerial Economics

Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023

2.7% this occupation

45.3% all occupations

By kindThis occupationAll occupations
a certification<0.5%5.8%
an educational certificate<0.5%2.8%
a licensenot published

Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this

Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor

These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide

See where your own career could go Start by uploading your resume Browse careers

BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS

See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/25-1063.00

How useful is this page?

1 Not useful5 Very useful

Anonymous. Please don't include your name or contact details.