Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary
Also called: Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Instructor, ProfessorTeach courses in childcare, family relations, finance, nutrition, and related subjects pertaining to home management. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 21 of its 23 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.7.8 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $63,420 | $53,640 to $69,120 | 30 |
| California | $97,620 | $58,220 to $129,440 | 380 |
| Florida | $63,770 | $52,170 to $77,170 | 40 |
| Illinois | $80,220 | $53,630 to $85,900 | 140 |
| Indiana | $65,740 | $53,520 to $82,040 | 70 |
| Iowa | $79,310 | $69,250 to $132,220 | 40 |
| Kentucky | $73,460 | $54,430 to $82,760 | 80 |
| Michigan | $83,500 | $74,450 to $110,580 | 50 |
| Mississippi | $60,650 | $48,530 to $75,200 | 150 |
| Missouri | $76,320 | $62,040 to $99,320 | 110 |
| New Jersey | $53,250 | $49,920 to $54,060 | 80 |
| North Carolina | $78,770 | $62,030 to $90,420 | 290 |
| Ohio | $83,400 | $60,770 to $98,080 | 90 |
| Oklahoma | $83,200 | $65,580 to $83,940 | 60 |
| Oregon | $75,870 | $61,440 to $104,780 | 60 |
| Pennsylvania | $78,220 | $60,590 to $124,670 | 100 |
| Rhode Island | $80,200 | $64,250 to $97,190 | 40 |
| South Carolina | $74,010 | $51,060 to $102,060 | 60 |
| Utah | $76,790 | $61,210 to $104,040 | 190 |
| Virginia | $63,580 | $50,110 to $81,910 | 80 |
| Washington | $63,840 | $50,780 to $80,150 | 80 |
Nationally: $75,870. 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 21 of its 23 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI + software | Evaluate and grade students' class work, laboratory work, projects, assignments, and papers. | under 0.01% |
| AI alone | Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts. | Not published |
| AI alone | Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences. | Not published |
| AI + software | Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction. | Not published |
| AI alone | Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions. | Not published |
| AI + software | Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records. | Not published |
See all 23 tasks
| AI + software | Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others. | Not published |
| AI + software | Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students. | Not published |
| AI alone | Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as food science, nutrition, and child care. | Not published |
| AI + software | Advise students on academic and vocational curricula and on career issues. | Not published |
| AI + software | Select and obtain materials and supplies, such as textbooks. | Not published |
| AI + software | Collaborate with colleagues to address teaching and research issues. | Not published |
| Not much | Participate in campus and community events. | Not published |
| Not much | Serve on academic or administrative committees that deal with institutional policies, departmental matters, and academic issues. | Not published |
| AI + software | Participate in student recruitment, registration, and placement activities. | Not published |
| AI alone | Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work. | Not published |
| AI alone | Compile bibliographies of specialized materials for outside reading assignments. | 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 alone | Write grant proposals to procure external research funding. | Not published |
| AI alone | Act as advisers to student organizations. | Not published |
| AI + software | Conduct faculty performance evaluations. | Not published |
| AI alone | Provide professional consulting services to government or industry. | Not published |
| AI + software | Perform administrative duties, such as serving as department head. | 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. 1 of the 23 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 23 tasks fall under 21 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.
- #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
| 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 | |||
| Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise | |||
| Teach academic or vocational subjects | |||
| Assess student capabilities, needs, or performance | |||
| Write material for artistic or commercial purposes | |||
| Prepare informational or instructional materials | |||
| Perform administrative or clerical activities | |||
| Compile records, documentation, or other data |
Show all 21 activities
| Purchase goods or services | |||
| Select materials or equipment for operations or projects | |||
| Evaluate programs, practices, or processes | |||
| Promote products, services, or programs | |||
| Monitor individual behavior or performance | |||
| Plan events or programs | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Develop educational programs, plans, or procedures | |||
| Evaluate personnel capabilities or performance | |||
| Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures | |||
| Prepare proposals or grant applications | |||
| Supervise personnel activities | |||
| Serve on organizational committees |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- An explanation or answer28%
- Teaching material18%
- Advice or a recommendation12%
- A document or report12%
- A plan or strategy8%
How they worked with Claude
15% 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 family and consumer sciences 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.
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 1,034 moves out
- 1 Human Resources Specialists Very high +6.4% 13%
- 2 Dietitians and Nutritionists Very high +7.7% 9%
- 3 Writers and Authors Very high -0.3% 7%
- 4 Editors Very high -1.1% 7%
- 5 Health Education Specialists Very high +5.6% 5%
Where people moved in from
of 1,911 moves in
- 1 Dietitians and Nutritionists Very high +7.7% 18%
- 2 Human Resources Specialists Very high +6.4% 18%
- 3 Writers and Authors Very high -0.3% 8%
- 4 Editors Very high -1.1% 6%
- 5 Childcare Workers Moderate -2.0% 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
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 2% postsecondary certificate
- 1% some college
- 4% bachelor's
- 8% post-bachelor's certificate
- 36% master's
- 48% research doctorate
- 1% post-doctoral training
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 39 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”
24 programs, such as Family and Consumer Sciences/Home Economics Teacher Education, Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General and Business Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences.
See all
- Family and Consumer Sciences/Home Economics Teacher Education
- Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General
- Business Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
- Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Communication
- Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Business Services, Other
- Family Resource Management Studies, General
- Consumer Economics
- Consumer Services and Advocacy
- Family and Consumer Economics and Related Services, Other
- Foods, Nutrition, and Wellness Studies, General
- Human Nutrition
- Foodservice Systems Administration/Management
- Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services, Other
- Housing and Human Environments, General
- Human Development and Family Studies, General
- Adult Development and Aging
- Family Systems
- Child Development
- Child Care and Support Services Management
- Apparel and Textiles, General
- Apparel and Textile Manufacture
- Textile Science
- Work and Family Studies
- Nutrition Sciences
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
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
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