College Professor salary in California
BLS does not publish a separate estimate for College Professors. The figures on this page are the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates for Postsecondary Teachers, All Other (25-1199), the closest published occupation.
The median annual wage for college professors in California is $100,690, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS May 2025 estimates — above the national median of $77,640. California ranks 2 of 47 states and DC with published data for this occupation.
Median
$100,690
25th percentile
$71,310
75th percentile
$141,520
90th percentile
$175,950
Employment and national comparison
| Employment in California | 37,770 |
|---|---|
| Mean annual wage in California | $111,940 |
| National median | $77,640 |
| National employment | 149,840 |
Metro areas in California
- San Francisco, CA: median $82,620
- Los Angeles, CA: median $105,640
- San Diego, CA: median $101,820
States with similar pay for college professors
- Delaware: median $101,070
- Massachusetts: median $94,480
- New Jersey: median $85,260
- Oklahoma: median $84,550
- Minnesota: median $84,280
- Virginia: median $84,060
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates; state, metropolitan area and national files from https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm. State estimates are for BLS occupation "Postsecondary Teachers, All Other" (25-1199), cross-industry, all ownerships. Retrieved 2026-10-02. Where BLS does not publish a numeric estimate (suppressed, or reported only as at or above $239,200) the value is shown as —.