College Physics Instructors

Median Salary: $75,100

Many college physics instructors across the United States share a few key professional characteristics. For example, independence, attention to detail, and achievement/effort can be crucial for success in the industry, especially when coupled with career training. Around 12,870 individuals were employed as college physics instructors nationwide in 2009. With that much workplace competition, it's vital to utilize these attributes and receive proper training, particularly if you're looking to progress in the field.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual income for college physics instructors in the U.S. was $75,100 in 2009, which works out to a median hourly wage of $36.10. Of course, income can vary with training and by place. Below, you'll find more data about college physics instructors, including wages and job density for areas all over the United States.

College physics instructors should be skilled in:

Oral Expression
Written Comprehension
Near Vision
Problem Sensitivity
Originality

Different individuals go into different careers; college physics instructors are typically:

Social
Investigative
Artistic

Working as a college physics instructor requires knowledge in subjects like:

Physics
Mathematics
Computers and Electronics
Engineering and Technology
Design

Related Occupations

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Below, you'll see links to more information on the top cities for this occupation (based on the number of individuals employed as college physics instructors). Note: "Job density" refers to the proportion of college physics instructors in each city as compared to the national average.

Alabama
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Huntsville	30	$71,800	$34.50	$86,200	$41.50	65.7%

Arizona
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Phoenix	NA	$47,300	$22.80	$69,500	$33.40	NA

California
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Los Angeles (Area)	NA	$85,200	$41.00	$108,900	$52.30	NA
Oakland	100	$89,300	$43.00	$115,900	$55.70	5.1%
Riverside	60	$86,600	$41.60	$113,700	$54.70	-48.5%
Sacramento	100	$101,800	$49.00	$123,800	$59.50	21.2%
San Diego	220	NA	NA	NA	NA	74.7%
San Francisco (Area)	NA	$94,300	$45.30	$122,800	$59.00	NA
San Francisco (City)	NA	$99,200	$47.70	$129,700	$62.40	NA
San Jose	40	NA	NA	NA	NA	-53.5%

Colorado
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Denver	70	$88,400	$42.50	$153,000	$73.50	-41.4%

Connecticut
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
New Haven	50	$67,700	$32.50	$98,800	$47.50	97%

District of Columbia
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Washington (Area)	300	$76,300	$36.70	$102,400	$49.20	-5.1%

Florida
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Jacksonville	30	$54,800	$26.40	$69,700	$33.50	-41.4%
Miami (Area)	110	$74,000	$35.60	$87,900	$42.30	-26.3%
Orlando	70	$64,000	$30.80	$77,700	$37.40	-24.2%

Georgia
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Atlanta	180	$71,600	$34.40	$91,300	$43.90	-20.2%

Illinois
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Chicago (Area)	170	$59,300	$28.50	$71,100	$34.20	-4%

Indiana
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Indianapolis	30	$60,400	$29.10	$72,200	$34.70	-62.6%
South Bend	NA	$81,700	$39.30	$118,300	$56.90	NA

Kentucky
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Lexington	50	$72,500	$34.90	$87,800	$42.20	96%

Louisiana
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Baton Rouge	40	$85,700	$41.20	$105,100	$50.50	24.2%

Maryland
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Baltimore	140	$89,800	$43.20	$128,800	$61.90	16.2%

Massachusetts
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Boston (Area)	350	$99,300	$47.80	$133,000	$63.90	112.1%
Springfield	40	NA	NA	NA	NA	31.3%

Minnesota
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Minneapolis	130	$67,100	$32.30	$90,200	$43.40	-26.3%

Mississippi
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Jackson	30	$54,600	$26.20	$66,600	$32.00	27.3%

Missouri
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Kansas City	50	$62,000	$29.80	$80,000	$38.40	-49.5%
Springfield	40	NA	NA	NA	NA	125.3%
St. Louis	170	$60,700	$29.20	$78,300	$37.60	31.3%

Nebraska
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Omaha	30	$66,200	$31.80	$82,100	$39.50	-29.3%

New York
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Buffalo	NA	$87,300	$42.00	$101,000	$48.60	NA
New York (Area)	NA	$88,600	$42.60	$111,900	$53.80	NA
Rochester	150	$146,200	$70.30	$166,400+	$0.00	200%

North Carolina
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Charlotte	60	$80,700	$38.80	$102,600	$49.30	-27.3%
Raleigh	100	$108,900	$52.30	$134,000	$64.40	104%

Ohio
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Canton	30	$73,200	$35.20	$84,100	$40.40	90.9%
Cincinnati	80	NA	NA	NA	NA	-21.2%
Cleveland	110	$73,700	$35.50	$99,000	$47.60	6.1%
Columbus	120	$90,600	$43.50	$110,700	$53.20	33.3%
Dayton	70	$66,500	$32.00	$84,900	$40.80	78.8%

Oklahoma
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Oklahoma City	50	$54,400	$26.10	$77,600	$37.30	-14.1%

Oregon
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Portland	60	$79,300	$38.10	$122,700	$59.00	-41.4%

Pennsylvania
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Allentown	60	$91,600	$44.00	$115,700	$55.60	76.8%
Harrisburg	60	$71,200	$34.20	$88,500	$42.60	83.8%
Philadelphia (Area)	240	$85,700	$41.20	$117,500	$56.50	30.3%
Pittsburgh	150	$81,800	$39.40	$107,100	$51.50	31.3%
Scranton	40	$79,100	$38.00	$91,500	$44.00	41.4%

Rhode Island
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Providence	80	$93,700	$45.10	$120,600	$58.00	42.4%

South Carolina
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Greenville	60	$78,600	$37.80	$100,500	$48.30	89.9%

Tennessee
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Chattanooga	30	$57,500	$27.70	$71,100	$34.20	57.6%
Knoxville	70	NA	NA	NA	NA	119.2%
Memphis	50	$71,900	$34.60	$80,700	$38.80	-19.2%
Nashville	80	$73,300	$35.20	$102,600	$49.30	17.2%

Texas
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Austin	180	NA	NA	NA	NA	136.4%
Dallas (Area)	70	$68,000	$32.70	$87,800	$42.20	-65.7%
El Paso	40	$57,900	$27.90	$66,600	$32.00	48.5%
Houston	150	$84,300	$40.50	$99,800	$48.00	-40.4%
San Antonio	70	$58,400	$28.10	$78,100	$37.50	-10.1%

Utah
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Provo	60	$77,500	$37.20	$86,700	$41.70	263.6%

Virginia
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Richmond	60	NA	NA	NA	NA	-1%
Virginia Beach	70	$62,500	$30.10	$92,700	$44.60	-1%

Washington
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Seattle (Area)	170	$75,200	$36.10	$104,200	$50.10	23.2%
Spokane	30	$52,400	$25.20	$67,700	$32.50	52.5%

Wisconsin
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Milwaukee	70	$73,500	$35.30	$93,400	$44.90	-17.2%