How Much Do Adjunct Psychology Instructors Make?

Having a clear understanding of earnings potential is important, especially if you are researching career paths or considering changing jobs. If you're one of those people, and you're curious what kind of salary adjunct psychology instructors make, you've come to the right place.

Using data from Lightcast,™ the Best Adult Colleges and Careers Guide has compiled rich information about salary for adjunct psychology instructors and related jobs, including details about average compensation, salary trends and job growth. We've also gathered advertised salaries from actual job postings to provide insight into what employers of adjunct psychology instructors are offering as compensation.

Keep reading to learn more about how much adjunct psychology instructors can expect to make in the United States.

At a Glance: Salary & Jobs for Adjunct Psychology Instructors

According to data from 2023, there were about 16,945 positions for adjunct psychology instructors in the United States. In terms of salary, the national median salary for adjunct psychology instructors was reported to be $117,749. Additionally, when examining job demand, employers across the country posted 40,331 job postings related to positions for adjunct psychology instructors.

How Much Money Do Adjunct Psychology Instructors Make?

Median salary is just one data point. To build a better understanding of how much money adjunct psychology instructors and related positions can expect to make in the United States, it can be helpful to look at the full range of compensation for those jobs.

Let's look more deeply at data that was reported to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for detail into the lowest and highest salary earnings for adjunct psychology instructors.

Annual Salary for Adjunct Psychology Instructors

According to the BLS, the lowest earners for adjunct psychology instructors and related professions earned about $47,445 per year in 2023. Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, the highest earners made about $157,435 annually.

As mentioned previously, the median salary for adjunct psychology instructors in the United States in 2023 was $117,749.

Hourly Salary for Adjunct Psychology Instructors

The BLS also breaks down compensation for adjunct psychology instructors by hourly salary, and the median average hourly pay for adjunct psychology instructors in 2023 was $57. Lowest hourly earners took home $23 while the highest reported hourly salaries for adjunct psychology instructors was $76.

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Advertised Compensation for Adjunct Psychology Instructors

Data from the BLS is one way to dig into compensation for adjunct psychology instructors, but another way to build a more real-time understanding of salary is to look at actual job postings and see what compensation organizations are currently providing to fill open positions for adjunct psychology instructors.

Keep in mind that salary data is not included in every job posting, so the information compiled here is reflective of the data available through Lightcast.™

Annual Salary from Job Postings for Adjunct Psychology Instructors

During a review of 23,012 job postings related to adjunct psychology instructors, advertised salary was included in 9,752 of them, which was 42%. Based on those postings, the median advertised salary for adjunct psychology instructors was $100,736 per year.

Hourly Salary from Job Postings for Adjunct Psychology Instructors

A similar analysis of job postings provides insight into advertised hourly salary for adjunct psychology instructors. Based on 24% of postings with advertised compensation, the median hourly salary for open positions for adjunct psychology instructors in the United States is about $48.

Salary Trend for Adjunct Psychology Instructors

If you're thinking about pursuing a career in the field, you may want to understand how compensation has changed over time for adjunct psychology instructors. The chart below provides a snapshot of advertised salaries over the past three years.

Based on compensation data that was included in job postings for adjunct psychology instructors dating back to September 2020, advertised salaries for adjunct psychology instructors have increased 17%.

What's the Job Growth for Adjunct Psychology Instructors?

Another data point that someone thinking about a career path should consider is whether or not jobs are expected to see growth in the future. The chart below looks at projected employment for adjunct psychology instructors over the next 10 years.

According to the data obtained through Lightcast,™ there were 16,971 jobs for adjunct psychology instructors in the United States in 2023. By 2033, it is expected that about 1,219 jobs will be added. That's a 7.2% increase over the next 10-year period.

Additional Links

Ready to dig deeper into career information about adjunct psychology instructors? Visit our other pages focused on salary and education for adjunct psychology instructors.

What do adjunct psychology instructors do?
Adjunct Psychology Instructors: How do you become one?

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