Teaching Assistants earn $42,910 nationally at the median. The middle 50% of workers fall between $35,270 and $60,510. Where you land depends on specialization, employer, and experience.
This page sets out what the federal data says about working as a teaching assistants: what the job pays, how fast it is growing, and what it takes to get in. Most people arrive through a degree in Teaching Assistance and what it leads to, though it is not the only route.
Assist faculty or other instructional staff in postsecondary institutions by performing instructional support activities, such as developing teaching materials, leading discussion groups, preparing and giving examinations, and grading examinations or papers.
Also known as:
Most teaching assistants take home around $42,910 a year, well below what most college graduates make. Half earn somewhere between $35,270 and $60,510, so where you land depends a lot on employer, specialty and city. Think carefully about how much debt is worth taking on for it. Source: BLS.
A wage on its own says nothing about whether the degree behind it pays for itself, which is a question of lifetime earnings set against the total cost of getting there.
Significantly below average. Specialized roles can raise this considerably.
25th to 75th percentile. Most workers earn within this band.
This is what the job actually looks like on a Tuesday: 5 core activities and 5 skills the work depends on. Read it before the salary, because pay matters less than whether you would want to spend your days doing this. Source: O*NET.
Working closely with people, teaching, advising, or helping others navigate challenges is a defining feature of this career's daily work.
Success depends on precision and structured processes, where detail-oriented people who work consistently within established systems perform best.
This career demands analytical thinking: researching problems, interpreting data, and applying logical reasoning to find practical solutions.
What the physical and mental conditions of this job actually look like day to day, based on O*NET Work Context data collected from people working in this occupation.
Split between indoor and outdoor or field settings.
Mix of sitting and movement throughout the day.
Moderate pressure. Regular deadlines exist but are generally manageable with experience.
Through 2035 the BLS expects this field to change by +2.7%, meaning it is growing slowly, a little behind the average job. Around 25,700 roles open up each year, which is the number that matters most if you are starting out. Source: BLS.
Growth rates are only meaningful next to other occupations, and the full list of careers with their projected growth puts this one in context.
Slower than average.
New positions plus replacements for retirees and career-changers.
Total US employment as of BLS May 2025.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025–2035 and Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025.
The five states below employ the most Teaching Assistants professionals nationwide. State-level wages can differ significantly from the $42,910 national median. Research your specific market before committing to a program.
| # | State | Jobs | Median Wage | vs. National |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 19,120 | $49,140 | +14.5% |
| 2 | Michigan | 18,440 | $39,830 | -7.2% |
| 3 | New York | 17,390 | $43,610 | +1.6% |
| 4 | Texas | 13,540 | $55,670 | +29.7% |
| 5 | Illinois | 12,340 | $36,040 | -16.0% |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Employment figures rounded. Read our methodology →
To get hired here you will usually need a bachelor's degree. The program below is the most common route in, ordered by how many people actually graduate from each one.
Extensive education (usually a master's or doctoral degree) plus years of field experience is required to qualify for most positions.
| # | Program | Graduates/yr | 4yr Median | Colleges |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Teaching Assistance | 2,942 | — | 230 |
Colleges offering the degree programs that lead to this career, ranked by UCD Score. A strong program plus solid outcomes is a good place to begin your search.
| # | College | UCD Score | Net Price | Salary 10yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Ana College Santa Ana, CA | 82 | $3,133 | $43,552 |
| 2 | West Virginia University at Parkersburg Parkersburg, WV | 80 | $1,807 | $35,171 |
| 3 | Maysville Community and Technical College Maysville, KY | 80 | $4,605 | $32,194 |
| 4 | Charter Oak State College New Britain, CT | 80 | $15,815 | $64,209 |
| 5 | Moraine Valley Community College Palos Hills, IL | 79 | $2,829 | $43,892 |
| 6 | Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College Cumberland, KY | 79 | $3,731 | $29,482 |
Once you've sized up Teaching Assistants, these tools turn the numbers into a plan. Estimate the real cost of a degree that leads here, weigh the long-term payoff, compare specific colleges side-by-side, and find programs that match your profile.
See if the degree that leads to Teaching Assistants pays off. Weighs each college's cost against the earnings graduates see.
Enter a budget and see the colleges whose net price fits, with the out-of-pocket cost and likely loan load for each.
Put any 2–4 colleges side-by-side. Admissions, cost, outcomes, and earnings, all on one screen, no tab-hopping.
Answer six quick questions and see your best-fit colleges ranked by budget, field of study, and what matters most to you.
The data on Teaching Assistants shows 0 measurable strengths and 3 real trade-offs. All points are drawn from BLS wage data, employment projections, and IPEDS program completions.
Air traffic controllers earn more than the typical bachelor's-degree career, with an associate degree. The occupations that pay six figures without four years of college.
Group every career by the degree it requires and master's-level jobs pay a median of about $91,000, statistically tied with bachelor's-level work. The premium hides in a few fields.
Only 106 of 393 federal careers both pay a median above $80,000 and grow faster than the typical job. Here is the rare set that clears both bars.
Browse our full directory: every college, major, program, and career we track, all built from verified government data.
Scout uses AI and can make mistakes. Verify important numbers on the page.
