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The national median salary for Education Administrators, Postsecondary is $104,603 per year ($50.29/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $80,870 and $144,373 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $215,613 per year. There are approximately 180,470 education administrators, postsecondary employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Plan, direct, or coordinate student instruction, administration, and services, as well as other research and educational activities, at postsecondary institutions, including universities, colleges, and junior and community colleges.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+1.7%
About as fast as average
Annual openings
15K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
227K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
3% from new growth97% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Master's degree
Experience
Less than 5 years
On-the-job training
None
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools
NAICS 611300
144K
$105,010
Junior Colleges
NAICS 611200
27K
$101,900
Technical and Trade Schools
NAICS 611500
4K
$95,890
Elementary and Secondary Schools
NAICS 611100
930
$125,050
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
NAICS 622100
870
$132,390
Wage range across top 5 industries: $95,890 to $132,390 (38% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$31.04
$64,563
P25
$38.88
$80,870
P50MEDIAN
$50.29
$104,603
P75
$69.41
$144,373
P90
$103.66
$215,613
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · other sector
Active
Openings Rate
3.4%
Quits Rate
2.0%
The labor market rebounded in March: hires jumped to 5.6M (+655K) and separations rose to 5.4M (+356K), both more than offsetting February's drop. Job openings held at 6.9M. Quits ticked to 2.0%.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average education administrators, postsecondary salary?
The national median salary for Education Administrators, Postsecondary is $104,603 per year ($50.29/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $80,870 and $144,373 annually.
How much do top-earning education administrators, postsecondary make?
The 90th percentile salary for Education Administrators, Postsecondary is $215,613 per year ($103.66/hr). The 75th percentile is $144,373 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for education administrators, postsecondary?
Entry-level Education Administrators, Postsecondary (10th percentile) earn approximately $64,563 per year ($31.04/hr). The 25th percentile is $80,870 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.