Rising Wages or Stagnation? The State of Community College Faculty Salaries in 2025
In 2025, community college faculty salaries present a nuanced landscape, reflecting a blend of modest increases, persistent disparities, and ongoing challenges related to inflation and cost of living.
National Overview
The National Education Association’s 2025 Faculty Salary Report provides insight into national averages. In the 2023-2024 academic year, full professors at public institutions earned an average of $127,000, while associate professors averaged $95,000, assistant professors $83,000, and instructors and lecturers approximately $70,000. Notably, faculty at community colleges earned about 76 cents for every dollar earned by their counterparts at public research universities, highlighting a persistent wage gap.
Regional Disparities in California
California exemplifies significant regional variations in faculty compensation. For instance, the Riverside Community College District’s 2024-2025 salary schedule for full-time faculty starts at $80,825 for a bachelor’s degree (Step B) and increases with advanced degrees, reaching up to $111,978 for a doctorate (Step H).
Conversely, the Ventura County Community College District outlines salary scales in its collective bargaining agreement, emphasizing that compensation is influenced by factors such as academic qualifications and experience.
Recent Salary Adjustments
Some institutions have implemented salary increases to address faculty concerns. For example, a community college in Washington State reported a 6% salary increase, comprising a 3% cost-of-living adjustment (CoLA) and a 3% retention bonus.
However, the effectiveness of such increases is tempered by inflation, which can erode the real value of salary adjustments.
Challenges Amidst Inflation
Despite incremental salary increases, inflation continues to challenge faculty purchasing power. The 2025 NEA Faculty Pay Report indicates a slight uptick in faculty purchasing power; however, it still hasn’t recovered to pre-pandemic levels, suggesting that salary adjustments have not fully kept pace with rising living costs.
Disciplinary Variations
Faculty salaries also vary significantly by discipline. Fields such as computer science, engineering, business, and health sciences often offer higher starting salaries due to strong demand and limited supply of qualified instructors. Assistant professors in computer science at research universities, for instance, can earn starting salaries ranging from $80,000 to over $100,000, depending on institution prestige and location.
In 2025, community college faculty salaries are characterized by modest increases that struggle to outpace inflation, leading to continued concerns about purchasing power and retention. Regional and disciplinary disparities further complicate the salary landscape. Addressing these challenges requires a concerted effort from policymakers and educational institutions to prioritize equitable and competitive compensation, ensuring that faculty contributions are adequately recognized and that educational quality is maintained.
