Updated for 2026

Physic Teacher Salary in 2026

This Physic Teacher salary guide for 2026 centers on Careerclev's modeled national salary benchmark, built from the latest official BLS wage baseline and extended with wage trend history, employment outlook, and tech-market signals where available. It covers average salary, hourly pay, experience bands, salary by city, salary by state, industry premiums, in-demand skills, and long-term job outlook so readers can compare what drives higher compensation. Official BLS and O*NET title: "Physics Teachers, Postsecondary".

Last updated: 202613,590 employment estimateFull salary breakdown12 min read
Average Salary
$105K
per year (USA)
Entry Level
$59.2K
starting range
Senior Level
$140K
upper percentile
Top Earners
$205K+
lead / principal
Hourly Rate
$51
avg. equivalent
Salary figures projected to 2026  from May 2024BLS OEWS baseline·  Projections use wage history, employment outlook, and tech-market signals where available
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What Does a Physic Teacher Earn?

Careerclev's modeled 2026 benchmark places Physic Teacher pay at $105,047 per year in the United States. On the latest official 2024 BLS wage baseline, the lower end of the Physic Teacher salary range starts around $54,880.0, while experienced professionals and top earners can reach $169,740 or more.

That national figure is only the starting point. In practice, pay for this role changes quickly once location, industry, experience level, and specialization enter the picture. A Physic Teacher working in Knoxville, TN or a stronger salary industry like Government, Schools, Hospitals, and Postal Service may see a very different salary path than someone in a lower-cost market, especially when skills like role-specific skills and advanced tools define the role.

Key 2026 BenchmarkThe national median Physic Teacher salary is $105,047, with an estimated hourly equivalent of $51.

What Physic Teacher Professionals Do

Teach courses pertaining to the laws of matter and energy. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

Typical Responsibilities

Evaluate and grade students' class work, laboratory work, assignments, and papers.
Core
Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
Core
Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
Core
Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as quantum mechanics, particle physics, and optics.
Core
Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students.
Core
Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work.
Core
Related job titlesAdjunct Professor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Instructor, Physical Science Professor, Physics Instructor

Physic Teacher Salary by Experience Level

Experience is one of the strongest salary drivers for Physic Teacher roles. Entry-level workers usually sit closer to the lower salary band while senior, lead, and principal-level professionals move into higher ranges as they take on ownership, decision-making, mentoring, and more specialized work.

That progression matters because the headline median can hide how wide the real pay ladder is. For some roles, early-career pay stays close to the middle; for others, the gap between first-job pay and senior pay is large enough to change how attractive the path looks over time.

LevelExperienceAvg. Base SalaryEstimated Total PayGrowth vs Previous
Entry Level Physic Teacher0-2 years$59,235.0$62.2K - $75.6KN/A
Mid Level Physic Teacher3-5 years$105,090$78.4K - $153K+77.4%
Senior Level Physic Teacher6-10 years$140,480$119K - $207K+33.7%
Lead / Principal Physic Teacher10+ years$183,099$164K - $240K+30.3%
How to read the experience tableThe cards show the quick salary story, while the table gives a more detailed view of how Physic Teacherpay can move from entry-level work into senior and lead responsibility.

Physic Teacher Salary by City

City salary differences matter because Physic Teacher jobs are tied to local employer demand, cost of living, and industry concentration. Markets like Knoxville, TN and San Francisco, CA can pay very differently even when the job title looks the same on paper.

That is why city pages are often more useful than national averages once you are actively job searching. They show whether a stronger nominal salary comes from a genuinely better market, a more specialized employer mix, or simply a more expensive metro.

United States — City Comparison

CityProjected SalaryVs. National BenchmarkCost of Living Signal
Knoxville, TN$139,180+32%High salary market
San Francisco, CA$138,210+32%High salary market
Ann Arbor, MI$135,700+29%High salary market
San Diego, CA$135,370+29%High salary market
Riverside, CA$128,580+22%High salary market
California$128,190+22%High salary market
Los Angeles, CA$128,190+22%High salary market
Sacramento, CA$127,080+21%High salary market
College Station, TX$126,200+20%High salary market
San Jose, CA$125,570+20%Competitive
City salary pictureA higher Physic Teacher salary in a major metro does not always mean higher take-home value. Housing, taxes, commuting, and remote-work flexibility can change the real outcome.
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Physic Teacher Salary by Industry

Industry can change a Physic Teacher salary as much as geography. Employers in Government, Schools, Hospitals, and Postal Service may pay more when the role sits close to revenue, regulated operations, complex infrastructure, or scarce technical expertise.

IndustryProjected SalaryBonus PotentialJob SecurityGrowth Pace
Government, Schools, Hospitals, and Postal Service$99,460.0HighStrongFast
Educational Services$97,220.0HighStrongFast

The strongest-paying industries for Physic Teacher roles usually combine higher budgets with urgent business needs. Use this table to compare not only salary, but also the tradeoff between upside, stability, and long-term growth.

Physic Teacher Salary by Skill Specialization

Skills shape salary because they tell employers what kind of problems a Physic Teacher can solve. Strong signals around role-specific skills, advanced tools, tools, platforms, analysis, communication, and domain knowledge can help candidates move from average pay into stronger compensation bands.

Common tool stackO*NET maps Physic Teacher work to tools such as Maplesoft Maple, Collaborative editing software, C, and Blackboard Learn.
role-specific skills can raise the ceilingThe most valuable Physic Teacher skills are the ones connected to business-critical work, scarce tools, and hard-to-fill responsibilities. Pairing role-specific skills with advanced tools can make a candidate easier to price at the top of the salary range.

Remote vs Onsite vs Hybrid — Salary Comparison

Remote, onsite, and hybrid pay can shift the salary story for Physic Teacher jobs. Remote roles often widen the hiring market, while onsite roles may pay more in expensive metros when employers need local availability, team coverage, or specialized workplace access.

Work TypeAvg. BaseExperienceBenefitsFlexibility
Remote Physic Teacher$105,047Market dependentVariableHigh
Hybrid Physic Teacher$108,198Metro dependentStrongMedium
Onsite Physic Teacher$106,097Location dependentStrongLower

Hybrid roles can carry a small premium in high-cost cities, while fully remote roles can be especially powerful for workers outside the most expensive labor markets. The best comparison is total pay after location, taxes, commuting, and lifestyle costs.

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How to Become a Physic Teacher

The most common path into Physic Teacher work is to pair the expected baseline education with early hands-on practice and proof that you can handle the core responsibilities of the role. Candidates move faster when they can connect training, projects, internships, or prior adjacent work to the exact kinds of tasks employers hire physic teacher professionals to do.

If you want the fuller step-by-step version, open the full How to Become a Physic Teacher guide.

Practical shortcutThe strongest early candidates for Physic Teacher jobs usually show job-relevant work samples, clear fundamentals, and evidence that they can contribute with limited supervision.
Knowledge areas employers associate with this roleMathematics, Physics, Education and Training, and English Language.

Physic Teacher Work Environment

Work environment can shape job fit just as much as salary. For Physic Teacher, the day-to-day experience may vary based on employer type, digital vs on-site workflows, collaboration intensity, schedule predictability, and how much independent judgment the role requires.

Common work-style signalsO*NET highlights Intellectual Curiosity, Dependability, Achievement Orientation, and Integrity for Physic Teacher work.
Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals
How much freedom does the worker have in determining the tasks, priorities, or goals of the job?
E-Mail
How frequently does your job require you to use E-mail?
Freedom to Make Decisions
How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
How frequently does your job require face-to-face discussions with individuals and within teams?
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
How often does this job require working indoors in an environmentally controlled environment (like a warehouse with air conditioning)?
Contact With Others
How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?

Entry-Level Physic Teacher Salary Expectations

Entry-level Physic Teacher salary expectations should be viewed as a starting range, not a ceiling. New workers in this role often earn around $59,235.0, with pay rising as they build practical experience, stronger judgment, better tools, and a clearer track record of delivering work without close supervision.

Internship / Trainee
$28/hr
$44.4K - $68.1K annualized
Early practical exposure, supervised assignments, portfolio building, and conversion into a first full-time role.
New Grad / Junior
$59.2K
$59.2K - $72.0K base
First full-time Physic Teacher roles reward candidates who can show useful work, reliable fundamentals, and coachability.

Typical Promotion Timeline

Promotions usually follow the move from supervised work to independent delivery, then to broader ownership. Switching employers can sometimes accelerate salary growth when the current role has a narrow pay band.

StageTypical TimelineSalary JumpKey Milestone
Intern → JuniorInternship → first role$10.7K - $19.0KFirst full-time offer
Junior → Mid18-30 months$12.6K - $23.1KDeliver work independently
Mid → Senior2-4 years$16.9K - $30.9KOwn larger outcomes
Senior → Lead3-6 years$22.0K - $45.8KInfluence teams or strategy

Physic Teacher Career Progression & Salary Path

This step is useful because experience level and career progression are related, but not identical. The pay path below shows how compensation tends to widen as the work moves from narrower execution into broader ownership and leadership scope.

1
Intern / Trainee
$56.5K$75.9K
Physic Teacher compensation at this stage usually reflects broader responsibility, stronger judgment, and more independent ownership of outcomes.
2
Junior
$70.1K$92.5K
Physic Teacher compensation at this stage usually reflects broader responsibility, stronger judgment, and more independent ownership of outcomes.
3
Mid Level
$87.6K$109K
Physic Teacher compensation at this stage usually reflects broader responsibility, stronger judgment, and more independent ownership of outcomes.
4
Senior
$105K$136K
Physic Teacher compensation at this stage usually reflects broader responsibility, stronger judgment, and more independent ownership of outcomes.
5
Lead
$125K$158K
Physic Teacher compensation at this stage usually reflects broader responsibility, stronger judgment, and more independent ownership of outcomes.
6
Principal / Architect
$146K$200K
Physic Teacher compensation at this stage usually reflects broader responsibility, stronger judgment, and more independent ownership of outcomes.

Factors That Affect a Physic Teacher's Salary

A Physic Teacher salary is rarely determined by job title alone. Employers also price the role based on education, certifications, tools used, industry setting, workplace responsibility, and how difficult it is to find qualified candidates with the same mix of skills.

Years of Experience
Salary usually rises as the role moves from entry-level execution to independent ownership, mentoring, and broader decision-making.
Location and Cost of Living
Local salary ranges vary by labor market, employer density, and household-income context.
Industry
Industry pay can vary when employers in higher-margin or harder-to-staff sectors compete for the same occupation.
Specialized Skills
O*NET marks high-demand role-specific skills as relevant skills for this role, making them useful anchors for specialization and salary-growth content.

Physic Teacher Job Demand & Market Outlook

The Physic Teacher job outlook matters because demand affects hiring, salary growth, and how much leverage qualified workers have. The current projection points to 2.5% employment change from 2024 to 2034, which helps explain whether employers are likely to keep competing for qualified talent.

Salary is easier to interpret when it sits next to a demand signal. Strong wages in a shrinking field can tell a very different story from strong wages in a role where openings, replacement demand, and market expansion are all still active.

BLS Employment ProjectionEmployment is projected to change by 2.5% from 2024 to 2034.
About averageAnnual openings: 1.3 thousand.
Metric2026 Status
Projected employment17.1k → 17.5k
Typical educationMost of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Related experienceExtensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Remote job availabilityMeaningful for roles with portable work and digital workflows
Salary market signalMedian pay of $105,047 suggests a high-value compensation track.

How to Increase Your Physic Teacher Salary

The most reliable way to increase a Physic Teacher salary is to make your value easier for employers to measure. That usually means building stronger evidence around outcomes, expanding into higher-value skills, moving toward better-paying industries, and negotiating with current market salary data in hand.

StrategyAvg. Salary ImpactTimelineEffort Level
Benchmark against stronger markets+15-30%1-3 monthsHigh ROI
Build a visible specialization$12.6K - $29.4K3-9 monthsMedium
Target higher-paying industries$8.4K - $18.9K2-6 monthsMedium
The fastest salary liftFor many Physic Teacher professionals, the fastest path is a focused mix of stronger proof, higher-value skills, and better market selection. Salary gains usually come faster when candidates combine a clear portfolio with targeted applications and negotiation.

Physic Teacher vs Similar Career Salaries

Comparing Physic Teacher salary with Law Teacher and other nearby careers helps show whether this job title is underpaid, fairly priced, or part of a stronger salary path. These comparisons are useful when choosing between roles, planning a career move, or deciding which skills to build next.

Law Teacher
$127K
Related role
Above baseline
Economic Teacher
$120K
Related role
Above baseline
Engineering Teacher
$106K
Related role
Above baseline
Health Specialty Teacher
$106K
Related role
Above baseline
Architecture Teacher
$102K
Related role
Below baseline
Earth Science Professor
$101K
Related role
Below baseline
Forestry and Conservation Science Teacher
$101K
Related role
Below baseline
Business Teacher
$97.3K
Related role
Below baseline
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Frequently Asked Questions

These questions usually come up after readers compare the national salary, experience bands, and city differences. Together they clarify how to read the salary data and what to pay attention to when you compare this role with nearby careers.

What is the average Physics Teachers, Postsecondary salary?
The latest national baseline for Physics Teachers, Postsecondary is about $97,400 per year, based on the current BLS-derived salary facts in CareerClev.
What is the entry-level Physics Teachers, Postsecondary salary?
Entry-level estimates for Physics Teachers, Postsecondary are modeled around the lower BLS percentile range, currently about $54,900 per year nationally.
How much can senior Physics Teachers, Postsecondary professionals earn?
Senior Physics Teachers, Postsecondary estimates are modeled from upper percentile wage bands and currently sit around $130,200 per year nationally.
Does location affect Physics Teachers, Postsecondary salary?
Yes. CareerClev stores salary facts by national, state, and metro locations, so location-specific pages should use the closest available geography instead of a single national number.
Which skills matter for Physics Teachers, Postsecondary salary growth?
CareerClev uses O*NET skill importance and level scores to identify role-relevant skills. These are useful for recommendations, but should not be presented as measured salary premiums unless enriched compensation data exists.
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Data Sources & Methodology
Updated using 2024 BLS OEWS salary facts, O*NET occupation-skill data, Census location context where available, ILOSTAT country benchmarks where mapped, BLS Employment Projections where imported, and Stack Overflow Developer Survey enrichment for mapped tech roles.
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