Although nominal wages have increased, the real income of U.S. university professors has declined due to inflation, leaving many educators in precarious employment.
A recent report by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) shows that while average pay for full-time faculty rose 2.3% in the recent academic year, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 2.7% over the same period, leaving average full-time faculty salaries down roughly 0.4% in real, inflation-adjusted terms.
The report used data from survey concluded in March, drawing from approximately 370,000 full-time faculty, up to 125,000 part-time instructors, and senior administrators at roughly 800 U.S. colleges and universities.
The figures show real average full-time faculty salaries currently remain about 9.5% below their fall 2019 levels, and 5.8% below their fall 2008 levels.
Even when institutions increased pay, it rarely covered the rising cost of living. Among the institutions with comparable full-time salary data over the last two years, nearly 82% reported a nominal salary increase, yet only 40.6% posted salary growth that actually exceeded inflation.
