Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary vs Economics Teachers, Postsecondary: $103K vs $124K Median Pay

Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary vs Economics Teachers, Postsecondary: what changes?

Consider Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary if you want to teach courses in the physical sciences, except chemistry and physics. Consider Economics Teachers, Postsecondary if you would rather teach courses in economics. Both list doctoral or professional degree; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary and Economics Teachers, Postsecondary. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary

National median pay (2025): $103,170
Route into the job: Doctoral or professional degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 800

Know before you choose

This is a small national occupation (12,000 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median suggests.

See the full Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary brief

Economics Teachers, Postsecondary

National median pay (2025): $123,920
Route into the job: Doctoral or professional degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as econometrics, price theory, and macroeconomics.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 1,000

Know before you choose

This is a small national occupation (14,600 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median suggests.

See the full Economics Teachers, Postsecondary brief

How the national numbers differ

Economics Teachers, Postsecondary has the edge on median pay

Economics Teachers, Postsecondary is at $123,920, compared with $103,170 for Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary.

Economics Teachers, Postsecondary has the edge on annual openings

Economics Teachers, Postsecondary is at 1,000 annual openings, compared with 800 annual openings for Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary.

42.3/ 100

Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary

45.1/ 100

Economics Teachers, Postsecondary

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary vs Economics Teachers, Postsecondary

Dimension	Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary	Economics Teachers, Postsecondary
Median pay (2025)	$103,170	$123,920
Pay percentile	85 percentile	90.2 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	2.4%	2.4%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	800	1,000
2025 employment	12,000	14,600
How you qualify	Doctoral or professional degree	Doctoral or professional degree
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 5	Job Zone 5
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary brief Read Economics Teachers, Postsecondary brief

Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary vs Economics Teachers, Postsecondary: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary

Economics Teachers, Postsecondary

How the national numbers differ

Economics Teachers, Postsecondary has the edge on median pay

Economics Teachers, Postsecondary has the edge on annual openings

Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary vs Economics Teachers, Postsecondary

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