Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary vs Preschool Teacher: $76K vs $38K Median Pay

Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary vs Preschool Teacher: what changes?

Consider Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary if you want to teach courses in childcare, family relations, finance, nutrition, and related subjects pertaining to home management. Consider Preschool Teacher if you would rather instruct preschool-aged students, following curricula or lesson plans, in activities designed to promote social, physical, and intellectual growth. Entry credentials differ: Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary, doctoral or professional degree; Preschool Teacher, associate's degree.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary and Preschool Teacher. 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

Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary

National median pay (2025): $75,870
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: Evaluate and grade students' class work, laboratory work, projects, assignments, and papers.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 200

Know before you choose

This is a small national occupation (3,400 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median suggests.

See the full Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary brief

Preschool Teacher

National median pay (2025): $38,140
Route into the job: Associate's 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: Teach basic skills, such as color, shape, number and letter recognition, personal hygiene, and social skills.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 66,700

Know before you choose

The work routinely happens in close physical proximity to other people; personal space is limited.

See the full Preschool Teacher brief

How the national numbers differ

Preschool Teacher has the edge on annual openings

Preschool Teacher is at 66,700 annual openings, compared with 200 annual openings for Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary.

Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary has the edge on median pay

Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary is at $75,870, compared with $38,140 for Preschool Teacher.

Typical preparation differs.

Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary: Doctoral or professional degree Preschool Teacher: Associate's degree Preparation categories do not establish admission difficulty, calendar time, tuition, time without earnings, or licensing difficulty.

Preschool Teacher has the edge on projected growth

Preschool Teacher is at 4.5% projected growth, compared with 2.4% projected growth for Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary.

32.8/ 100

Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary

54.1/ 100

Preschool Teacher

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

Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary vs Preschool Teacher

Dimension	Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary	Preschool Teacher
Median pay (2025)	$75,870	$38,140
Pay percentile	65.7 percentile	8.7 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	2.4%	4.5%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	200	66,700
2025 employment	3,400	583,200
How you qualify	Doctoral or professional degree	Associate's degree
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 5	Job Zone 3
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 Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary brief Read Preschool Teacher brief

Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary vs Preschool Teacher: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary

Preschool Teacher

How the national numbers differ

Preschool Teacher has the edge on annual openings

Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary has the edge on median pay

Typical preparation differs.

Preschool Teacher has the edge on projected growth

Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary vs Preschool Teacher

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