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Distribution and Average Salaries of Full-Time Noninstructional Staff Members, by Carnegie Classification of Institutions, 2015-16

Almanac 2017 August 13, 2017

Of all full-time staff members at colleges in 2015-16 who were not primarily involved in instruction, the largest occupational category was office and administrative support, representing more than 20 percent of such employees. Management was the next-largest group, representing nearly 15 percent of noninstructional staff members. Average salaries that exceeded $100,000 were found mainly in the management category, and there only for doctoral, unclassified, and some special-focus institutions.

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Of all full-time staff members at colleges in 2015-16 who were not primarily involved in instruction, the largest occupational category was office and administrative support, representing more than 20 percent of such employees. Management was the next-largest group, representing nearly 15 percent of noninstructional staff members. Average salaries that exceeded $100,000 were found mainly in the management category, and there only for doctoral, unclassified, and some special-focus institutions.


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Carnegie classificationData typeNumber/amountBusiness and financial operationsComputer, engineering, and scienceLibrarians and other education- service providersManagementOffice and administrative supportService
Doctoral: highest research activity Staff members 554,302 12.6% 15.7% 6.8% 12.0% 16.6% 11.2%
Doctoral: highest research activity Average salary $63,810 $64,678 $67,846 $58,314 $115,175 $43,845 $37,628
Doctoral: higher research activity Staff members 165,027 11.5% 12.1% 8.0% 13.7% 19.7% 13.1%
Doctoral: higher research activity Average salary $57,630 $59,021 $61,623 $51,670 $103,855 $38,616 $35,611
Doctoral: moderate research activity Staff members 82,170 11.8% 8.2% 9.8% 15.8% 21.7% 11.0%
Doctoral: moderate research activity Average salary $56,347 $59,122 $61,625 $48,304 $100,295 $39,493 $34,615
Master’s: larger programs Staff members 194,484 10.6% 7.8% 11.4% 15.7% 22.3% 12.7%
Master’s: larger programs Average salary $54,367 $56,835 $60,832 $49,467 $96,703 $38,193 $34,481
Master’s: medium programs Staff members 54,470 8.4% 6.8% 12.0% 16.8% 21.7% 13.4%
Master’s: medium programs Average salary $51,143 $53,741 $56,201 $46,716 $90,376 $36,842 $32,570
Master’s: smaller programs Staff members 26,075 9.4% 7.7% 12.4% 16.6% 19.8% 13.8%
Master’s: smaller programs Average salary $50,292 $53,228 $58,344 $43,677 $87,651 $37,296 $31,674
Baccalaureate: arts and sciences focus Staff members 66,297 8.6% 6.9% 9.9% 15.7% 18.8% 19.7%
Baccalaureate: arts and sciences focus Average salary $53,828 $58,881 $61,649 $50,874 $99,661 $38,542 $33,855
Baccalaureate: diverse fields Staff members 36,877 7.2% 5.8% 12.1% 18.4% 19.2% 14.6%
Baccalaureate: diverse fields Average salary $46,694 $49,288 $51,351 $41,651 $80,896 $33,570 $29,878
Baccalaureate/associate: mixed Staff members 17,586 6.5% 5.6% 18.1% 18.5% 23.6% 11.1%
Baccalaureate/associate: mixed Average salary $50,487 $49,884 $52,734 $46,220 $86,258 $38,095 $32,804
Baccalaureate/associate: associate dominant Staff members 20,473 8.7% 7.6% 12.3% 16.0% 30.6% 10.4%
Baccalaureate/associate: associate dominant Average salary $49,391 $50,926 $54,232 $47,139 $83,220 $38,098 $33,570
Associate: high transfer; high traditional students Staff members 37,160 7.9% 7.1% 13.6% 14.6% 29.4% 14.2%
Associate: high transfer; high traditional students Average salary $56,424 $57,348 $62,342 $54,550 $98,792 $44,158 $40,657
Associate: high transfer; mixed traditional/nontraditional students Staff members 34,677 8.3% 8.0% 14.0% 17.4% 27.5% 11.8%
Associate: high transfer; mixed traditional/nontraditional students Average salary $55,156 $56,698 $60,824 $51,367 $89,117 $41,882 $39,880
Associate: high transfer; high nontraditional students Staff members 13,409 7.4% 6.5% 13.2% 20.3% 29.0% 11.5%
Associate: high transfer; high nontraditional students Average salary $53,893 $57,444 $57,882 $48,800 $81,332 $42,425 $40,437
Associate: mixed transfer/career and technical; high traditional students Staff members 20,316 7.0% 6.2% 12.1% 17.5% 29.9% 14.6%
Associate: mixed transfer/career and technical; high traditional students Average salary $50,820 $51,068 $55,973 $46,397 $85,054 $41,124 $36,044
Associate: mixed transfer/career and technical; mixed traditional/nontraditional students Staff members 20,936 7.7% 7.2% 12.5% 17.3% 27.9% 13.4%
Associate: mixed transfer/career and technical; mixed traditional/nontraditional students Average salary $50,546 $52,134 $54,749 $46,599 $82,450 $40,133 $36,119
Associate: mixed transfer/career and technical; high nontraditional students Staff members 25,475 7.9% 8.1% 13.6% 16.5% 26.1% 12.2%
Associate: mixed transfer/career and technical; high nontraditional students Average salary $52,262 $51,331 $58,512 $50,175 $84,695 $39,108 $38,848
Associate: high career and technical; high traditional students Staff members 8,247 9.0% 5.8% 13.3% 17.1% 27.4% 13.4%
Associate: high career and technical; high traditional students Average salary $50,244 $49,078 $55,764 $46,618 $84,319 $39,027 $34,847
Associate: high career and technical; mixed traditional/nontraditional students Staff members 10,460 7.5% 6.4% 15.1% 17.5% 27.9% 12.2%
Associate: high career and technical; mixed traditional/nontraditional students Average salary $48,480 $49,693 $50,484 $47,036 $80,026 $36,689 $33,836
Associate: high career and technical; high nontraditional students Staff members 15,641 9.0% 6.1% 16.5% 18.5% 23.8% 10.8%
Associate: high career and technical; high nontraditional students Average salary $51,257 $47,829 $55,810 $47,908 $81,127 $38,577 $37,908
Special-focus 2-year: health professions Staff members 6,853 19.5% 1.7% 16.8% 24.0% 19.7% 2.1%
Special-focus 2-year: health professions Average salary $52,783 $44,717 $56,070 $45,120 $84,145 $37,749 $31,623
Special-focus 2-year: technical professions Staff members 1,573 12.2% 1.6% 15.7% 27.3% 23.2% 4.9%
Special-focus 2-year: technical professions Average salary $50,856 $47,373 $44,073 $38,732 $79,909 $33,944 $34,687
Special-focus 2-year: arts and design Staff members 813 11.6% 1.1% 19.3% 16.9% 14.4% 3.1%
Special-focus 2-year: arts and design Average salary $56,829 $53,853 $50,090 $49,066 $103,640 $39,123 $32,616
Special-focus 2-year: other fields Staff members 1,075 6.0% 2.8% 14.6% 29.8% 23.4% 4.6%
Special-focus 2-year: other fields Average salary $54,278 $50,427 $62,628 $45,330 $78,331 $38,165 $31,122
Special-focus 4-year: faith-related institutions Staff members 7,500 9.6% 4.6% 15.1% 26.5% 23.9% 11.3%
Special-focus 4-year: faith-related institutions Average salary $50,639 $54,841 $52,735 $43,441 $76,296 $35,655 $32,259
Special-focus 4-year: medical schools and centers Staff members 44,782 9.6% 11.0% 2.2% 14.5% 21.6% 11.2%
Special-focus 4-year: medical schools and centers Average salary $68,291 $67,036 $66,712 $139,212 $116,384 $44,057 $38,124
Special-focus 4-year: other health-professions schools Staff members 27,435 8.4% 10.5% 7.6% 15.0% 17.1% 15.6%
Special-focus 4-year: other health-professions schools Average salary $66,638 $65,205 $69,428 $50,797 $107,182 $42,398 $38,968
Special-focus 4-year: engineering schools Staff members 731 7.5% 15.7% 7.3% 24.9% 17.4% 14.9%
Special-focus 4-year: engineering schools Average salary $59,018 $51,969 $59,629 $50,251 $100,639 $38,460 $30,500
Special-focus 4-year: other technology-related schools Staff members 2,017 11.4% 4.1% 13.8% 24.5% 41.8% 0.9%
Special-focus 4-year: other technology-related schools Average salary $50,512 $44,837 $46,978 $42,994 $71,594 $42,486 $35,370
Special-focus 4-year: business and management schools Staff members 4,282 11.2% 5.6% 25.6% 24.1% 15.3% 4.1%
Special-focus 4-year: business and management schools Average salary $67,337 $60,534 $70,412 $53,746 $111,403 $43,961 $44,422
Special-focus 4-year: arts, music, and design schools Staff members 12,957 7.4% 5.8% 14.2% 22.6% 28.6% 8.3%
Special-focus 4-year: arts, music, and design schools Average salary $61,750 $60,393 $63,216 $50,922 $102,354 $46,647 $38,647
Special-focus 4-year: law schools Staff members 2,266 8.2% 6.4% 20.1% 23.7% 25.2% 4.6%
Special-focus 4-year: law schools Average salary $69,686 $62,575 $66,715 $59,973 $118,067 $45,508 $42,760
Special-focus 4-year: other special-focus institutions Staff members 2,304 7.9% 5.3% 22.7% 24.5% 17.9% 8.8%
Special-focus 4-year: other special-focus institutions Average salary $62,505 $54,824 $58,903 $56,186 $98,132 $48,013 $32,978
Tribal colleges Staff members 2,386 8.2% 5.3% 26.8% 16.3% 18.2% 8.0%
Tribal colleges Average salary $41,916 $43,583 $43,247 $36,177 $64,981 $36,079 $31,317
No Carnegie classification Staff members 20,931 21.5% 18.4% 6.3% 22.0% 17.1% 4.0%
No Carnegie classification Average salary $79,257 $71,571 $77,062 $53,921 $127,398 $48,411 $54,015
All institutions Staff members 1,541,987 10.9% 11.1% 9.4% 14.8% 20.3% 12.2%

Note: The data cover full-time noninstructional staff members at degree-granting institutions in the United States that participate in Title IV federal financial-aid programs. Institutions were categorized according to the 2015 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Occupational categories are based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2010 Standard Occupational Classification system. Salaries are not shown if an occupational category had two or fewer staff members. The category of “librarians and other education-service providers” includes librarians, curators, archivists, and staff members working in academic affairs and other education services. For space reasons, seven occupational categories representing less than 9 percent each of the workforce were omitted online, though they appear in the print issue of Almanac. The omitted categories are community, social service, legal, arts, design, entertainment, sports and media; health-care practitioners and technical; natural resources, construction, and maintenance; production, transportation, and material moving; public service; research; and sales and related.

Source: Chronicle analysis of U.S. Department of Education data

A version of this article appeared in the August 18, 2017, issue.
Read other items in The Profession.
We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
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