SOC 25-9044 · Educational Instruction and Library Occupations · May 2025

How much do Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary make in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA is $45,110. The 10th percentile is $37,740 and the 90th percentile is $72,850. Employment is 930.

Median annual wage

$45,110

10th percentile
$37,740
25th percentile
$38,420
Median
$45,110
75th percentile
$49,060
90th percentile
$72,850
Mean
$48,780

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates. BLS reports this occupation on an annual basis. Hourly wages are not published.

A welder in a green hard hat working on a metal structure
A welder in a hard hat on a metal structure. Photograph by FBenjr123. Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Percentile spread

For Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary, the published 10th percentile is $37,740 and the 90th percentile is $72,850. The difference is $35,110, which is 77.8% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $38,420 to the 75th at $49,060, covers $10,640.

The mean annual wage is $48,780, which sits above the median of $45,110. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

Hourly wages are not published because BLS reports this occupation on an annual basis. Hourly and annual wages.

National and state comparison

The San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA median is 5.1% higher than the national median of $42,910 for Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary. In 2024 national prices the local median is $40,852, which is 4.8% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 8.2% lower than the California median of $49,140.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA is 110.423, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $45,110 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary at $40,852 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

7 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ranks 5th of 8 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

  • Merced, CA is 41 miles away, with a median of $63,220 and employment of 100. That median is 40.1% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $64,330, against $40,852 here.
  • San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA is 78 miles away, with a median of $44,330 and employment of 1,010. That median is 1.7% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $38,343, against $40,852 here.
  • Fresno, CA is 94 miles away, with a median of $37,440 and employment of 1,200. That median is 17% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $36,649, against $40,852 here.

Employment share

Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary accounts for 0.08% of wage-and-salary employment in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA (930 of 1,134,970). Nationally the occupation is 0.11% of employment (164,090 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.78 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.

Highest-paying jobs in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA · Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary by metro · How to read these percentiles · Median and mean · When a wage is not published · How the figures are made · Compare this wage after prices

Questions this page answers

How much do Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary make in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA is $45,110. The 10th percentile is $37,740 and the 90th percentile is $72,850. Employment is 930.

How does that compare with the national median for Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary?

The local median is 5.1% higher than the national median of $42,910.

What is Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary pay in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA is 110.423, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $45,110 is $40,852. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA compare with nearby metros for Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary?

Merced, CA is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 41 miles away, at $63,220. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ranks 5th of 8 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.