Teaching assistants

Detailed Occupation

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2020 Workforce

1.27M

Average Age

41.6

Average Salary

$23,480

Average Male Salary

$30,458

Average Female Salary

$22,198

About

Teaching assistants are most often employed by the Elementary & secondary schools industry. The average yearly wage for Teaching assistants was $23,480 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Teaching assistants by wage are Pressers, textile, garment, & related materials, Manicurists and pedicurists, and Packers & packagers, hand.

Teaching assistants are part of the Education, Training, & Library Occupations, along with Postsecondary teachers, Preschool & kindergarten teachers, Elementary & middle school teachers, Secondary school teachers, Special education teachers, and 7 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Teaching assistants are Borough Park, Kensington & Ocean Parkway PUMA, NY, Tottenville, Great Kills & Annadale PUMA, NY, and Spring Valley, Suffern Villages & Monsey PUMA, NY. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Teaching assistants are Borough Park, Kensington & Ocean Parkway PUMA, NY, Spring Valley, Suffern Villages & Monsey PUMA, NY, and Ocean County (North Central) PUMA, NJ.

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Teaching assistants and on wages and locations for those in the field. Elementary & secondary schools is the industry that employs the most Teaching assistants, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Teaching assistants, by average wage, is Accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping & payroll services. Teaching assistants are paid most in Seminole County (North Central) PUMA, FL but are relatively concentrated in Borough Park, Kensington & Ocean Parkway PUMA, NY.

Yearly Wage

$23,480

AVERAGE SALARY

± $510

In 2020, Teaching assistants earned an average of $23,480, $32,474 less than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Pressers, textile, garment, & related materials make somewhat more than Teaching assistants while Manicurists and pedicurists make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Teaching assistants as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.402

WAGE GINI

In 2019, Teaching assistants had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.402, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Teaching assistants (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Teaching assistants.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Teaching assistants

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Teaching assistants.

Most Common

The most common industries employing Teaching assistants, by number of employees, are Elementary & secondary schools, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, Child day care services, Other schools & instruction and educational support services, Business, technical & trade schools and training, Employment services, Individual & family services, Religious organizations, General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, Civic, social, advocacy organizations, & grantmaking & giving services, and Outpatient care centers.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Teaching assistants, by average wage, are Accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping & payroll services, Libraries & archives, and Pulp, paper, & paperboard mills .

Industries by Share

1.27M

2020 Workforce

± 27,534

4.36%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 2.97%

The number of people employed as Teaching assistants has been growing at a rate of 4.36%, from 1,215,569 people in 2019 to 1,268,616 people in 2020.

This graphic shows the share of Teaching assistants employed by various industries. Elementary & secondary schools employs the largest share of Teaching assistants at 77.5%, followed by Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges with 10.2% and Child day care services with 8.98%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Teaching assistants in the US. The average age of male Teaching assistants in the workforce is 36.1 and of female Teaching assistants is 42.6, and the most common race/ethnicity for Teaching assistants is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

197k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 10,885

1.07M

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 25,325

84.5% of Teaching assistants are Female, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Teaching assistants.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Teaching assistants

White (Non-Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)

59.6% of Teaching assistants are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 13.1% of Teaching assistants, Black (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Teaching assistants.

Age by Sex

36.1

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 0.819

42.6

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 0.349

The median age of Teaching assistants is 41.6, and Male employees are generally 6.53 years younger than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Teaching assistants from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Teaching assistants is Education but a relatively high number of Teaching assistants hold a major in Human Sciences.