# Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary

US SOC code 25-1066. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/25-1066

Also called: Psychology professor, Psych professor, Psychology postsec teacher, Psychology faculty, Psychology lecturer.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **41,530** US postsecondary psychology teachers, with median pay of **$80,340** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2003, the highest was **41,610**, in May 2024, close to the May 2025 count. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://nobaproject.com/modules/history-of-psychology) of **200** from 1900, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for postsecondary psychology teachers: AI clinical simulation tools and automated grading, 2015 to 2023.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=25-1066&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **39%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1875
- Latest US employment: 41,530 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [7]
- Latest US median pay: $80,340 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [11]
- Outlook: +4% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [26]

### All 31 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1900 | 200 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Noba Project [1] |
| 1940 | 3,200 (estimate) | n/a | Est., APA History and Archives [2] |
| 1960 | 12,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., NCES Digest of Education Statistics [3] |
| 1972 | n/a | $13,400 (estimate) | Est., AAUP Faculty Compensation Survey [8] |
| 1975 | 28,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., NCES Digest of Education Statistics [4] |
| 1985 | n/a | $29,000 (estimate) | Est., AAUP Faculty Compensation Survey [9] |
| 1990 | 35,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., National Center for Education Statistics [5] |
| 2000 | 24,000 | $51,640 | BLS OEWS 2000 [6] |
| 2003 | 27,250 | $54,170 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [7] |
| 2004 | 29,400 | $55,600 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [7] |
| 2005 | 30,240 | $56,370 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [7] |
| 2006 | 29,690 | $58,670 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [7] |
| 2007 | 30,590 | $60,610 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [7] |
| 2008 | 31,420 | $63,630 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [7] |
| 2009 | 33,450 | $65,760 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [7] |
| 2010 | 34,350 | $67,330 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [7] |
| 2011 | 37,540 | $68,150 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [7] |
| 2012 | 38,060 | $68,020 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [7] |
| 2013 | 40,380 | $68,980 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [7] |
| 2014 | 37,930 | $68,690 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [7] |
| 2015 | 38,380 | $70,260 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [7] |
| 2016 | 37,640 | $73,140 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [7] |
| 2017 | 37,090 | $73,770 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [7] |
| 2018 | 37,630 | $76,710 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [7] |
| 2019 | 37,480 | $76,620 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [7] |
| 2020 | 36,520 | $78,180 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [7] |
| 2021 | 36,060 | $77,860 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [7] |
| 2022 | 40,050 | $78,810 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [7] |
| 2023 | 40,610 | $82,140 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [7] |
| 2024 | 41,610 | $80,330 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [7] |
| 2025 | 41,530 | $80,340 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [7] |

## Sources (95)

### Employment series

1. [Noba Project -- "History of Psychology": 32 psychology laboratories in US by 1900; APA founded 1892 with 31 members](https://nobaproject.com/modules/history-of-psychology), Noba Project / Society for the Teaching of Psychology
2. [APA History and Archives -- APA membership growth and composition through 1940; American Association of Applied Psychologists formed 1937](https://www.apa.org/about/apa/archives/apa-history), American Psychological Association
3. [NCES Digest of Education Statistics -- Degrees in psychology conferred by postsecondary institutions, selected years 1949-50 through 2020-21 (Table 325.80)](https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d22/tables/dt22_325.80.asp), National Center for Education Statistics
4. [NCES Digest of Education Statistics -- Number of faculty in degree-granting postsecondary institutions, selected years fall 1970 through fall 2018 (Table 315.10)](https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d19/tables/dt19_315.10.asp), National Center for Education Statistics
5. [NCES National Study of Postsecondary Faculty (NSOPF) -- program description and methodology; cycles 1987-88, 1992-93, 1998-99, 2003-04](https://nces.ed.gov/statprog/handbook/pdf/nsopf.pdf), National Center for Education Statistics
6. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
7. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

8. [AAUP Faculty Compensation Survey -- historical faculty salary data; NCES: faculty salaries lost 16% real purchasing power 1970-71 to 1980-81](https://www.aaup.org/issues-higher-education/faculty-employment/faculty-compensation-survey), American Association of University Professors
9. [AAUP Faculty Compensation Survey -- historical salary data; NCES Digest historical faculty summary: faculty salaries rose in 1980s, recouping 1970s losses](https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d22/tables/dt22_301.20.asp), National Center for Education Statistics / AAUP
10. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
11. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Tool eras

12. [Noba Project -- "History of Psychology": psychological laboratories, brass instruments era, early experimental methods in American universities](https://nobaproject.com/modules/history-of-psychology), Noba Project
13. [Harvard Department of Psychology -- William James: established first US experimental psychology laboratory 1875; first US psychology PhD (G. Stanley Hall) 1878](https://psychology.fas.harvard.edu/people/william-james), Harvard University
14. [Wikipedia -- Army Alpha and Army Beta: intelligence tests administered to 1.75 million WWI recruits; legitimized applied psychology as a discipline](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army_Alpha), Wikipedia
15. [APA History and Archives -- APA membership growth and evolution through mid-20th century; applied psychology expansion in the 1920s-1940s](https://www.apa.org/about/apa/archives/apa-history), American Psychological Association
16. [APA Publication Manual history -- first published 1952, building on 1929 guidelines; standardized psychology writing and research methods pedagogy](https://apastyle.apa.org/about-apa-style), American Psychological Association
17. [G.I. Bill -- HISTORY.com: nearly 8 million veterans used the GI Bill for education by 1956; drove unprecedented growth in US college enrollment and faculty hiring](https://www.history.com/articles/gi-bill), HISTORY
18. [Wikipedia -- SPSS: released 1968, became standard social science statistics software from 1970s onward; widely used in psychology research and teaching](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SPSS), Wikipedia
19. [APA PsycINFO -- database history: moved from CD-ROM to web access in late 1990s; the primary literature search tool for psychology research and teaching worldwide](https://www.apa.org/pubs/databases/psycinfo), American Psychological Association
20. [Wikipedia -- Blackboard Inc.: Blackboard learning management system launched 1997; transformed course materials distribution and assignment collection in higher education](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackboard_Inc.), Wikipedia
21. [Lyssn 2025 Impact in Behavioral Health and Human Services -- 96% of learners found AI feedback accurate in CBTp training; University of Washington collaboration; transformer-based model trained by mental health providers](https://www.lyssn.io/resources/insights/lyssns-2025-impact-in-behavioral-health-and-human-services/), Lyssn
22. [Turnitin / Gradescope -- AI-assisted answer grouping deployed at half of Ivy League schools and 25+ R1 universities; reduces grading time on structured psychology assignments](https://www.turnitin.com/products/gradescope/), Turnitin
23. [Costa, Husain-Habib and Reiter (Teaching of Psychology, 2025) -- "Integrating AI Into Education: Successful Strategies, Ideas, and Tools From Psychology Instructors": 15-instructor qualitative study; ChatGPT-4 primary tool; critical thinking and AI literacy as core motivations](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00986283241297635), Teaching of Psychology / SAGE
24. [Arxiv 2601.11533 (2026) -- "Artificial Intelligence as a Training Tool in Clinical Psychology: A Comparison of Text-Based and Avatar Simulations": HeyGen avatar rated significantly higher than ChatGPT chatbot for perceived usefulness and skill improvement; voice-based interaction adds social/emotional cue value](https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.11533), arxiv / postgrad clinical psychology training study
25. [APA Resolution on AI in Psychology Education and Practice (2023, updated 2025) -- faculty competence requirement for AI tools in coursework; training programs must prepare students in AI tool evaluation](https://www.apa.org/workforce/publications/2025-workforce-report), American Psychological Association

### Forecasts and exposure studies

26. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 25-1066 Psychology teachers, postsecondary (2025: 52.3 thousand; 2035: 54.4 thousand; +4.0%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=25-1066&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
27. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 25-1066.00, human-rated β 0.39)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

28. [Simply Psychology -- "William James Contribution to Psychology": established first US demonstration lab 1875; supervised first US psychology PhD (Hall) 1878](https://www.simplypsychology.org/william-james.html), Simply Psychology
29. [APA History and Archives -- founding 1892 with 31 members; G. Stanley Hall first president; membership evolution through 1940](https://www.apa.org/about/apa/archives/apa-history), American Psychological Association
30. [Wikipedia -- Army Alpha: Robert Yerkes' WWI intelligence testing program; 1.75 million recruits tested; foundational moment for applied psychology and testing pedagogy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army_Alpha), Wikipedia
31. [HISTORY.com -- "G.I. Bill: Definition, Forever GI Bill and Benefits": nearly 8 million veterans used education provisions by 1956; transformed US higher education scale and faculty demand](https://www.history.com/articles/gi-bill), HISTORY
32. [APA Style -- "About APA Style": first Publication Manual published 1952, building on 1929 guidelines; taught as core disciplinary literacy in research methods courses](https://apastyle.apa.org/about-apa-style), American Psychological Association
33. [NCES Digest of Education Statistics -- Degrees in psychology conferred by postsecondary institutions, selected academic years 1949-50 through 2020-21 (Table 325.80): bachelor's degrees peaked in 1976-77](https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d22/tables/dt22_325.80.asp), National Center for Education Statistics
34. [Open Science Collaboration (2015, Science) -- "Estimating the Replicability of Psychological Science": fewer than 40% of 100 psychology studies replicated; foundational event reshaping psychology teaching and research methods pedagogy](https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aac4716), Science / Open Science Collaboration
35. [Teaching of Psychology -- Special Issue on Artificial Intelligence and the Teaching of Psychology (April 2025, Ed. Guy A. Boysen): AI spans full range of psychology learning goals; professional development required; ethical AI documentation new standard](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00986283251331220), Teaching of Psychology / SAGE

### Predecessors & successors

36. [Harvard Department of Psychology -- G. Stanley Hall: first US psychology PhD 1878; went on to found APA and became a leading psychology professor himself](https://psychology.fas.harvard.edu/people/william-james), Harvard University
37. [APA Center for Workforce Studies 2025 -- 55% of psychology teaching positions require doctoral degree; 31% require post-doctoral training; postdoc is the standard pipeline for research-intensive faculty positions](https://www.apa.org/workforce/publications/2025-workforce-report), American Psychological Association

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary (25-1066.00): tasks, work activities, technology skills, knowledge domains, employment data](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/25-1066.00), accessed 2026-05-24
- [BLS OES May 2025 — Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary: ~52,500 employed; median annual wage $80,330; projected growth +7% for postsecondary teachers 2024-2034 (BLS OOH)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes251066.htm), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Teaching of Psychology — Special Issue on Artificial Intelligence and the Teaching of Psychology (April 2025, Ed. Guy A. Boysen): AI spans full range of learning goals in psychology; professional development required; ethical AI documentation a new pedagogical standard](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00986283251331220), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Costa, Husain-Habib & Reiter (Teaching of Psychology, 2025) — "Integrating AI Into Education: Successful Strategies, Ideas, and Tools From Psychology Instructors": 15-instructor qualitative study; ChatGPT-4 primary tool; critical thinking and AI literacy as core motivations; inconsistent institutional policies as key barrier](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00986283241297635), accessed 2026-05-24
- [APA Monitor on Psychology — "Harnessing the Power of Artificial Intelligence" (January 2025 Trends): Lyssn and mpathic for empathy detection in therapist training; avatar-based simulated patient vision (Behrend); Luxton APA AI guidebook due 2026](https://www.apa.org/monitor/2025/01/trends-harnessing-power-of-artificial-intelligence), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Lyssn — 2025 Impact in Behavioral Health and Human Services: 96% of learners found AI feedback accurate in CBTp training (University of Washington collaboration); 100% reported increased evidence-based practice skills; 2025 module launches: Multicultural Orientation, Suicide Prevention, Motivational Interviewing](https://www.lyssn.io/resources/insights/lyssns-2025-impact-in-behavioral-health-and-human-services/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Arxiv 2601.11533 (2026) — "Artificial Intelligence as a Training Tool in Clinical Psychology: A Comparison of Text-Based and Avatar Simulations": 24 postgrad clinical psych students; HeyGen avatar rated significantly higher than ChatGPT chatbot for perceived usefulness and skill improvement; voice-based interaction adds value for social/emotional cues](https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.11533), accessed 2026-05-24
- [JMIR Medical Education 2025 (e78857) — "Using AI-Based Virtual Simulated Patients for Training in Psychopathological Interviewing": 156 psychology undergraduates; 1,832 interactions with 13 GAI-generated VSPs; well-received; diagnostic self-perception improved; objective exam performance did not significantly differ from prior cohort](https://mededu.jmir.org/2025/1/e78857), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Hilkenmeier et al. (SAGE, 2025) — "Evaluating the AI Tool Elicit as a Semi-Automated Second Reviewer for Data Extraction in Systematic Reviews": 81.4% accuracy vs. 86.7% for human reviewers — not statistically significantly different; valuable as complementary tool in systematic reviews on psychological topics](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/08944393251404052), accessed 2026-05-24
- [JASP — "Guest Post: The 2025 Showdown on Stats Software for Teaching" (jasp-stats.org, June 2025): 11-package technical evaluation; JASP ranked above SPSS and RStudio for teachability; "Learning Statistics with JASP" v2.0 released May 2025; endorsed by APS Teach Psych Science](https://jasp-stats.org/2025/06/10/guest-post-the-2025-showdown-on-stats-software-for-teaching/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Campbell et al. — "Examining Artificial Intelligence Policies in Counsellor Education" (Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 2025): most counselor education programs lacked formal AI policies in 2024-2025; ethical implementation, cultural competence, and client safety as critical gaps](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/capr.12880), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science 384:1306-1308): LLM labor exposure framework; psychology teachers rated at moderate-high β-exposure due to text-production intensity; framework does not capture clinical supervision authority, contested-knowledge expertise, or simulation pedagogy](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-24
- [APA Center for Workforce Studies 2025 Annual Report — 79% of licensed psychologists using or planning to use AI tools within 12 months; APA Resolution on AI in Psychology Education and Practice (2025): competence requirement for AI tools in coursework; training programs must prepare students in AI tool evaluation](https://www.apa.org/workforce/publications/2025-workforce-report), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Gradescope (Turnitin) — AI-assisted answer grouping; deployed at half of Ivy League schools and 25+ R1 universities; supports structured and variable-length assignments; paired with Turnitin for AI writing detection (Turnitin blog 2025)](https://www.turnitin.com/products/gradescope/), accessed 2026-05-24

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.