# English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary

US SOC code 25-1123. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/25-1123

Also called: English professor, Literature professor, English postsec teacher, English faculty, English lecturer.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **57,720** US postsecondary English language and literature teachers, with median pay of **$78,760** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2021, the highest was **59,590**, in May 2024, close to the May 2025 count. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d19/tables/dt19_301.20.asp) of **3,200** from 1890, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era in this work: AI writing feedback and grading assistance, 2015 to 2022.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects little or no change in employment from 2025 to 2035 (0%). Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=25-1123&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **57.1%** 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.

## English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1771
- Latest US employment: 57,720 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [5]
- Latest US median pay: $78,760 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [9]
- Outlook: +0% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [21]

### All 30 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1890 | 3,200 (estimate) | n/a | Est., National Center for Education Statistics [1] |
| 1920 | 7,500 (estimate) | n/a | Est., National Center for Education Statistics [1] |
| 1950 | 22,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., The National WWII Museum [2] |
| 1957 | n/a | $5,900 (estimate) | Est., University of Missouri Libraries [6] |
| 1970 | 55,000 (estimate) | $12,500 (estimate) | Est., National Center for Education Statistics (employment) [1]; Est., AAUP Faculty Compensation Survey (pay) [7] |
| 1990 | 52,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Modern Language Association [3] |
| 2000 | 56,000 (estimate) | $44,310 | Est., Estimated from the 1990 approximate and… (employment) [4]; BLS OEWS 2000 (pay) [8] |
| 2003 | 56,540 | $47,120 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [5] |
| 2004 | 57,400 | $47,900 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [5] |
| 2005 | 58,710 | $49,480 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [5] |
| 2006 | 59,320 | $51,730 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [5] |
| 2007 | 60,910 | $54,000 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [5] |
| 2008 | 62,230 | $56,380 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [5] |
| 2009 | 65,490 | $58,870 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [5] |
| 2010 | 69,880 | $60,400 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [5] |
| 2011 | 72,700 | $61,410 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [5] |
| 2012 | 72,680 | $60,040 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [5] |
| 2013 | 75,320 | $60,920 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [5] |
| 2014 | 76,320 | $60,160 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [5] |
| 2015 | 75,730 | $61,990 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [5] |
| 2016 | 71,270 | $63,730 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [5] |
| 2017 | 69,140 | $64,910 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [5] |
| 2018 | 68,360 | $66,590 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [5] |
| 2019 | 67,930 | $68,490 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [5] |
| 2020 | 64,800 | $69,000 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [5] |
| 2021 | 58,480 | $75,930 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [5] |
| 2022 | 57,680 | $74,280 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [5] |
| 2023 | 57,600 | $78,130 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [5] |
| 2024 | 59,590 | $78,270 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [5] |
| 2025 | 57,720 | $78,760 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [5] |

## Sources (90)

### Employment series

1. [NCES Digest of Education Statistics Table 301.20 -- Historical summary of faculty in degree-granting postsecondary institutions 1869-70 through 2017-18](https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d19/tables/dt19_301.20.asp), National Center for Education Statistics
2. [The National WWII Museum -- The GI Bill and Planning for the Postwar: 2.3 million veterans supported in college 1945-1950; veterans 49% of enrollment by 1947](https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/gi-bill-and-planning-postwar), National WWII Museum
3. [MLA Statement on the Use of Part-Time and Full-Time Adjunct Faculty Members -- background on adjunct trends from 1970s through 1990s](https://www.mla.org/Resources/Guidelines-and-Data/Reports-and-Professional-Guidelines/MLA-Statement-on-the-Use-of-Part-Time-and-Full-Time-Adjunct-Faculty-Members), Modern Language Association
4. [Estimated from the 1990 approximate and the 2024 confirmed O\*NET figure (72,200), calibrated against MLA job-listing data showing strongest English hiring gains in the 1995-2001 boom; order-of-magnitude estimate pending OEWS flat-file confirmation](https://profession.mla.org/demand-for-new-faculty-members-1995-2016/), Future History estimate (calibrated on MLA Demand for New Faculty Members, 1995-2016)
5. 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

6. [University of Missouri Libraries -- Prices and Wages by Decade 1950-1959: college professor earnings 1957-58 from Occupational Outlook Handbook, 1959 edition](https://libraryguides.missouri.edu/pricesandwages/1950-1959), University of Missouri Libraries / Occupational Outlook Handbook 1959
7. [AAUP Faculty Compensation Survey -- historical overview: AAUP annual survey program established 1958; full faculty salary series available from 1958-59 forward](https://research.aaup.org/history), American Association of University Professors
8. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
9. 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), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
10. [BLS OEWS May 2024, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Tool eras

11. [History of Harvard University (Wikipedia) -- Boylston Professorship of Rhetoric and Oratory established 1771; first occupied by John Quincy Adams 1806](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Harvard_University), Wikipedia
12. [University of Pittsburgh Department of English -- History of the Department 1880s: "English became a department; faculty listed as Professors of English; Bain's English Composition and Rhetoric was the standard text for rhetoric and composition"](https://www.english.pitt.edu/history-department-english-1880s), University of Pittsburgh Department of English
13. [National Archives -- Morrill Act (1862): established land-grant colleges teaching agriculture and mechanical arts "without excluding other scientific and classical studies"](https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/morrill-act), National Archives
14. [University of Chicago English Department History -- 1930s-1950s: Hutchins reforms; Neo-Aristotelian "Chicago School of Criticism" formalized 1952 as a response to New Criticism](https://english.uchicago.edu/about/history-english-department), University of Chicago Department of English
15. [Wikipedia -- Word processor (history: Wang 1976, WordStar 1978, WordPerfect 1982, Microsoft Word 1983)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word_processor), Wikipedia
16. [Turnitin -- About: Turnitin founded 1997 as iParadigms, renamed 2000; AI writing detection later added](https://www.turnitin.com/about/), Turnitin
17. [Grammarly for Education -- Grammarly Gains Momentum Among Leading Colleges and Universities: 3,000+ educational institutions; real-time writing feedback as always-on writing center](https://www.grammarly.com/blog/institutions/), Grammarly
18. [MLA Executive Council -- Statement on Educational Technologies and AI Agents (October 2025): 90% of MLA survey respondents wanted advocacy for the continuing value of human reading and writing processes](https://www.mla.org/Resources/Advocacy/Executive-Council-Actions/2025/Statement-on-Educational-Technologies-and-AI-Agents), Modern Language Association
19. [Turnitin -- AI writing detection: 14.8% of English-language submissions (Oct 2025 - Feb 2026) contain 80% or more AI-generated content, up from 3% at April 2023 launch](https://www.turnitin.com/press/turnitin-data-shows-transparency-about-ai-use-benefits-students-and-educators), Turnitin
20. [MLA-CCCC Joint Task Force on Writing and AI -- Working Paper 1: Overview of Issues, Principles, and Recommendations (spring 2025)](https://aiandwriting.hcommons.org/), MLA-CCCC Joint Task Force

### Forecasts and exposure studies

21. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 25-1123 English language and literature teachers, postsecondary (2025: 69.3 thousand; 2035: 69.3 thousand; 0.0%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=25-1123&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
22. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 25-1123.00, human-rated β 0.571)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

23. [History of Harvard University (Wikipedia) -- Boylston Professorship of Rhetoric and Oratory, established 1771, first occupied by John Quincy Adams 1806-1809](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Harvard_University), Wikipedia
24. [Prof. Francis James Child, Child Memorial Library, Harvard: Boylston Professor of Rhetoric and Oratory until 1876; Harvard's first Professor of English appointed 1876](https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/childlibrary/prof-francis-james-child), Harvard University
25. [University of Chicago Department of English -- History: Department of English Language, Literature, and Rhetoric founded 1890 as one of twenty-three original departments; initially the largest department at the university](https://english.uchicago.edu/about/history-english-department), University of Chicago Department of English
26. [National Archives -- Servicemen's Readjustment Act (1944): approximately 8 million veterans utilized GI Bill benefits; The National WWII Museum -- GI Bill and Planning for the Postwar: by 1947 veterans were 49% of US college students](https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/servicemens-readjustment-act), National Archives / National WWII Museum
27. [MLA -- The Job Crisis across the Disciplines: academic job crisis in English and languages documented from mid-1970s; adjuncts approximately 22% of instructional workforce by 1970, rising steadily thereafter](https://www.mla.org/Resources/Guidelines-and-Data/Reports-and-Professional-Guidelines/Final-Report-from-the-Committee-on-Professional-Employment/The-Job-Crisis-across-the-Disciplines), Modern Language Association
28. [Turnitin -- About: Turnitin founded 1997 as iParadigms; AI writing detection launched April 2023](https://www.turnitin.com/about/), Turnitin
29. [MLA -- News from the MLA: New Report on the MLA Job List (July 2023): 29.9% decline in English positions in 2020-21, steepest recorded since 1975; 80.6% recovery in 2021-22](https://news.mla.hcommons.org/2023/07/18/new-report-on-the-mla-job-list/), Modern Language Association
30. [NCTE / ELATE Position Statement -- Exploring, Incorporating, and Questioning Generative Artificial Intelligence in English Teacher Education (November 2024; English Education Vol. 57, Issue 2, 2025)](https://ncte.org/statement/exploring-incorporating-and-questioning-generative-artificial-intelligence-in-english-teacher-education/), NCTE / ELATE

### Predecessors & successors

31. [University of Pittsburgh Department of English History 1890s -- first PhD program in English Language and Literature; doctoral students in 1893-1908 period](https://www.english.pitt.edu/history-department-english-1890s), University of Pittsburgh Department of English

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary (25-1123.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/25-1123.00), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science / arXiv 2303.10130): English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary explicitly named in highest-LLM-exposure tier](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-24
- [BLS OES May 2025 — English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary (25-1123): median annual wage $79,350; employment 60,830](https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes251123.htm), accessed 2026-05-24
- [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Postsecondary Teachers (2024–2034, +7% projected growth)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/postsecondary-teachers.htm), accessed 2026-05-24
- [MLA Executive Council — Statement on Educational Technologies and AI Agents (October 2025): 90% of MLA survey respondents wanted advocacy for the continuing value of human reading and writing processes](https://www.mla.org/Resources/Advocacy/Executive-Council-Actions/2025/Statement-on-Educational-Technologies-and-AI-Agents), accessed 2026-05-24
- [MLA-CCCC Joint Task Force on Writing and AI — Working Paper 1: Overview of Issues, Principles, and Recommendations (spring 2025)](https://aiandwriting.hcommons.org/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [NCTE / ELATE Position Statement — Exploring, Incorporating, and Questioning Generative Artificial Intelligence in English Teacher Education (November 2024; English Education Vol. 57, Issue 2, 2025)](https://ncte.org/statement/exploring-incorporating-and-questioning-generative-artificial-intelligence-in-english-teacher-education/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Turnitin — AI writing detection: 14.8% of English-language submissions (Oct 2025 – Feb 2026) contain ≥80% AI-generated content, up from 3% at April 2023 launch](https://www.turnitin.com/press/turnitin-data-shows-transparency-about-ai-use-benefits-students-and-educators), accessed 2026-05-24
- [OpenAI — ChatGPT Edu: CSU system-wide deployment (460,000+ students and faculty across 23 campuses, February 2025)](https://chatgpt.com/use-cases/university-educators/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Inside Higher Ed — Faculty Push Back Against OpenAI Deals (March 2026): significant resistance in writing and humanities departments](https://www.insidehighered.com/news/tech-innovation/artificial-intelligence/2026/03/27/faculty-push-back-against-openai-deals), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Inside Higher Ed — Writing Labs Are an Answer to AI (January 2026): writing-center directors documenting faculty perplexity and pessimism about AI in composition](https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/views/2026/01/06/writing-labs-are-answer-ai-opinion), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Grammarly for Education — Arizona State University launches Superhuman Go agentic AI writing assistant; Indian River State College institution-wide deployment (2025)](https://www.grammarly.com/edu), accessed 2026-05-24
- [University of Minnesota Teaching Support — What Faculty Should Know About GenAI Detectors (2025): detection tools cannot prove AI authorship; ~15% false-positive rate in university testing of GPTZero](https://teachingsupport.umn.edu/what-faculty-should-know-about-genai-detectors), accessed 2026-05-24
- [NotebookLM — AI document synthesis: used at Northeastern for custom study aids; effective for synthesizing 50 sources with AI summaries; citation accuracy requires manual validation (PubMed 40875632)](https://notebooklm.google.com/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Packback — AI discussion platform: 600+ higher education institutions; Curiosity Score auto-calculated per post; reduces grading friction ~30%; used across disciplines including humanities](http://web.archive.org/web/20260420055510/https://packback.co/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Grammarly for Education — Grammarly Gains Momentum Among Leading Colleges and Universities: 3,000+ educational institutions; real-time writing feedback as always-on writing center](https://www.grammarly.com/blog/institutions/), accessed 2026-05-24

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