Entry-level Foreign Language Professor salary in Boston, MA

Based on 18 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level I in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Cambridge, Lowell, Waltham, Medford, Plymouth.

Also listed as: Foreign Language Instructor, Assistant Professor of Spanish

Median salary$78,929
Middle 50%$72.2k–$98.9k
vs. all levels here−1%comparison median $80,000
Filings18FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $65,940 and $121,770.
PercentileSalary
10th$66,675
25th$72,154
50th (median)$78,929
75th$98,884
90th$104,600

Salary by year

Median salary

$50k $70k $90k FY2020: median $62,100 (17 filings) FY2021: median $56,750 (13 filings) FY2023: median $70,300 (20 filings) FY2024: median $74,000 (17 filings) FY2025: median $80,000 (10 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 17 filings FY20 FY2021: 13 filings FY21 FY2022: 7 filings FY22 FY2023: 20 filings FY23 FY2024: 17 filings FY24 FY2025: 10 filings FY25 FY2026: 8 filings FY26 20
Shaded: FY2025–FY2026, the years behind the figures above. Median shown for years with at least 10 filings. FY2026 covers Q1–Q3 only.
Show as table
Fiscal yearMedianP25P75Filings
FY2020$62,100$58,000$70,00017
FY2021$56,750$52,000$67,10013
FY2022–––7
FY2023$70,300$67,975$74,75020
FY2024$74,000$71,600$91,32017
FY2025$80,000$69,837$98,88410
FY2026–––8

Cost of living

Boston's median entry-level Foreign Language Professor salary of $78,929 is worth about $72,900 at national average prices.

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; Boston = 108.3).

Compared with all workers here

All Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary in the Boston, MA area earned a median of $99,100 in May 2025 (630 employed). The H-1B median here is $78,929, 20% lower.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS metropolitan area estimates. BLS wages include some incentive pay; H-1B figures are base salary.

Employers filing at this level

EmployerMedianFilings
Harvard Universitytoo few9
Bentley Universitytoo few2
Massachusetts Institute of Technologytoo few2
Trustees Of Boston Universitytoo few2

Employers with at least 2 filings here. Median shown at 10+ filings.

By experience level

Wage levelMedianFilings
Entry-level · Level I $78,929 18
Mid-level · Level II – 0
Senior · Level III – 0
Expert · Level IV – 0

Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.

Minimum H-1B salary by level

Wage levelPrevailing wage (most common)Median offered salaryFilings
Entry-level · Level I$65,940$78,92918

The prevailing wage is the minimum an employer must pay for this job and area. Amounts vary by county within a metro and by wage source.