Foreign Language Professor salary in Los Angeles, CA

Based on 23 certified H-1B filings in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Claremont, Aliso Viejo, Pomona, Orange, Malibu.

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

Median salary$77,126
Middle 50%$62.7k–$99.9k
vs. national median+11%comparison median $69,336
Filings23FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $61,160 and $573,520.
PercentileSalary
10th$61,160
25th$62,730
50th (median)$77,126
75th$99,902
90th$115,707

Salary by year

Median salary

$60k $75k $90k FY2020: median $75,000 (12 filings) FY2022: median $80,400 (12 filings) FY2023: median $83,760 (19 filings) FY2024: median $81,480 (22 filings) FY2025: median $77,126 (15 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 12 filings FY20 FY2021: 9 filings FY21 FY2022: 12 filings FY22 FY2023: 19 filings FY23 FY2024: 22 filings FY24 FY2025: 15 filings FY25 FY2026: 8 filings FY26 22
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$75,000$64,283$94,60012
FY2021–––9
FY2022$80,400$72,550$86,00012
FY2023$83,760$73,745$90,43819
FY2024$81,480$68,285$88,15522
FY2025$77,126$61,945$86,94015
FY2026–––8

Cost of living

Los Angeles's median Foreign Language Professor salary of $77,126 is worth about $67,900 at national average prices.

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; Los Angeles = 113.6).

Compared with all workers here

All Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary in the Los Angeles, CA area earned a median of $83,310 in May 2025 (800 employed). The H-1B median here is $77,126, 7% lower.

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

Top employers filing

EmployerMedianFilings
The University of Southern California$62,73010
University of California, Los Angelestoo few4
Pomona Collegetoo few2
Soka University of Americatoo few2

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

By experience level

Wage levelMedianFilings
Entry-level · Level I $65,865 18
Mid-level · Level II too few 2
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$61,160$65,86518

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.