Entry-level Foreign Language Professor salary in Los Angeles, CA

Based on 18 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level I 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$65,865
Middle 50%$62.7k–$91.6k
vs. all levels here−15%comparison median $77,126
Filings18FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $61,160 and $602,264.
PercentileSalary
10th$61,160
25th$62,730
50th (median)$65,865
75th$91,590
90th$117,182

Salary by year

Median salary

$50k $75k $100k FY2023: median $89,976 (13 filings) FY2024: median $75,000 (13 filings) FY2025: median $62,730 (11 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 7 filings FY20 FY2021: 7 filings FY21 FY2022: 8 filings FY22 FY2023: 13 filings FY23 FY2024: 13 filings FY24 FY2025: 11 filings FY25 FY2026: 7 filings FY26 13
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–––7
FY2021–––7
FY2022–––8
FY2023$89,976$83,760$95,00013
FY2024$75,000$62,870$88,70013
FY2025$62,730$61,160$77,12611
FY2026–––7

Cost of living

Los Angeles's median entry-level Foreign Language Professor salary of $65,865 is worth about $58,000 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 $65,865, 21% 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
The University of Southern California$62,73010
Soka University of Americatoo few2
University of California, Los Angelestoo 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.