Foreign Language Professor salary in New York, NY

Based on 30 certified H-1B filings in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Bronx, Stony Brook, Purchase, New Brunswick, Brooklyn.

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

Median salary$86,503
Middle 50%$80.5k–$95.9k
vs. national median+25%comparison median $69,336
Filings30FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $64,044 and $247,746.
PercentileSalary
10th$73,039
25th$80,452
50th (median)$86,503
75th$95,901
90th$103,105

Salary by year

Median salary

$60k $80k $100k FY2020: median $70,207 (37 filings) FY2022: median $81,000 (31 filings) FY2023: median $75,000 (31 filings) FY2024: median $75,000 (23 filings) FY2025: median $89,499 (14 filings) FY2026: median $85,638 (16 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 37 filings FY20 FY2021: 9 filings FY21 FY2022: 31 filings FY22 FY2023: 31 filings FY23 FY2024: 23 filings FY24 FY2025: 14 filings FY25 FY2026: 16 filings FY26 37
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$70,207$68,647$79,66337
FY2021–––9
FY2022$81,000$68,540$91,15431
FY2023$75,000$70,000$81,84931
FY2024$75,000$70,000$86,46323
FY2025$89,499$85,027$90,28114
FY2026$85,638$80,000$97,86416

Cost of living

New York's median Foreign Language Professor salary of $86,503 is worth about $76,800 at national average prices.

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; New York = 112.6).

Compared with all workers here

All Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary in the New York, NY area earned a median of $98,600 in May 2025 (1,460 employed). The H-1B median here is $86,503, 12% 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
New York Universitytoo few9
Columbia Universitytoo few8
Baruch Collegetoo few2
Fordham Universitytoo few2
Hunter College of the City University of New Yorktoo few2
John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNYtoo few2

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

By experience level

Wage levelMedianFilings
Entry-level · Level I $83,400 16
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$58,980$83,40016

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.