Instruction |
18 August 2026 |
Instructor Recuitment
7 August 2026
Estimated Cost to Recruit and Hire a Community College Technical Faculty Member
For a U.S. community college hiring one full-time faculty member with a master’s degree in a technical discipline, a reasonable planning estimate is $15,000–$30,000 in recruiting-and-hiring expense, excluding salary and ongoing benefits. A practical midpoint budget is approximately $20,000–$25,000 per successful hire.
Recruitment
Faculty searches usually cost more than ordinary professional hiring because they commonly require a formal search committee, structured review of applications, first-round and finalist interviews, reference and credential checks, and often campus visits for several finalists. Community-college procedures commonly require advertising and outreach, committee screening, and a finalist pool. [web:31][web:33]
Planning Estimate
| Cost component | Probable range | Typical contents |
|---|---|---|
| Job advertising and outreach | $1,000–$4,000 | Standard job boards may be institutionally covered, but specialized discipline outlets, professional associations, diversity-oriented publications, and targeted outreach can add cost. Colleges often use job boards, professional listservs, professional gatherings, and direct outreach to build a diverse applicant pool. [web:31][web:34] |
| HR, administrative, and screening labor | $4,000–$9,000 | Requisition approval, posting administration, applicant intake, minimum-qualification review, interview coordination, documentation, offer preparation, and onboarding. |
| Search-committee faculty and staff time | $5,000–$12,000 | Often the largest implicit expense: reviewing applications, participating in compliance or bias training, conducting interviews, evaluating teaching demonstrations, deliberating, and preparing recommendations. [web:25][web:33] |
| Finalist interviews and travel | $2,000–$8,000 | Airfare or ground transport, lodging, meals, local transportation, candidate hosting, and reimbursement processing. Search procedures commonly provide for reimbursed travel and institution-paid lodging; a rough direct-cost example is $1,000–$2,000 per visiting finalist. [web:25][web:21] |
| Background, reference, and credential verification | $300–$1,500 | Criminal-background screening where applicable, degree and transcript verification, reference checks, and technical-credential review. |
| Offer processing and onboarding | $1,000–$3,000 | Payroll and benefits setup, orientation, required training, IT accounts, identification, and initial administrative support. |
| Total | $15,000–$30,000 | Use $20,000–$25,000 as a sound single-number planning estimate. |
Factors That Change the Cost
- A local applicant pool, remote first-round interviews, and limited paid advertising can keep the search near $10,000–$18,000.
- A difficult-to-fill specialty—such as cybersecurity, engineering technology, advanced manufacturing, electronics, automation, or data systems—can cost $30,000–$50,000 or more.
- Costs increase when the college needs extensive proactive sourcing, conference recruiting, several fly-in finalists, repeated searches, relocation support, or an external recruiter.
- Full-time faculty searches commonly include multiple stages: applicant screening, preliminary interviews, finalist interviews, campus visits, teaching demonstrations, committee evaluation, and recommendations to the hiring authority. [web:25][web:35]
Excluded Costs
The estimate above covers the process of recruiting and hiring, not the full first-year cost of the position. It excludes:
- Salary and fringe benefits
- Relocation reimbursement or a signing incentive
- Start-up funds, laboratory equipment, specialized software, or classroom technology
- Curriculum-development support or a reduced initial teaching load
- Mentoring, department orientation, and first-year professional development
- Vacancy costs, including adjunct coverage, overload pay, delayed program expansion, or canceled sections
Recommended Budget Language
For a budget request or planning document, a defensible concise assumption is:
Budget $25,000 per full-time community-college technical-faculty search, excluding compensation, relocation assistance, and position start-up costs.
Salary Estimates - Alabama
For a full-time technical-discipline faculty member with a master’s degree at an Alabama community college, a realistic current salary estimate is about $53,000–$70,000 annually, with a broader experience-based range of roughly $53,000–$103,000 under a representative Alabama Community College System salary schedule.[1]
Likely offer range
A newly hired instructor with limited directly relevant experience would most likely be offered $53,000–$56,000. Someone with roughly 5–10 years of credited relevant experience would more plausibly fall around $61,000–$70,000, while a very experienced candidate with extensive creditable teaching or directly related industry experience could exceed $80,000.
| Credited experience / placement | Estimated annual salary, master’s degree |
|---|---:|
| Entry step / little creditable experience | $52,757–$56,214 |
| About 3–5 years | $57,940–$61,397 |
| About 6–10 years | $63,124–$70,034 |
| About 15–20 years | $78,464–$86,894 |
| About 25–30 years | $95,324–$103,055 |
Basis for the estimate
George C. Wallace Community College’s 2024–25 Schedule C-3 lists a master’s-degree faculty salary of $52,757 at Step 0, rising to $70,034 at Step 10, $86,894 at Step 20, and $103,055 at Step 30. The schedule is part of the Alabama Community College System framework, whose salary schedules were effective September 1, 2024.
Initial placement is important: ACCS guidelines require full credit for prior qualifying Alabama public-school, college, and adult-education experience, while credit for directly related private-sector or out-of-state experience is subject to the college president’s discretion and must be applied consistently. Thus, a technical professional’s industry experience may materially affect the initial offer, but it is not necessarily credited year-for-year.
Adjunct alternative
If the appointment is part-time rather than full-time, the same college’s schedule pays technical instructors with a master’s degree $28.13 per contact hour; academic adjunct/overload instruction is listed at $676.26 per credit hour. Since an adjuct or part-time instructor typically does not receive benefits like health care and retirement, we suggest that at least half of the 40% typical fringe cost be added to the instructional fee, yielding a rate of 1.2 X 676 X 3 or $2,434 as a fair rate of pay for teaching a single three-credit or equivalent course. This equates to only about one-third the cost of a full-time instructor.
Sources
[1] 2024-2025-Salary-Schedule.pdf https://www.wallace.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2024-2025-Salary-Schedule.pdf
[2] HB146 ENROLLED https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/files/pdf/SearchableInstruments/2024RS/HB146-enr.pdf
[3] Adult Education Instructor - Part-time in Various sites https://www.governmentjobs.com/jobs/3308288-0/adult-education-instructor-part-time
[4] 10.08 Pay and Salary Administration https://catalog.coastalalabama.edu/policies-procedures/1008-pay-and-salary-administration
[5] Alabama Community College System previews 2025 ... https://aldailynews.com/alabama-community-college-system-previews-2025-legislative-agenda/
[6] Internal Posting https://www.bishop.edu/assets/uploads/pages/Adjunct-Postings-updated-Nov-2022.1.pdf
[7] FY2025 Salary Schedule https://core-docs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/3646/SCS/3586265/Board_Approved_FY2025_Salary_Schedule.pdf
[8] ACCS Salary Schedules https://www.accs.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/2025-2026-ACCS-Salary-Schedules.pdf
[9] Central Alabama Community College - Salaries https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Central-Alabama-Community-College/salaries/Instructor/Alabama
[10] Salary Schedule for CTE Technical Education Teachers https://www.alabamaachieves.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/TEA_20240821_Salary-Schedule-for-CTE-Technical-Education-Teachers-2024-2025_V1.0.pdf
Fringe Benefits
For a full-time Alabama community-college faculty member, a good planning estimate for employer-paid fringe benefits is about 35%–40% of salary, with roughly 37% as a reasonable average. The precise percentage is higher for lower-paid faculty because health coverage is a largely fixed annual employer cost rather than a percentage of pay.[1][2]
Estimated components
For a newly hired employee in the Alabama Community College System’s Teachers’ Retirement System Tier II, the core employer cost is approximately:
| Benefit component | Employer cost | As % of a $60,000 salary |
|---|---:|---:|
| Retirement contribution | 11.57% of pay | 11.57% [2] |
| Social Security and Medicare | 7.65% of pay | 7.65% [1] |
| Employer health-insurance contribution | $9,600 per year, or $800/month | 16.0% [1][2] |
| Unemployment and minor payroll-related benefits | Approximately 0.1%–1.0% | About 0.5% [1] |
| Estimated core fringe total | About $22,100 annually | About 36.8% |
For a Tier I retirement participant, the employer retirement contribution is 12.59% rather than 11.57%, producing a fringe rate about one percentage point higher.[2]
Salary sensitivity
Because the employer health contribution is about $9,600 annually per active non-university employee, the fringe rate changes with salary.[2]
| Annual salary | Estimated employer fringe cost | Fringe as % of salary |
|---:|---:|---:|
| $53,000 | About $19,600 | About 37% |
| $60,000 | About $22,100 | About 37% |
| $70,000 | About $25,600 | About 36% |
| $80,000 | About $29,100 | About 36% |
Budgeting assumption
For the $53,000–$70,000 Alabama salary range previously estimated, budget salary plus 37% for fringe benefits. That implies a fully loaded recurring compensation cost of approximately:
- $72,600 for a $53,000 salary
- $82,200 for a $60,000 salary
- $95,900 for a $70,000 salary
This excludes one-time recruiting costs, relocation, equipment, and departmental or instructional start-up expenses.
Sources
[1] Budget Fact Book https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/files/pdf/lsa/Fiscal/BudgetFactBook/2025-BFB.pdf
[2] Annual Financial Report https://www.accs.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/ATN-FY25.pdf
[3] 10.01 Employee Benefits https://catalog.coastalalabama.edu/policies-procedures/1001-employee-benefits
[4] Alabama Community College System previews 2025 legislative agenda https://aldailynews.com/alabama-community-college-system-previews-2025-legislative-agenda/
[5] Employment Benefits https://www.accs.edu/about-accs/employment/employment-benefits/
[6] F&A rate agreement, Proposed Fringe Benefits Rates, and Other Federal ... https://www.southalabama.edu/departments/financialaffairs/grantsandcontracts/rates.html
[7] 2025 Code of Alabama Title 36 - Public Officers and Employees. Chapter 26 https://law.justia.com/codes/alabama/title-36/chapter-26/article-5/section-36-26-121/
[8] Benefits News - Human Resources - The University of Alabama https://hr.ua.edu/category/benefits-news/
[9] ACHE 2025 Annual Report https://www.ache.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/25_Annual_Report_Downloadable.pdf
[10] Fringe Benefit Rates https://financialservices.wustl.edu/wfin-topic/cost-analysis-office/fringe-benefit-rates/
Likely offer range
A newly hired instructor with limited directly relevant experience would most likely be offered $53,000–$56,000. Someone with roughly 5–10 years of credited relevant experience would more plausibly fall around $61,000–$70,000, while a very experienced candidate with extensive creditable teaching or directly related industry experience could exceed $80,000.
| Credited experience / placement | Estimated annual salary, master’s degree |
|---|---:|
| Entry step / little creditable experience | $52,757–$56,214 |
| About 3–5 years | $57,940–$61,397 |
| About 6–10 years | $63,124–$70,034 |
| About 15–20 years | $78,464–$86,894 |
| About 25–30 years | $95,324–$103,055 |
Basis for the estimate
George C. Wallace Community College’s 2024–25 Schedule C-3 lists a master’s-degree faculty salary of $52,757 at Step 0, rising to $70,034 at Step 10, $86,894 at Step 20, and $103,055 at Step 30. The schedule is part of the Alabama Community College System framework, whose salary schedules were effective September 1, 2024.
Initial placement is important: ACCS guidelines require full credit for prior qualifying Alabama public-school, college, and adult-education experience, while credit for directly related private-sector or out-of-state experience is subject to the college president’s discretion and must be applied consistently. Thus, a technical professional’s industry experience may materially affect the initial offer, but it is not necessarily credited year-for-year.
Adjunct alternative
If the appointment is part-time rather than full-time, the same college’s schedule pays technical instructors with a master’s degree $28.13 per contact hour; academic adjunct/overload instruction is listed at $676.26 per credit hour. Since an adjuct or part-time instructor typically does not receive benefits like health care and retirement, we suggest that at least half of the 40% typical fringe cost be added to the instructional fee, yielding a rate of 1.2 X 676 X 3 or $2,434 as a fair rate of pay for teaching a single three-credit or equivalent course. This equates to only about one-third the cost of a full-time instructor.
Sources
[1] 2024-2025-Salary-Schedule.pdf https://www.wallace.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2024-2025-Salary-Schedule.pdf
[2] HB146 ENROLLED https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/files/pdf/SearchableInstruments/2024RS/HB146-enr.pdf
[3] Adult Education Instructor - Part-time in Various sites https://www.governmentjobs.com/jobs/3308288-0/adult-education-instructor-part-time
[4] 10.08 Pay and Salary Administration https://catalog.coastalalabama.edu/policies-procedures/1008-pay-and-salary-administration
[5] Alabama Community College System previews 2025 ... https://aldailynews.com/alabama-community-college-system-previews-2025-legislative-agenda/
[6] Internal Posting https://www.bishop.edu/assets/uploads/pages/Adjunct-Postings-updated-Nov-2022.1.pdf
[7] FY2025 Salary Schedule https://core-docs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/3646/SCS/3586265/Board_Approved_FY2025_Salary_Schedule.pdf
[8] ACCS Salary Schedules https://www.accs.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/2025-2026-ACCS-Salary-Schedules.pdf
[9] Central Alabama Community College - Salaries https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Central-Alabama-Community-College/salaries/Instructor/Alabama
[10] Salary Schedule for CTE Technical Education Teachers https://www.alabamaachieves.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/TEA_20240821_Salary-Schedule-for-CTE-Technical-Education-Teachers-2024-2025_V1.0.pdf
Fringe Benefits
For a full-time Alabama community-college faculty member, a good planning estimate for employer-paid fringe benefits is about 35%–40% of salary, with roughly 37% as a reasonable average. The precise percentage is higher for lower-paid faculty because health coverage is a largely fixed annual employer cost rather than a percentage of pay.[1][2]
Estimated components
For a newly hired employee in the Alabama Community College System’s Teachers’ Retirement System Tier II, the core employer cost is approximately:
| Benefit component | Employer cost | As % of a $60,000 salary |
|---|---:|---:|
| Retirement contribution | 11.57% of pay | 11.57% [2] |
| Social Security and Medicare | 7.65% of pay | 7.65% [1] |
| Employer health-insurance contribution | $9,600 per year, or $800/month | 16.0% [1][2] |
| Unemployment and minor payroll-related benefits | Approximately 0.1%–1.0% | About 0.5% [1] |
| Estimated core fringe total | About $22,100 annually | About 36.8% |
For a Tier I retirement participant, the employer retirement contribution is 12.59% rather than 11.57%, producing a fringe rate about one percentage point higher.[2]
Salary sensitivity
Because the employer health contribution is about $9,600 annually per active non-university employee, the fringe rate changes with salary.[2]
| Annual salary | Estimated employer fringe cost | Fringe as % of salary |
|---:|---:|---:|
| $53,000 | About $19,600 | About 37% |
| $60,000 | About $22,100 | About 37% |
| $70,000 | About $25,600 | About 36% |
| $80,000 | About $29,100 | About 36% |
Budgeting assumption
For the $53,000–$70,000 Alabama salary range previously estimated, budget salary plus 37% for fringe benefits. That implies a fully loaded recurring compensation cost of approximately:
- $72,600 for a $53,000 salary
- $82,200 for a $60,000 salary
- $95,900 for a $70,000 salary
This excludes one-time recruiting costs, relocation, equipment, and departmental or instructional start-up expenses.
Sources
[1] Budget Fact Book https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/files/pdf/lsa/Fiscal/BudgetFactBook/2025-BFB.pdf
[2] Annual Financial Report https://www.accs.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/ATN-FY25.pdf
[3] 10.01 Employee Benefits https://catalog.coastalalabama.edu/policies-procedures/1001-employee-benefits
[4] Alabama Community College System previews 2025 legislative agenda https://aldailynews.com/alabama-community-college-system-previews-2025-legislative-agenda/
[5] Employment Benefits https://www.accs.edu/about-accs/employment/employment-benefits/
[6] F&A rate agreement, Proposed Fringe Benefits Rates, and Other Federal ... https://www.southalabama.edu/departments/financialaffairs/grantsandcontracts/rates.html
[7] 2025 Code of Alabama Title 36 - Public Officers and Employees. Chapter 26 https://law.justia.com/codes/alabama/title-36/chapter-26/article-5/section-36-26-121/
[8] Benefits News - Human Resources - The University of Alabama https://hr.ua.edu/category/benefits-news/
[9] ACHE 2025 Annual Report https://www.ache.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/25_Annual_Report_Downloadable.pdf
[10] Fringe Benefit Rates https://financialservices.wustl.edu/wfin-topic/cost-analysis-office/fringe-benefit-rates/
Salary Estimates - Washington
For a full-time community or technical college faculty member with a master’s degree in a technical field in Washington State, a reasonable current estimate is about $70,000–$90,000 per academic year. A strong planning figure for a typical new hire is $75,000–$82,000, while experienced hires and higher-paying districts can reach $90,000–$110,000+. Washington faculty pay is set through locally negotiated district schedules, so the location and collective-bargaining agreement matter substantially.[1][2]
Likely salary range
| Credited experience / district context | Estimated annual base salary |
|---|---:|
| New full-time hire, limited teaching experience | $68,000–$76,000 |
| New hire with relevant technical-industry or teaching experience | $75,000–$85,000 |
| Established faculty, roughly 5–10 years on a schedule | $82,000–$95,000 |
| Senior faculty, high-cost district, or advanced placement | $95,000–$110,000+ |
These figures presume a standard nine-month or approximately 175-day academic-year contract, rather than a 12-month administrative appointment. In Spokane’s 2025 full-time faculty schedule, for example, the 175-day annual rate begins at $71,096 and rises to $108,630 at Step 15.
District variation
Washington does not use a single statewide community-college faculty salary table: salary schedules are locally negotiated at each community and technical college district. The State Board for Community and Technical Colleges collects district-by-district full-time faculty salary surveys, including state-supported and operating-fee-supported faculty.[3][1]
| Illustrative district market | Practical master’s-level technical-faculty estimate |
|---|---:|
| Lower-cost or smaller-market district | $68,000–$80,000 |
| Spokane-area benchmark | $71,096–$108,630, depending on step |
| Seattle/Puget Sound market | Approximately $70,000–$90,000 for a new or mid-career hire; senior faculty can exceed $100,000 [4] |
Recommended budgeting figure
For a planning model rather than a particular college’s negotiated contract, use:
> $80,000 annual salary for a newly hired full-time technical faculty member with a master’s degree in Washington, plus employer-paid benefits.
For a difficult-to-fill area—such as automation, cybersecurity, engineering technology, industrial maintenance, semiconductor manufacturing, or advanced IT—budget $85,000–$95,000 to allow for placement above the entry step and competition from private-sector employers. Washington’s salary schedules generally reward both academic credentials and service/experience, although each district determines the exact initial placement rules.[1]
Sources
[1] Faculty and Administrator Salary Study Update https://aftseattle.wa.aft.org/sites/default/files/article_pdf_files/2018-09/2016-17_salary_study_for_sbctc__final_report_9-4-18.pdf
[2] WEA members unite for faculty bargaining rights https://www.washingtonea.org/ourvoice/pay-benefits/higher-education/
[3] How can I provide the page content manually to the lesson planner https://www.perplexity.ai/search/846bf6a6-4627-4d8b-b43b-004945217472
[4] Seattle Colleges District Salaries - Academic Jobs https://www.academicjobs.com/employers/seattle-colleges-district/3289/salaries
[5] Salary Schedules https://employees.losrios.edu/human-resources-and-benefits/human-resources/salary-schedules
[6] Do Washington Teachers Make More with a Masters ... https://online.ewu.edu/degrees/education/washington-teachers-make-more-with-masters-degree/
[7] Salary schedules https://ofm.wa.gov/hr-policies/compensation-job-classes/job-classes-salaries/salary-schedules/
[8] Faculty Salary Surveys https://www.sbctc.edu/colleges-staff/my-employment/faculty-salary-surveys.aspx
[9] Salary Schedules https://www.cccd.edu/employment/salaryschedules.html
[10] Washington Teacher's Union ET-15 Salary Schedule ... https://teacherquality.nctq.org/dmsView/2526_dcps
[11] Salary Schedules https://ahespokane.com/salary-schedules/
Fringe Benefits
For a full-time community or technical college faculty member in Washington State, a sound budgeting estimate for employer-paid fringe benefits is about 35%–40% of salary, with approximately 37% a useful statewide planning figure. At lower salaries the percentage can be closer to 40% because the state employer health-benefit payment is a fixed dollar amount per eligible employee.[1][2]
Estimated components
For a faculty member covered by the Washington Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS), an illustrative 2025–26 estimate is:
| Benefit component | Employer cost | Share of an $80,000 salary |
|---|---:|---:|
| TRS employer retirement contribution | 7.74% of salary | 7.74% [2] |
| Social Security and Medicare | 7.65% of salary | 7.65% |
| Paid Family and Medical Leave, employer share | About 0.4%–0.6% of salary | About 0.5% |
| Unemployment, workers’ compensation, and minor payroll benefits | About 1.0%–2.0% of salary | About 1.5% |
| PEBB employer health, dental, vision, life, and disability benefits | $15,996 annually, or $1,333 monthly | 20.0% [1] |
| Estimated core fringe total | About $29,900 annually | About 37.4% |
Washington’s state-agency and higher-education PEBB base funding rate is $1,333 per eligible employee per month for fiscal year 2025–26. This funding supports the employer portion of eligible employees’ health-benefit packages, while employees generally pay some premium share depending on plan and dependent coverage.[3][1]
Salary sensitivity
| Annual salary | Estimated fringe cost | Fringe as a percentage of salary | Salary plus fringe |
|---:|---:|---:|---:|
| $70,000 | About $26,400 | About 37.7% | About $96,400 |
| $80,000 | About $29,900 | About 37.4% | About $109,900 |
| $90,000 | About $33,400 | About 37.1% | About $123,400 |
| $100,000 | About $36,900 | About 36.9% | About $136,900 |
These estimates use 7.74% for the TRS employer contribution, 7.65% for FICA, approximately 2.0% combined for paid leave insurance, unemployment, workers’ compensation, and similar payroll costs, and the $15,996 annual PEBB base funding rate.[2][1]
Budget assumption
For the previously estimated Washington salary range, budget salary plus 37%–40% for fringes. A concise and reasonably conservative assumption for a full-time technical faculty hire is:
> Employer fringe benefits: 38% of salary, or about $30,000 on an $80,000 annual salary.
Adjunct alternative
If the appointment is part-time rather than full-time, and the college pays technical instructors with a master’s degree $60 per contact hour; then academic adjunct/overload instruction is $60x45=$2,700. per course. Adding half the typical fringe as above this would be 1.2x$2700=$3,240. This equates roughly to half the cost of a full-time instructor for a single course.
The actual rate may differ by college district, faculty workload/FTE, retirement-plan classification, insurance eligibility, employee elections, and locally negotiated benefits. Washington community and technical college faculty salary schedules and related employment terms are locally negotiated, rather than set by one uniform statewide faculty contract.[4]
Sources
[1] New base funding rate effective July 1, 2025 - GovDelivery https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/WAHCA/bulletins/3e4f36e
[2] Employer Chapter 6: Contributions | DRS https://www.drs.wa.gov/employer/ch6/
[3] Paying for benefits | Washington State Health Care Authority https://www.hca.wa.gov/pebb-benefits-admins/administrative-tools-and-resources/paying-benefits
[4] Faculty and Administrator Salary Study Update https://aftseattle.wa.aft.org/sites/default/files/article_pdf_files/2018-09/2016-17_salary_study_for_sbctc__final_report_9-4-18.pdf
[5] Employers' Guide to Offering Benefits in Washington State https://mcgregorbenefits.com/employers-guide-to-offering-benefits-in-washington-state/
[6] 2025 Employee Benefits Guide https://www.washcoll.edu/people_departments/offices/human-resources/benefits/2025-benefits-guide.pdf
[7] Fringe Benefit Rates https://financialservices.wustl.edu/wfin-topic/sponsored-projects-accounting/personnel-cost/fringe-benefit-rates/
[8] Retirement https://www.clark.edu/about/jobs-and-employment/benefits/retirement.php
[9] Fringe Benefits https://www.pugetsound.edu/office-finance/fringe-benefits
[10] Fringe Benefit Load Rate | Management Accounting & Analysis https://finance.uw.edu/maa/fringe-rate
[11] Employee Benefits https://www.whatcom.edu/about-wcc/employment-hr/employee-benefits
[12] Fringe Benefit Rates https://financialservices.wustl.edu/wfin-topic/cost-analysis-office/fringe-benefit-rates/
[13] Agency Recommendation Summary https://abr.ofm.wa.gov/api/public/decision-package/summary/54542
[14] Member Contribution Rates | DRS https://www.drs.wa.gov/sitemap/rates/
[15] Demystifying fringe rates: A practical guide for faculty, staff https://news.illinoisstate.edu/2025/06/demystifying-fringe-rates-a-practical-guide-for-faculty-staff/
[16] New Washington Payroll Tax to Pay for 'Free' Long-Term ... https://www.jacksonlewis.com/insights/new-washington-payroll-tax-pay-free-long-term-care-benefits-state
[17] Budget Overview Budget Comparison https://pgccouncil.us/DocumentCenter/View/10869/FY-2025-PGCC_Budget-Report_Final
[18] 2022-23_pension_note_esd_v2.docx https://ospi.k12.wa.us/sites/default/files/2023-12/2022-23_pension_note_esd_v2.docx
[19] PEBB 2026 employer group tiered full benefits rates letter https://www.hca.wa.gov/assets/perspay/2026-pebb-other-eg-tiered-full-pack-rate-letter.pdf
Likely salary range
| Credited experience / district context | Estimated annual base salary |
|---|---:|
| New full-time hire, limited teaching experience | $68,000–$76,000 |
| New hire with relevant technical-industry or teaching experience | $75,000–$85,000 |
| Established faculty, roughly 5–10 years on a schedule | $82,000–$95,000 |
| Senior faculty, high-cost district, or advanced placement | $95,000–$110,000+ |
These figures presume a standard nine-month or approximately 175-day academic-year contract, rather than a 12-month administrative appointment. In Spokane’s 2025 full-time faculty schedule, for example, the 175-day annual rate begins at $71,096 and rises to $108,630 at Step 15.
District variation
Washington does not use a single statewide community-college faculty salary table: salary schedules are locally negotiated at each community and technical college district. The State Board for Community and Technical Colleges collects district-by-district full-time faculty salary surveys, including state-supported and operating-fee-supported faculty.[3][1]
| Illustrative district market | Practical master’s-level technical-faculty estimate |
|---|---:|
| Lower-cost or smaller-market district | $68,000–$80,000 |
| Spokane-area benchmark | $71,096–$108,630, depending on step |
| Seattle/Puget Sound market | Approximately $70,000–$90,000 for a new or mid-career hire; senior faculty can exceed $100,000 [4] |
Recommended budgeting figure
For a planning model rather than a particular college’s negotiated contract, use:
> $80,000 annual salary for a newly hired full-time technical faculty member with a master’s degree in Washington, plus employer-paid benefits.
For a difficult-to-fill area—such as automation, cybersecurity, engineering technology, industrial maintenance, semiconductor manufacturing, or advanced IT—budget $85,000–$95,000 to allow for placement above the entry step and competition from private-sector employers. Washington’s salary schedules generally reward both academic credentials and service/experience, although each district determines the exact initial placement rules.[1]
Sources
[1] Faculty and Administrator Salary Study Update https://aftseattle.wa.aft.org/sites/default/files/article_pdf_files/2018-09/2016-17_salary_study_for_sbctc__final_report_9-4-18.pdf
[2] WEA members unite for faculty bargaining rights https://www.washingtonea.org/ourvoice/pay-benefits/higher-education/
[3] How can I provide the page content manually to the lesson planner https://www.perplexity.ai/search/846bf6a6-4627-4d8b-b43b-004945217472
[4] Seattle Colleges District Salaries - Academic Jobs https://www.academicjobs.com/employers/seattle-colleges-district/3289/salaries
[5] Salary Schedules https://employees.losrios.edu/human-resources-and-benefits/human-resources/salary-schedules
[6] Do Washington Teachers Make More with a Masters ... https://online.ewu.edu/degrees/education/washington-teachers-make-more-with-masters-degree/
[7] Salary schedules https://ofm.wa.gov/hr-policies/compensation-job-classes/job-classes-salaries/salary-schedules/
[8] Faculty Salary Surveys https://www.sbctc.edu/colleges-staff/my-employment/faculty-salary-surveys.aspx
[9] Salary Schedules https://www.cccd.edu/employment/salaryschedules.html
[10] Washington Teacher's Union ET-15 Salary Schedule ... https://teacherquality.nctq.org/dmsView/2526_dcps
[11] Salary Schedules https://ahespokane.com/salary-schedules/
Fringe Benefits
For a full-time community or technical college faculty member in Washington State, a sound budgeting estimate for employer-paid fringe benefits is about 35%–40% of salary, with approximately 37% a useful statewide planning figure. At lower salaries the percentage can be closer to 40% because the state employer health-benefit payment is a fixed dollar amount per eligible employee.[1][2]
Estimated components
For a faculty member covered by the Washington Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS), an illustrative 2025–26 estimate is:
| Benefit component | Employer cost | Share of an $80,000 salary |
|---|---:|---:|
| TRS employer retirement contribution | 7.74% of salary | 7.74% [2] |
| Social Security and Medicare | 7.65% of salary | 7.65% |
| Paid Family and Medical Leave, employer share | About 0.4%–0.6% of salary | About 0.5% |
| Unemployment, workers’ compensation, and minor payroll benefits | About 1.0%–2.0% of salary | About 1.5% |
| PEBB employer health, dental, vision, life, and disability benefits | $15,996 annually, or $1,333 monthly | 20.0% [1] |
| Estimated core fringe total | About $29,900 annually | About 37.4% |
Washington’s state-agency and higher-education PEBB base funding rate is $1,333 per eligible employee per month for fiscal year 2025–26. This funding supports the employer portion of eligible employees’ health-benefit packages, while employees generally pay some premium share depending on plan and dependent coverage.[3][1]
Salary sensitivity
| Annual salary | Estimated fringe cost | Fringe as a percentage of salary | Salary plus fringe |
|---:|---:|---:|---:|
| $70,000 | About $26,400 | About 37.7% | About $96,400 |
| $80,000 | About $29,900 | About 37.4% | About $109,900 |
| $90,000 | About $33,400 | About 37.1% | About $123,400 |
| $100,000 | About $36,900 | About 36.9% | About $136,900 |
These estimates use 7.74% for the TRS employer contribution, 7.65% for FICA, approximately 2.0% combined for paid leave insurance, unemployment, workers’ compensation, and similar payroll costs, and the $15,996 annual PEBB base funding rate.[2][1]
Budget assumption
For the previously estimated Washington salary range, budget salary plus 37%–40% for fringes. A concise and reasonably conservative assumption for a full-time technical faculty hire is:
> Employer fringe benefits: 38% of salary, or about $30,000 on an $80,000 annual salary.
Adjunct alternative
If the appointment is part-time rather than full-time, and the college pays technical instructors with a master’s degree $60 per contact hour; then academic adjunct/overload instruction is $60x45=$2,700. per course. Adding half the typical fringe as above this would be 1.2x$2700=$3,240. This equates roughly to half the cost of a full-time instructor for a single course.
The actual rate may differ by college district, faculty workload/FTE, retirement-plan classification, insurance eligibility, employee elections, and locally negotiated benefits. Washington community and technical college faculty salary schedules and related employment terms are locally negotiated, rather than set by one uniform statewide faculty contract.[4]
Sources
[1] New base funding rate effective July 1, 2025 - GovDelivery https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/WAHCA/bulletins/3e4f36e
[2] Employer Chapter 6: Contributions | DRS https://www.drs.wa.gov/employer/ch6/
[3] Paying for benefits | Washington State Health Care Authority https://www.hca.wa.gov/pebb-benefits-admins/administrative-tools-and-resources/paying-benefits
[4] Faculty and Administrator Salary Study Update https://aftseattle.wa.aft.org/sites/default/files/article_pdf_files/2018-09/2016-17_salary_study_for_sbctc__final_report_9-4-18.pdf
[5] Employers' Guide to Offering Benefits in Washington State https://mcgregorbenefits.com/employers-guide-to-offering-benefits-in-washington-state/
[6] 2025 Employee Benefits Guide https://www.washcoll.edu/people_departments/offices/human-resources/benefits/2025-benefits-guide.pdf
[7] Fringe Benefit Rates https://financialservices.wustl.edu/wfin-topic/sponsored-projects-accounting/personnel-cost/fringe-benefit-rates/
[8] Retirement https://www.clark.edu/about/jobs-and-employment/benefits/retirement.php
[9] Fringe Benefits https://www.pugetsound.edu/office-finance/fringe-benefits
[10] Fringe Benefit Load Rate | Management Accounting & Analysis https://finance.uw.edu/maa/fringe-rate
[11] Employee Benefits https://www.whatcom.edu/about-wcc/employment-hr/employee-benefits
[12] Fringe Benefit Rates https://financialservices.wustl.edu/wfin-topic/cost-analysis-office/fringe-benefit-rates/
[13] Agency Recommendation Summary https://abr.ofm.wa.gov/api/public/decision-package/summary/54542
[14] Member Contribution Rates | DRS https://www.drs.wa.gov/sitemap/rates/
[15] Demystifying fringe rates: A practical guide for faculty, staff https://news.illinoisstate.edu/2025/06/demystifying-fringe-rates-a-practical-guide-for-faculty-staff/
[16] New Washington Payroll Tax to Pay for 'Free' Long-Term ... https://www.jacksonlewis.com/insights/new-washington-payroll-tax-pay-free-long-term-care-benefits-state
[17] Budget Overview Budget Comparison https://pgccouncil.us/DocumentCenter/View/10869/FY-2025-PGCC_Budget-Report_Final
[18] 2022-23_pension_note_esd_v2.docx https://ospi.k12.wa.us/sites/default/files/2023-12/2022-23_pension_note_esd_v2.docx
[19] PEBB 2026 employer group tiered full benefits rates letter https://www.hca.wa.gov/assets/perspay/2026-pebb-other-eg-tiered-full-pack-rate-letter.pdf
Sources
These cost estimates were researched and compiled in part using automated intelligence. Content and sources were then reviewed by the authors. All rights reserved to original authors.
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