HBCU Faculty Members Earn Less Than Their Peers From Other Institutions
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- During the 2021-22 academic year, HBCU faculty members earned $24,000 less than their non-HBCU peers.
- The pay gap between HBCU and non-HBCU faculty is widest at doctoral-granting institutions.
- Women also continue to earn less than their colleagues despite significant strides in pay parity over the last decade.
- Faculty in higher education earn the most when belonging to a union — $17,000 more, on average.
The persistent underfunding of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) may be impacting faculty pay.
A new report from the National Education Association (NEA) found that during the 2021-22 academic year, HBCU faculty members earned an average of $24,000 less than their colleagues at other institutions.
Lesser earnings for HBCU faculty were consistent across all types of institutions during the year.
Faculty Pay, on Average, in 2021-22 by Institution and Faculty Type
The largest disparity in pay was at research/doctoral-granting institutions where non-HBCU faculty earned approximately 30% more, on average, than HBCU faculty members.
In total, HBCU faculty earn 75 cents to the dollar of their non-HBCU colleagues. But pay disparities are often greater at land-grant institutions.
HBCU faculty teaching at land-grants in Missouri and Ohio earn 51 cents to the dollar of their non-HBCU colleagues also teaching at land-grant institutions in these states.
Pay disparities are smallest in North Carolina and Alabama where HBCU faculty earn 81 cents and 80 cents, respectively, to the dollar of their non-HBCU colleagues.
Since the 2018-19 academic year, the pay gap between HBCU and non-HBCU faculty has only widened. On average, HBCU faculty were earning about $18,000 less than their peers prior to the pandemic. That gap increased by 33% in just three years.
The longtime underfunding of these institutions may be one of the leading causes of this substantial pay gap. Lawsuits in states like Florida, Maryland, and Tennessee over the last few decades have revealed that many HBCUs have been denied hundreds of millions of dollars.
Women in Higher Ed Still Earn Less, Despite Strides
It's not just HBCU faculty who continue to earn less than their peers in higher education.
Female faculty members are likely to earn less and work in lower-ranked positions at lower-paid institutions.
On average, women earn about 85 cents to the dollar of their male colleagues. But the pay gap varies by institution type and role.
Women's Salaries As Percent of Men's by Institution Type, 2021-22
Pay parity almost exists between men and women at community colleges where women earn between 97 cents and 98 cents to each dollar men earn.
Conversely, at the highest-paid research universities, women earn just 89 cents to each dollar men earn.
Where Faculty Wins
Faculty tend to earn the most when they belong to a union. During the 2021-22 academic year, the average pay for faculty who belonged to a union was $17,000 higher than that of non-union faculty members.
At community colleges, the difference in average pay between union faculty and non-union faculty rises to $19,000.
Even at research institutions, union faculty members earn $6,000 more, on average, than their non-union peers.
