PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 27, 2024

Pay Increases for Most Higher Ed Employees This Past Year Exceeded the Inflation Rate for the First Time Since the Pandemic
Today’s Pay Still Falls Short of Pre-Pandemic Pay in Inflation-Adjusted Dollars

New research from CUPA-HR has found that although median pay increases for most higher education employees in 2023-24 continued the upward trend seen last year (and exceeded the inflation rate for the first time since 2019-20), most are still being paid less than they were in 2019-20 in inflation-adjusted dollars. The largest gap between pre-pandemic inflation-adjusted salaries and current salaries is for tenure-track faculty (earning 9.7% less), followed by non-tenure-track teaching faculty (earning 8.2% less). The smallest gap is for staff (earning only 0.3% less).

Some of the other key findings from an analysis of CUPA-HR’s higher ed workforce salary survey data from 2016-17 to 2023-24:

• Non-tenure-track teaching faculty received their highest raise in the past eight years.
• Staff (generally non-exempt employees) received the highest increase in pay in comparison to other employee types. This was true last year as well.
• Tenure-track faculty continued to receive the lowest pay increases (and were the only group of employees whose raise did not surpass inflation).

Explore this data and more in CUPA-HR’s newest interactive graphic.

About CUPA-HR
CUPA-HR is the recognized authority on compensation surveys for higher education, with its workforce surveys designed by higher ed HR professionals for higher ed HR professionals and other campus leaders. CUPA-HR has been collecting data on the higher ed workforce for more than 50 years, and we maintain one of the largest workforce databases in existence. CUPA-HR also publishes numerous research publications and interactive graphics highlighting trends and issues around higher ed workforce planning, pay equity, representation of women and racial/ethnic minorities and more. Learn more about CUPA-HR research.

CUPA-HR is higher ed HR. We serve higher education by providing the knowledge, resources, advocacy and connections to achieve organizational and workforce excellence. Serving more than 33,000 HR professionals and other campus leaders at nearly 2,000 member institutions and organizations around the country and abroad, the association offers learning and professional development programs, higher education salary and benefits data, extensive online resources and just-in-time regulatory and legislative information.

Contact Information
Missy Kline
Project Manager – Communications and Marketing
[email protected]