Twice a year, a mail survey provides results that give fairly accurate assessments of employment and income for specific occupations, primarily by industry and location, within our nation. This evaluation is administered by the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) in conjunction with State Workforce Agencies (SWAs) and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Data is gathered in order to achieve estimates regarding wages and occupations; however, farm-related establishments and those who are self-employed are excluded from this survey.

Do you ever sit back and wonder about the employment statistics within our nation’s institutions of higher learning? Well, considering that you do, or if you are interested in pursuing a career within a postsecondary educational institution, you might find the numerical data of OES for those of public/state colleges and private colleges interesting, especially how it compares and contrasts across the board.

The BLS recently released the report, “Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) Highlights: An Occupational Comparison of Private and State Colleges and Universities,” based on data collected from a survey in May 2009 that addresses the public of this matter.

Have you decided that you want to teach at a college or university, but not sure which one or even where for the matter? Public/state and private institutions are different from each other in many ways, the most obvious being their notably and cost. Yes, like in most situations, it all seems to boil down to money, obviously. The money students pay to attend, and the money the educators are paid to teach do correlate in some respects. Maybe the following will weigh in on your decision one way or another.

To start off with, make note that in May 2009, the overall employment was 2.8 million among colleges, universities, and professional schools (58% of jobs existing in state government and the remaining 41% in the private sector). Postsecondary teaching and office/administrative support jobs were among the largest occupations held in both state and private institutions. The highest paying teaching jobs in both public and private colleges reside in law, economics, engineering, and health specialties; the lowest are in education, recreation and fitness studies, library science, and vocational education. The most popular teaching occupations in both types of colleges are in the subjects of art, drama, and music; however, there are more of them in private institutions, accounting for every 27 out of 1,000 jobs, as opposed to 15 out of 1,000 in state colleges.

The largest gap in average annual income occurred in the legal occupation group; those working in private institutions earned about $110,000 a year, while those in public institutions earned just a little over 80,000. The difference in wages is enough to make you think twice about which type of school to seek employment at. Don’t think it’s always like this though. In some instances, it’s reversed; public college employees can earn a higher salary than those in the same exact position and field at private colleges. It completely depends on the specific field and job title.

When it all comes down to it, if you are considering a career within a college or university, make sure to spend time doing your research and analyzing all of your options in order to make sure you land a job that will pay you an amount that you deserve and are satisfied with.