Faculty Salary By Academic Rank at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
The 2025 average faculty salary is $113,970 at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo across all academic ranks. Cal Poly's faculty salary increased by 10.64% compared to the 2024 salary.
At California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo, by academic rank:
- The average professor salary is $134,991, representing a 9.88% increase from the previous year (+$12,134).
- The average associate professor salary is $120,375, representing a 11.55% increase from the previous year (+$12,465).
- The average assistant professor salary is $106,419, representing a 11.57% increase from the previous year (+$11,035).
- The average lecturer salary is $89,247, representing a 13.13% increase from the previous year (+$10,361).
- The average no academic rank salary is $164,917, representing a -0.90% decrease from the previous year (-$1,495).
Average Salary by Academic Rank Chart
This chart summarizes average faculty salary by academic rank at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo for the most recent year and the prior year.
The side-by-side bars compare current versus previous salaries for each rank, while the line shows the percentage change to highlight increases, decreases, or no change.
Faculty Salary By Gender
The following tables show the average faculty salary by academic rank and gender at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo.
At Cal Poly, the average male faculty's salary is $117,141 and female faculty's is $109,202. The difference in salary between male and female faculty $7,939, with male faculty' annual salary being 7.27% higher than that of female faculty.
| Contract Length | Total | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| Equated to 9-Month Contract | $113,970 +$10,964 (10.64%) |
$117,141 +$10,753 (10.11%) |
$109,202 +$11,610 (11.90%) |
| 9-Month Contract | $113,698 +$10,888 (10.59%) |
$116,624 +$10,678 (10.08%) |
$109,348 +$11,542 (11.80%) |
| 10-Month Contract | No Faculty with 10-Month Contract | ||
| 11-Month Contract | No Faculty with 11-Month Contract | ||
| 12-Month Contract | $158,923 +$16,559 (11.63%) |
$168,308 +$15,417 (10.08%) |
$141,258 +$16,850 (13.54%) |
The average salary for Cal Poly's 327 Professor is $134,991. By gender, the average male professor salary is $136,579, and that of female professor is $131,335. The salary difference between male and female professor is $5,244, which means male professor's salary is 3.99% higher than female professor's salary.
| Contract Length | Total | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| Equated to 9-Month Contract | $134,991 +$12,134 (9.88%) |
$136,579 +$12,131 (9.75%) |
$131,335 +$12,216 (10.26%) |
| 9-Month Contract | $136,032 +$12,226 (9.88%) |
$137,486 +$12,369 (9.89%) |
$132,695 +$12,016 (9.96%) |
| 10-Month Contract | No Professor with 10-Month Contract | ||
| 11-Month Contract | No Professor with 11-Month Contract | ||
| 12-Month Contract | $169,107 +$15,751 (10.27%) |
$172,704 +$14,457 (9.14%) |
$160,605 +$17,474 (12.21%) |
The average salary for Cal Poly's 189 Associate professor is $120,375. By gender, the average male associate professor salary is $124,109, and that of female associate professor is $116,267. The salary difference between male and female associate professor is $7,842, which means male associate professor's salary is 6.74% higher than female associate professor's salary.
| Contract Length | Total | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| Equated to 9-Month Contract | $120,375 +$12,465 (11.55%) |
$124,109 +$12,381 (11.08%) |
$116,267 +$13,326 (12.95%) |
| 9-Month Contract | $120,798 +$12,379 (11.42%) |
$124,832 +$12,423 (11.05%) |
$116,442 +$13,145 (12.73%) |
| 10-Month Contract | No Associate professor with 10-Month Contract | ||
| 11-Month Contract | No Associate professor with 11-Month Contract | ||
| 12-Month Contract | $143,314 +$20,382 (16.58%) |
$142,578 +$17,193 (13.71%) |
$144,786 +$26,760 (22.67%) |
The average salary for Cal Poly's 197 Assistant professor is $106,419. By gender, the average male assistant professor salary is $108,471, and that of female assistant professor is $104,124. The salary difference between male and female assistant professor is $4,347, which means male assistant professor's salary is 4.17% higher than female assistant professor's salary.
| Contract Length | Total | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| Equated to 9-Month Contract | $106,419 +$11,035 (11.57%) |
$108,471 +$10,719 (10.97%) |
$104,124 +$11,262 (12.13%) |
| 9-Month Contract | $106,419 +$11,035 (11.57%) |
$108,471 +$10,719 (10.97%) |
$104,124 +$11,262 (12.13%) |
| 10-Month Contract | No Assistant professor with 10-Month Contract | ||
| 11-Month Contract | No Assistant professor with 11-Month Contract | ||
| 12-Month Contract | No Assistant professor with 12-Month Contract | ||
The average salary for Cal Poly's 273 Lecturer is $89,247. By gender, the average male lecturer salary is $90,414, and that of female lecturer is $87,570. The salary difference between male and female lecturer is $2,844, which means male lecturer's salary is 3.25% higher than female lecturer's salary.
| Contract Length | Total | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| Equated to 9-Month Contract | $89,247 +$10,361 (13.13%) |
$90,414 +$10,013 (12.45%) |
$87,570 +$11,009 (14.38%) |
| 9-Month Contract | $89,662 +$10,391 (13.11%) |
$90,503 +$10,019 (12.45%) |
$88,416 +$11,068 (14.31%) |
| 10-Month Contract | No Lecturer with 10-Month Contract | ||
| 11-Month Contract | No Lecturer with 11-Month Contract | ||
| 12-Month Contract | $89,354 +$10,509 (13.33%) |
$101,616 +$11,832 (13.18%) |
$86,289 +$10,179 (13.37%) |
The average salary for Cal Poly's 3 No academic rank is $164,917. By gender, the average male no academic rank salary is $158,822, and that of female no academic rank is $177,108. The salary difference between male and female no academic rank is $18,286, which means male no academic rank's salary is 10.32% lower than female no academic rank's salary.
| Contract Length | Total | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| Equated to 9-Month Contract | $164,917 -$1,495 (-0.90%) |
$158,822 -$9,032 (-5.38%) |
$177,108 +$16,464 (10.25%) |
| 9-Month Contract | $163,518 -$6,465 (-3.80%) |
$149,928 -$23,168 (-13.38%) |
$177,108 +$16,464 (10.25%) |
| 10-Month Contract | No academic rank with 10-Month Contract | ||
| 11-Month Contract | No academic rank with 11-Month Contract | ||
| 12-Month Contract | $223,620 +$20,784 (10.25%) |
$223,620 +$20,784 (10.25%) |
- |
Faculty Salary Changes over Past 5 Years
The average salary for Cal Poly faculty has increased 18.41%, from $92,987 to $113,970. Professor salaries increased by 18.12%, associate professor salaries increased by 19.84%, and assistant professor salaries increased by 19.08% at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo.
| Year | All Faculty | Professor | Associate Professor | Assistant Professor | Instructor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | $92,987 | $110,529 | $96,496 | $86,117 | - |
| 2020 | $95,330 | $112,891 2.14% | $99,236 2.84% | $87,981 2.16% | - |
| 2021 | $95,816 | $112,704 0.17% | $100,013 0.78% | $87,973 0.01% | - |
| 2022 | $95,198 | $112,064 0.57% | $99,253 0.76% | $88,655 0.78% | - |
| 2023 | $103,248 | $122,681 9.47% | $106,584 7.39% | $95,830 8.09% | - |
| 2024 | $103,006 | $122,857 0.14% | $107,910 1.24% | $95,384 0.47% | - |
| 2025 | $113,970 | $134,991 9.88% | $120,375 11.55% | $106,419 11.57% | - |
| 5 Years Change | $20,983 18.41% | $24,462 18.12% | $23,879 19.84% | $20,302 19.08% | - - |
Faculty Salary Trends Chart by Academic Rank
This interactive faculty salary trends chart shows year-by-year average salaries for all faculty, professors, associate professors, assistant professors, and instructors at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo. It highlights long-term salary growth, rank-by-rank changes, and historical comparisons to help evaluate compensation trends and academic rank salary patterns over the past 5 years.
How Cal Poly Faculty Salary Compared?
Cal Poly's average faculty salary is $113,970. Cal Poly's faculty salary is much higher than the national average faculty salary at four-years colleges ($73,709). Its salary is higher than the average salary of four-years colleges in California.
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo is a Master's Colleges according to the Carnegie Classification. When compared Master's Colleges, its salary is higher than national average as well as California average.
| Average Faculty Salary | |
|---|---|
| California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | $113,970 |
| Master's Colleges | $81,896 |
| California Master's Colleges | $99,102 |
| National Average (Four-years Colleges) | $73,709 |
| Four-years California Colleges | $84,651 |
Similar Schools' Faculty Salary
Compared to similar colleges such as University of California-Los Angeles and University of California-Berkeley, Cal Poly's faculty salary is much lower than the average salary ($171,564). You can compare the salary to analyze or make a decision.
| Average Faculty Salary | Number of Faculty | |
|---|---|---|
| California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | $113,970 | 1,348 |
| University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA | $207,437 | 5,513 |
| University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA | $192,150 | 2,951 |
| University of California-Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA | $186,097 | 1,241 |
| University of California-Irvine Irvine, CA | $173,702 | 2,669 |
| University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA | $172,028 | 3,651 |
| University of California-Davis Davis, CA | $165,182 | 3,168 |
| University of California College of the Law-San Francisco San Francisco, CA | $162,317 | 202 |
| University of California-Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA | $161,983 | 1,006 |
| University of California-Riverside Riverside, CA | $153,881 | 1,170 |
| University of California-San Francisco San Francisco, CA | $140,862 | 3,866 |
Frequently Asked Questions about Faculty Salary at Cal Poly
Here are some frequently asked questions about faculty salary at Cal Poly, along with detailed answers based on the latest available data.
What is the average faculty salary at Cal Poly?
The average faculty salary at Cal Poly is $113,970 for the most recent year with available data. By academic rank, the average salaries are as follows:
- Professors: $134,991
- Associate Professors: $120,375
- Assistant Professors: $106,419
- Instructors: N/A
- Lecturers: $89,247
How does Cal Poly's faculty salary compare to similar schools?
Compared to similar schools, such as UCLA, UC Berkeley, UCSB and 7 other similar schools, Cal Poly's average faculty salary is much lower than the average salary of similar institutions, which is $171,564. Compare them in the table above.
How does Cal Poly's faculty salary compare to four-years colleges nationally?
Compared to four-years colleges nationally, Cal Poly's average faculty salary is much higher than the average salary of four-years colleges nationally, which is $73,709.
How does Cal Poly's faculty salary compare to Master's Colleges nationally?
Compared to Master's Colleges nationally, Cal Poly's average faculty salary is higher than the average salary of Master's Colleges nationally, which is $81,896.
What are the salary trends for faculty at Cal Poly?
The salary trends for faculty at Cal Poly over the past few years show that the average salary has Cal Poly's faculty salary increased by 10.64% compared to the 2024 salary. For more detailed trends by academic rank, please refer to the faculty salary trends table and chart above.
What is the gender pay difference among faculty at Cal Poly?
The gender pay difference among faculty at Cal Poly is higher for male faculty by $7,939 (7.27%).
How many faculty members are included in the salary data for Cal Poly?
The salary data for Cal Poly includes a total of 989 faculty members across all ranks.
How does Cal Poly's faculty salary compare to state averages?
Compared to state averages for public 4-year college, Cal Poly's average faculty salary is higher than the average faculty salary for colleges in California, which is $84,651.