March-April 2001

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The Annual Report on the Economic Status of the Profession

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The Annual Report on the Economic Status of the Profession
2000-2001

List of Tables and Figures

Highlights of the report:

Average faculty salaries increased 3.5 percent from 1999–2000 to 2000–2001, an increase of 0.1 percent adjusted for inflation.

  • For the fourth consecutive year, faculty salary levels increased after adjusting for inflation, but the increase fell to 0.1 percent.
  • Salaries of continuing faculty rose by 5.3 percent, a real increase of 1.9 percent, the lowest increase in four years.
  • Increases tapered off despite strong economic performance in the preceding years. In light of recent signs of an economic slowdown, that may signal the end of a four-year pattern of salary gains. Moreover, the fact that the all-rank increase is less than the increases for each rank means that as faculty have retired, their positions have not been filled through promotions but by lower-salaried, lower-ranked faculty.
  • The average faculty member earns 26 percent ($15,299) less than the average highly educated professional.
  • The gap between salaries at private and public universities continues to widen and may increase further if the public-sector downturn is not reversed quickly. Salaries at doctoral institutions and "elite" universities continue to increase relative to other institutions. Salary disparities are also rising within institutional types. Consequently, faculty salaries and salary increases are increasingly disparate overall.
  • That is especially true at the top of the distribution, where a group of "elite" universities have salaries with which few other institutions can compete. The comparative standing of institutions is quite stable, and the continuing advantage of major research universities is least susceptible to change.
  • Salary disparities among disciplines are also accelerating and reflect the importance of external markets relative to internal institutional constraints and purely academic markets.
  • The disparity between male and female salaries persists and, in some respects, continues to widen. Men earn 6.5 percent more than women in public institutions, 5.9 percent more in independent institutions, and 10 percent more in research institutions.
  • As the disparity between the salaries of the best-paid and the least well paid faculty increases, so must concern about the ability of less well funded institutions to compete for well-qualified faculty, especially in high-demand fields where there are the most student employment opportunities and social need.

Unless otherwise indicated, the data in this report were provided by institutions responding to the AAUP Faculty Compensation Survey and were compiled and edited by AAUP staff. Any questions concerning the data should be addressed to Ernst Benjamin, director of the survey. For additional copies of the report, contact the AAUP, 1012 Fourteenth St., NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20005-3465.  (202) 737-5900.