College Professor.
Dallas.
$89,000
median salary, 1% above the national average
$67,000 to $123,000. Updated for 2026.
The numbers.
Everything you need to negotiate with confidence.
Dallas is 1% more expensive than the national average. For College Professors, that shakes out to a median of $89,000, with the full range spanning $67,000 to $123,000. Discipline, institution type, and tenure status create enormous pay variance. Know the range before you walk in.
Salary range
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How Dallas compares
Dallas, TX
$89,000
Cost of living: 1% above average
National Average
$88,000
Dallas is $1,000 above
What you should know
The College Professor landscape in Dallas is not what most salary sites will tell you. Dallas is a major corporate hub with dozens of Fortune 500 headquarters spanning telecom, finance, defense, and retail. The metro's low cost of living and no state income tax make it a magnet for corporate relocations. Tech salaries in Dallas have risen quickly, particularly in fintech, cybersecurity, and enterprise software. Discipline, institution type, and tenure status create enormous pay variance. Business, engineering, and computer science professors earn 30 to 60% more than humanities professors. R1 research universities pay significantly more than community colleges or teaching-focused institutions.
Assistant Professors start at $66,000 to $85,000 depending on field. Associate Professors with tenure earn $82,000 to $110,000. Full Professors command $100,000 to $150,000, while Endowed Chairs and Distinguished Professors at elite universities exceed $200,000. In Dallas, cost of living sits near the national average, so the numbers you see are roughly what you keep.
Base salary is not the full picture. Tenure-track professors receive sabbatical leave, research funding, and housing allowances at some institutions. Summer research stipends add $10,000 to $25,000. Consulting and speaking engagements can add $10,000 to $50,000 annually for well-known scholars. And on the tax side: texas levies no state income tax, giving Dallas workers a meaningful take home pay advantage. Local property taxes are above the national average, typically around 2% of assessed value. When someone quotes you $89,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Highlight the corporate headquarters density in DFW. Employers here compete fiercely for talent and often match or exceed offers from companies across the metroplex. The range for College Professors in Dallas runs from $67,000 to $123,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Top industries in Dallas
Negotiating in Dallas
Highlight the corporate headquarters density in DFW. Employers here compete fiercely for talent and often match or exceed offers from companies across the metroplex.