Number of faculty in degree-granting postsecondary institutions, by employment status, sex, control, and level of institution: Selected years, fall 1970 through fall 2022

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Table 315.10.Number of faculty in degree-granting postsecondary institutions, by employment status, sex, control, and level of institution: Selected years, fall 1970 through fall 2022
Year	Total	Employment status	Sex	Control	Level
1970	474,000	369,000	104,000	77.8	---	---	---	314,000	160,000	---	---	382,000	92,000
1971¹	492,000	379,000	113,000	77.0	---	---	---	333,000	159,000	---	---	387,000	105,000
1972	500,000	380,000	120,000	76.0	---	---	---	343,000	157,000	---	---	384,000	116,000
1973¹	527,000	389,000	138,000	73.8	---	---	---	365,000	162,000	---	---	401,000	126,000
1974¹	567,000	406,000	161,000	71.6	---	---	---	397,000	170,000	---	---	427,000	140,000

1975¹	628,000	440,000	188,000	70.1	---	---	---	443,000	185,000	---	---	467,000	161,000
1976	633,000	434,000	199,000	68.6	---	---	---	449,000	184,000	---	---	467,000	166,000
1977	678,000	448,000	230,000	66.1	---	---	---	492,000	186,000	---	---	485,000	193,000
1979¹	675,000	445,000	230,000	65.9	---	---	---	488,000	187,000	---	---	494,000	182,000
1980¹	686,000	450,000	236,000	65.6	---	---	---	495,000	191,000	---	---	494,000	192,000

1981	705,000	461,000	244,000	65.4	---	---	---	509,000	196,000	---	---	493,000	212,000
1982¹	710,000	462,000	248,000	65.1	---	---	---	506,000	204,000	---	---	493,000	217,000
1983	724,000	471,000	254,000	65.1	---	---	---	512,000	212,000	---	---	504,000	220,000
1984¹	717,000	462,000	255,000	64.4	---	---	---	505,000	212,000	---	---	504,000	213,000
1985¹	715,000	459,000	256,000	64.2	---	---	---	503,000	212,000	---	---	504,000	211,000

1986¹	722,000	459,000	263,000	63.6	---	---	---	510,000	212,000	---	---	506,000	216,000
1987²	793,070	523,420	269,650	66.0	529,413	263,657	33.2	552,749	240,321	---	---	547,505	245,565
1989²	824,220	524,426	299,794	63.6	534,254	289,966	35.2	577,298	246,922	---	---	583,700	240,520
1991²	826,252	535,623	290,629	64.8	525,599	300,653	36.4	580,908	245,344	236,066	9,278	591,269	234,983
1993²	915,474	545,706	369,768	59.6	561,123	354,351	38.7	650,434	265,040	254,130	10,910	625,969	289,505

1995²	931,706	550,822	380,884	59.1	562,893	368,813	39.6	656,833	274,873	260,900	13,973	647,059	284,647
1997²	989,813	568,719	421,094	57.5	587,420	402,393	40.7	694,560	295,253	271,257	23,996	682,650	307,163
1999²	1,037,529	593,375	444,154	57.2	608,007	429,522	41.4	718,585	318,944	288,663	30,281	719,256	318,273
2001²	1,113,183	617,868	495,315	55.5	644,514	468,669	42.1	771,124	342,059	306,487	35,572	764,172	349,011
2003²	1,173,593	630,092	543,501	53.7	663,723	509,870	43.4	791,766	381,827	330,097	51,730	814,289	359,304

2005²	1,290,426	675,624	614,802	52.4	714,453	575,973	44.6	841,188	449,238	361,523	87,715	916,996	373,430
2007²	1,371,587	703,757	667,830	51.3	744,047	627,540	45.8	876,526	495,061	386,688	108,373	992,385	379,202
2009²	1,439,074	729,152	709,922	50.7	761,002	678,072	47.1	913,788	525,286	408,382	116,904	1,038,349	400,725
2011²	1,524,469	762,114	762,355	50.0	789,567	734,902	48.2	954,159	570,310	432,630	137,680	1,115,642	408,827
2013²	1,545,381	791,378	754,003	51.2	791,971	753,410	48.8	968,734	576,647	449,072	127,575	1,151,638	393,743

2015²	1,552,256	807,109	745,147	52.0	789,405	762,851	49.1	970,991	581,265	472,638	108,627	1,180,545	371,711
2016²	1,546,081	813,978	732,103	52.6	783,495	762,586	49.3	974,239	571,842	476,872	94,970	1,196,657	349,424
2017²	1,545,653	822,513	723,140	53.2	778,873	766,780	49.6	972,689	572,964	486,761	86,203	1,209,143	336,510
2018²	1,543,212	832,130	711,082	53.9	771,861	771,351	50.0	981,749	561,463	490,713	70,750	1,216,463	326,749
2019²	1,548,824	843,820	705,004	54.5	768,404	780,420	50.4	984,220	564,604	495,776	68,828	1,233,784	315,040

2020²	1,489,565	836,632	652,933	56.2	734,806	754,759	50.7	941,250	548,315	482,387	65,928	1,209,030	280,535
2021²	1,499,236	837,024	662,212	55.8	732,404	766,832	51.1	944,898	554,338	488,938	65,400	1,225,101	274,135
2022²	1,507,641	842,407	665,234	55.9	731,113	776,528	51.5	946,831	560,810	495,772	65,038	1,242,459	265,182
---Not available.
¹Estimated on the basis of enrollment. For methodological details on estimates, see National Center for Education Statistics, Projections of Education Statistics to 2000.
²Because of revised survey methods, data are not directly comparable with figures for years prior to 1987.
NOTE: Data in this table represent the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Includes all instructional, research, and public service staff. Excluded are graduate students with titles such as graduate or teaching fellow who assist senior faculty. Data through 1995 are for institutions of higher education and U.S. service academies, while later data are for degree-granting institutions and U.S. service academies. Degree-granting institutions grant associate’s or higher degrees and participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs. The degree-granting classification is very similar to the earlier higher education classification, but it includes more 2-year colleges and excludes a few higher education institutions that did not grant degrees. Beginning in 2007, includes institutions with fewer than 15 full-time employees; these institutions did not report staff data prior to 2007. Some data have been revised from previously published figures. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS), Employees in Institutions of Higher Education, 1970 and 1972, and "Staff Survey" 1976; Projections of Education Statistics to 2000; Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), "Fall Staff Survey" (IPEDS-S:87-99); IPEDS Winter 2001-02 through Winter 2011-12, Human Resources component, Staff section; IPEDS Human Resources component, Spring 2014 through Spring 2022 (final data) and Spring 2023 (provisional data), Staff section; and U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Higher Education Staff Information Survey (EEO-6), 1977, 1981, and 1983. (This table was prepared November 2023.)

Table 315.10.Number of faculty in degree-granting postsecondary institutions, by employment status, sex, control, and level of institution: Selected years, fall 1970 through fall 2022

Year

Total

Employment status

Sex

Control

Level

Full-time

Part-time

Percent full-time

Males

Females

Percent female

Public

Private

4-year

2-year

Total

Nonprofit

For-profit

1970

474,000

369,000

104,000

77.8

---

314,000

160,000

---

382,000

92,000

1971¹

492,000

379,000

113,000

77.0

---

333,000

159,000

---

387,000

105,000

1972

500,000

380,000

120,000

76.0

---

343,000

157,000

---

384,000

116,000

1973¹

527,000

389,000

138,000

73.8

---

365,000

162,000

---

401,000

126,000

1974¹

567,000

406,000

161,000

71.6

---

397,000

170,000

---

427,000

140,000

1975¹

628,000

440,000

188,000

70.1

---

443,000

185,000

---

467,000

161,000

1976

633,000

434,000

199,000

68.6

---

449,000

184,000

---

467,000

166,000

1977

678,000

448,000

230,000

66.1

---

492,000

186,000

---

485,000

193,000

1979¹

675,000

445,000

230,000

65.9

---

488,000

187,000

---

494,000

182,000

1980¹

686,000

450,000

236,000

65.6

---

495,000

191,000

---

494,000

192,000

1981

705,000

461,000

244,000

65.4

---

509,000

196,000

---

493,000

212,000

1982¹

710,000

462,000

248,000

65.1

---

506,000

204,000

---

493,000

217,000

1983

724,000

471,000

254,000

65.1

---

512,000

212,000

---

504,000

220,000

1984¹

717,000

462,000

255,000

64.4

---

505,000

212,000

---

504,000

213,000

1985¹

715,000

459,000

256,000

64.2

---

503,000

212,000

---

504,000

211,000

1986¹

722,000

459,000

263,000

63.6

---

510,000

212,000

---

506,000

216,000

1987²

793,070

523,420

269,650

66.0

529,413

263,657

33.2

552,749

240,321

---

547,505

245,565

1989²

824,220

524,426

299,794

63.6

534,254

289,966

35.2

577,298

246,922

---

583,700

240,520

1991²

826,252

535,623

290,629

64.8

525,599

300,653

36.4

580,908

245,344

236,066

9,278

591,269

234,983

1993²

915,474

545,706

369,768

59.6

561,123

354,351

38.7

650,434

265,040

254,130

10,910

625,969

289,505

1995²

931,706

550,822

380,884

59.1

562,893

368,813

39.6

656,833

274,873

260,900

13,973

647,059

284,647

1997²

989,813

568,719

421,094

57.5

587,420

402,393

40.7

694,560

295,253

271,257

23,996

682,650

307,163

1999²

1,037,529

593,375

444,154

57.2

608,007

429,522

41.4

718,585

318,944

288,663

30,281

719,256

318,273

2001²

1,113,183

617,868

495,315

55.5

644,514

468,669

42.1

771,124

342,059

306,487

35,572

764,172

349,011

2003²

1,173,593

630,092

543,501

53.7

663,723

509,870

43.4

791,766

381,827

330,097

51,730

814,289

359,304

2005²

1,290,426

675,624

614,802

52.4

714,453

575,973

44.6

841,188

449,238

361,523

87,715

916,996

373,430

2007²

1,371,587

703,757

667,830

51.3

744,047

627,540

45.8

876,526

495,061

386,688

108,373

992,385

379,202

2009²

1,439,074

729,152

709,922

50.7

761,002

678,072

47.1

913,788

525,286

408,382

116,904

1,038,349

400,725

2011²

1,524,469

762,114

762,355

50.0

789,567

734,902

48.2

954,159

570,310

432,630

137,680

1,115,642

408,827

2013²

1,545,381

791,378

754,003

51.2

791,971

753,410

48.8

968,734

576,647

449,072

127,575

1,151,638

393,743

2015²

1,552,256

807,109

745,147

52.0

789,405

762,851

49.1

970,991

581,265

472,638

108,627

1,180,545

371,711

2016²

1,546,081

813,978

732,103

52.6

783,495

762,586

49.3

974,239

571,842

476,872

94,970

1,196,657

349,424

2017²

1,545,653

822,513

723,140

53.2

778,873

766,780

49.6

972,689

572,964

486,761

86,203

1,209,143

336,510

2018²

1,543,212

832,130

711,082

53.9

771,861

771,351

50.0

981,749

561,463

490,713

70,750

1,216,463

326,749

2019²

1,548,824

843,820

705,004

54.5

768,404

780,420

50.4

984,220

564,604

495,776

68,828

1,233,784

315,040

2020²

1,489,565

836,632

652,933

56.2

734,806

754,759

50.7

941,250

548,315

482,387

65,928

1,209,030

280,535

2021²

1,499,236

837,024

662,212

55.8

732,404

766,832

51.1

944,898

554,338

488,938

65,400

1,225,101

274,135

2022²

1,507,641

842,407

665,234

55.9

731,113

776,528

51.5

946,831

560,810

495,772

65,038

1,242,459

265,182

---Not available.

¹Estimated on the basis of enrollment. For methodological details on estimates, see National Center for Education Statistics, Projections of Education Statistics to 2000.

²Because of revised survey methods, data are not directly comparable with figures for years prior to 1987.

NOTE: Data in this table represent the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Includes all instructional, research, and public service staff. Excluded are graduate students with titles such as graduate or teaching fellow who assist senior faculty. Data through 1995 are for institutions of higher education and U.S. service academies, while later data are for degree-granting institutions and U.S. service academies. Degree-granting institutions grant associate’s or higher degrees and participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs. The degree-granting classification is very similar to the earlier higher education classification, but it includes more 2-year colleges and excludes a few higher education institutions that did not grant degrees. Beginning in 2007, includes institutions with fewer than 15 full-time employees; these institutions did not report staff data prior to 2007. Some data have been revised from previously published figures. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS), Employees in Institutions of Higher Education, 1970 and 1972, and "Staff Survey" 1976; Projections of Education Statistics to 2000; Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), "Fall Staff Survey" (IPEDS-S:87-99); IPEDS Winter 2001-02 through Winter 2011-12, Human Resources component, Staff section; IPEDS Human Resources component, Spring 2014 through Spring 2022 (final data) and Spring 2023 (provisional data), Staff section; and U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Higher Education Staff Information Survey (EEO-6), 1977, 1981, and 1983. (This table was prepared November 2023.)