Number of Postsecondary Teachers, by Subject Taught, 2000–2020

Number of Postsecondary Teachers, by Subject Taught, 2000–2020

After increasing steadily from 2000 to 2013, the number of humanities postsecondary faculty (working either full- or part-time) plateaued and then declined in virtually every subsequent year, bringing the total to 169,330 in 2020. While virtually every academic field experienced a reduction in the number of faculty from 2015 to 2020, the 12% drop observed in the humanities was the most pronounced. The only major academic field to experience an increase in faculty over this time span was health sciences, with a faculty that increased by 11%. Despite the recent decline, the number of humanities faculty employed in 2020 was still markedly higher (by 39%) than in 2000.26

Endnotes

• 26U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.