Publication Details

AIR National Survey of IR Offices

2018 Topic Briefs

IR Office Staff Salaries

Annual Salaries

The 2018 National Survey asked office leaders to report annual staff salaries.¹ Chart 1 shows the average salary for each staff role. Salaries range from approximately $96,000 for office leaders to approximately $19,000 for student staff. Benefits and bonuses add approximately $20,000, depending on role.

Chart 1. Average IR Salaries by Staff Role

Comparing Salaries Across U.S. Census Regions and Sectors

Using regions defined by the U.S. Census Bureau,² we calculated the average salary for each staff role. Salaries vary greatly across the country (Table 1). People at institutions on the east and west coasts typically earn more than those living in midwestern and southern states. Average office leaders’ annual salaries range from a high of approximately $112,000 in the Northeast to a low of approximately $84,000 in the Midwest.

Differences in average salary in IR office staff roles reflect a similar pattern (Table 1).

Table 1. Average IR Salaries by Staff Roles by U.S. Census Region
Staff Role	All Institutions	Northeast (n = 115)	West (n = 95)	South (n = 175)	Midwest (n = 158)
Office Leader	$ 96,151	$ 111,703	$ 106,962	$ 91,450	$ 83,883
Associate/Assistant Directors	$ 79,478	$ 84,428	$ 92,564	$ 73,729	$ 75,436
Analytical Staff	$ 60,952	$ 66,476	$ 62,345	$ 56,435	$ 60,883
Technical Staff	$ 65,445	$ 60,538	$ 69,679	$ 65,732	$ 63,832
Administrative Support Staff	$ 46,941	$ 48,526	$ 46,593	$ 43,813	$ 51,683
Student Staff	$ 19,036	$ 22,806	$ 27,206	$ 15,842	$ 14,241

Average salary also varied by major institutional sector:³ public 4-year, public 2-year, and private not-for-profit 4-year. Office leaders at public 4-year institutions earn approximately $112,000 on average compared to $85,000 at public 2-year institutions and $91,000 at private not-for profit 4-year institutions (Table 2).

Table 2. Average IR Salaries by Staff Roles by Sector
Staff Role	All Institutions	Public 4-year (n = 164)	Public 2-year (n = 125)	Private NFP 4-year (n = 254)
Office Leader	$ 96,151	$ 111,661	$ 85,031	$ 91,044
Associate/Assistant Directors	$ 79,478	$ 84,260	$ 73,364	$ 74,560
Analytical Staff	$ 60,952	$ 61,018	$ 60,453	$ 61,190
Technical Staff	$ 65,445	$ 65,492	$ 60,104	$ 70,682
Administrative Support Staff	$ 46,941	$ 42,720	$ 54,470	$ 46,398
Student Staff	$ 19,036	$ 19,718	$ 16,209	$ 15,935

Evaluation of Staff Salaries by Office Leader

We asked office leaders to indicate their agreement with the statement, “Office staff are paid competitive salaries.” Across all institutions, just under half of IR office leaders feel that salaries are competitive. Although the pattern of responses is similar for IR office leaders at public 2-year and private not-for-profit 4-year institutions, a majority of those at public 4-year institutions feel that staff salaries are competitive (Chart 2).

Chart 2. Evaluation of IR Staff Salaries/Wages by Sector

Methodology

The 2018 AIR National Survey of IR Offices attempted to survey IR office leaders at more than 3,000 postsecondary degree-granting institutions. Institutions of all sectors, types of control, and sizes were included in the sample. In total, responses represented 1,167 institutions, and 566 of those institutions completed the survey in full. To ensure comparable results, incomplete responses are excluded from this report. In addition, responses from for-profit institutions, administrative units, international institutions, private not-for-profit 2-year institutions, and institutions in U.S. territories are excluded due to low response rates.

This Report

The findings presented in this report are based on 543 responses that represent U.S. postsecondary, degree-granting institutions at public 4-year, public 2-year, or private not-for-profit 4-year institutions.

Date: 2018