Tutors: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)
Education, Training, and Library · SOC 25-3041 · O*NET 25-3041.00
Instruct individual students or small groups of students in academic subjects to support formal class instruction or to prepare students for standardized or admissions tests.
Tutors fall under the Education, Training, and Library category in the U.S. occupational classification. Tutors earn a median salary of $40,090 per year, ranking in the top 85% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects +0.6% job growth through 2034, projected to grow slower than the US average. Entry into this field typically requires a bachelor's degree, with specific licensing or certification depending on the state and employer. For parents whose teenager is exploring this path, the most actionable step is mapping the education requirements to specific colleges and majors before junior year — not waiting until application season.
What do tutors earn?
The median annual wage for tutors is $40,090. That puts tutors at #686 on the BLS ranked list of all U.S. occupations by median pay. This salary is around or below the U.S. median for individual workers, so career growth often depends on advancement into supervisory roles, specialization, or additional credentials. Actual pay varies meaningfully by state, employer type, and years of experience — entry-level salaries are typically 30–40% below the median, while top-decile earners often exceed it by 50% or more.
| 10th percentile (entry-level) | $28,430 |
| 25th percentile | $33,410 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $40,090 |
| 75th percentile | $55,380 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $78,810 |
| Median hourly wage | $19.27/hr |
Is tutors a growing career?
The 10-year outlook for tutors is +0.6%, projected to grow slower than the US average. Employment is projected to move from approximately 215K positions in 2024 to 216K in 2034, a net change of 1K. Flat growth typically reflects a mature, stable field. Most openings will come from retirements rather than new positions, which can favor candidates with strong networks and willingness to relocate.
What do tutors do every day?
According to O*NET task surveys of working tutors, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.
- 1.Provide feedback to students, using positive reinforcement techniques to encourage, motivate, or build confidence in students.
- 2.Organize tutoring environment to promote productivity and learning.
- 3.Review class material with students by discussing text, working solutions to problems, or reviewing worksheets or other assignments.
- 4.Schedule tutoring appointments with students or their parents.
- 5.Prepare and facilitate tutoring workshops, collaborative projects, or academic support sessions for small groups of students.
- 6.Assess students' progress throughout tutoring sessions.
- 7.Monitor student performance or assist students in academic environments, such as classrooms, laboratories, or computing centers.
- 8.Communicate students' progress to students, parents, or teachers in written progress reports, in person, by phone, or by email.
Top skills for tutors
O*NET ranks these as the most important skills for this occupation, on a 1–5 importance scale derived from worker surveys.
What education does my child need to become tutor?
The standard path into tutors begins with a bachelor's degree in a related field, followed by entry-level experience or internships during college. For parents helping a teen prepare, the highest-leverage step before junior year is identifying colleges and programs that feed reliably into this occupation — Solyo's college search lets parents filter by major and admissions data side by side.
Based on O*NET surveys of incumbents — what people in this job actually have, not what employers list as required.
Related careers your child might also consider
- Law Teachers, Postsecondary$126,650 median
- Economics Teachers, Postsecondary$119,980 median
- Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary$106,120 median
- Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary$105,620 median
- Architecture Teachers, Postsecondary$101,480 median
- Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary$101,390 median
How parents help teens explore careers like this
Solyo helps parents map a teen's interests to specific careers, then back to the colleges and majors that lead there. Salary, outlook, and education data come from BLS and O*NET — the same sources high school counselors use — but presented for the parent's planning lens, not the student's exploration view.
Common questions parents ask about tutors
What is the median salary for tutors?
The median annual salary for tutors is $40,090 according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Is tutors a growing career?
BLS projects +0.6% growth for tutors from 2024 through 2034, which is flat growth projected to grow slower than the US average.
What education does my child need to become tutor?
The typical entry path requires a bachelor's degree, plus any state licensure or certification specific to the role. Programs that align well with this career can be filtered inside Solyo's college search.
What careers are similar to tutors?
Related occupations within the Education, Training, and Library category share education paths and skill profiles, so they're a useful starting set when a teen is uncertain. The "Related careers" section below lists nearby options.
Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics program. Skills, tasks, and education distribution from the O*NET database. Job outlook from the BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 release.