What are the top 10 cities with the highest pay for Graduate Assistant?

We've identified 10 cities in the United States where Graduate Assistant jobs typically pay above the area average. Topping the list is Corcoran, CA (59.4% above average), followed by Soledad, CA and San Mateo, CA. City Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage Corcoran, CA $64,833 $5,402 $1,246 $31.17 Soledad, CA $60,841 $5,070 $1,170 $29.25 San Mateo, CA $51,153 $4,262 $983 $24.59 Barrow, AK $50,668 $4,222 $974 $24.36 Teller, AK $50,617 $4,218 $973 $24.34 Nome, AK $50,453 $4,204 $970 $24.26 Cupertino, CA $50,178 $4,181 $964 $24.12 National, MD $49,839 $4,153 $958 $23.96 Berkeley, CA $49,800 $4,150 $957 $23.94 Bainbridge Island, WA $49,619 $4,134 $954 $23.86

Graduate Assistant

Graduate Assistant Salary

Q: How much does a Graduate Assistant make?

The average annual pay for a graduate assistant in the United States is $40,672 a year — that works out to approximately $19.55 an hour. The middle 80% of Graduate Assistants earn between $25,000 (10th percentile) and $54,000 (90th percentile) per year, depending on experience and employer.

Q: What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Graduate Assistant Jobs in the United States?

We found several jobs related to Graduate Assistant in the United States that pay more on average. Topping the list is Aerospace Fabrication at $37,181 (91.4%) above Graduate Assistant. Job Title Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage Aerospace Fabrication $77,853 $6,487 $1,497 $37.43 Nace Level 2 Coating Inspector $68,125 $5,677 $1,310 $32.75 Construction Inspector $66,250 $5,520 $1,274 $31.85 Environmental Compliance Inspector $65,481 $5,456 $1,259 $31.48 Mbta Driver $61,573 $5,131 $1,184 $29.60

$12.5K

$38K

$69K

$40,672

/year

$19.55

/hour

Graduate Assistant Salary Comparison by Location

Nationwide

United States

$40,672

Columbus

Ohio

$39,285

Do you get a good deal as a Graduate Assistant?

Take The Breakroom Quiz to find out if your job offers fair pay and conditions. The 3-minute quiz lets you compare your pay, hours, benefits, and more.

Take The Breakroom Quiz

How much does a Graduate Assistant make?

As of Jul 27, 2026, the average annual pay for a Graduate Assistant in the United States is $40,672 a year.

Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $19.55 an hour. This is the equivalent of $782/week or $3,389/month.

While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $69,000 and as low as $12,500, the majority of Graduate Assistant salaries currently range between $31,500 (25th percentile) to $44,500 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $54,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Graduate Assistant varies greatly (by as much as 13000), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.

A Graduate Assistant in your area makes on average $39,285 per year, or $1,387 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $40,672. Ohio ranks number 40 out of 50 states nationwide for Graduate Assistant salaries.

To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Graduate Assistant jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.

Find your next high paying job as a Graduate Assistant on ZipRecruiter today.

What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Graduate Assistant Jobs

We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Graduate Assistant job is above the national average. Topping the list is Corcoran, CA, , with Soledad, CA, and San Mateo, CA, close behind in the second and third positions. San Mateo, CA, beats the national average by $10,481 (25.8%), and Corcoran, CA, furthers that trend with another $24,161 (59.4%) above the $40,672 average.

With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Graduate Assistant appears to be exceedingly fruitful.

Additionally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies as much as 26% between Corcoran, CA, and Bainbridge Island, WA, , suggesting a strong potential for positive wage variance in a Graduate Assistant role. Cost of living should also be factored in when balancing location and salary.

City	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
Corcoran, CA	$64,833	$5,402	$1,246	$31.17
Soledad, CA	$60,841	$5,070	$1,170	$29.25
San Mateo, CA	$51,153	$4,262	$983	$24.59
Barrow, AK	$50,668	$4,222	$974	$24.36
Teller, AK	$50,617	$4,218	$973	$24.34
Nome, AK	$50,453	$4,204	$970	$24.26
Cupertino, CA	$50,178	$4,181	$964	$24.12
National, MD	$49,839	$4,153	$958	$23.96
Berkeley, CA	$49,800	$4,150	$957	$23.94
Bainbridge Island, WA	$49,619	$4,134	$954	$23.86

What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Graduate Assistant Jobs in the U.S.

We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Graduate Assistant category.

For example Aerospace Fabrication jobs pay as much as $37,181 (91.4%) more than the average Graduate Assistant salary of $40,672. If you're qualified, finding work as a Aerospace Fabrication may help you make more money than that of the average Graduate Assistant position.

Job Title	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
Aerospace Fabrication	$77,853	$6,487	$1,497	$37.43
Nace Level 2 Coating Inspector	$68,125	$5,677	$1,310	$32.75
Construction Inspector	$66,250	$5,520	$1,274	$31.85
Environmental Compliance Inspector	$65,481	$5,456	$1,259	$31.48
Mbta Driver	$61,573	$5,131	$1,184	$29.60

About Our Data

ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.

Infographic detailing Graduate Assistant salary across the United States as of July 2026. Displays a bar chart with salary percentiles, a national average salary of $40,672 per year or $19.55 an hour, and a color-coded map showing state-by-state salary variations.

All Salaries Graduate Assistant Salary