Data sourced from the Nova Scotia Public Sector Compensation Disclosure. This site is independent and not affiliated with the Government of Nova Scotia. Always verify against the official source.
The Universities & Colleges sector had 3,796 employees on the 2026 Nova Scotia Compensation Disclosure (up 6% from 2025), with an average salary of $140,043 and a total disclosed payroll of $532M. The highest-paid employee on record in this sector was Kent MacDonald (St Francis Xavier University), earning $585,077 in 2020.
3,796
Employees
In 2026
$140,043
Avg Salary
2026
$531.6M
Total Payroll
2026 disclosed
12
Employers
Reporting in 2026
Disclosed employees · bars = headcount, lines = salary
$585,077
2020
$576,590
2023
$574,406
2019
$558,154
2022
$551,412
2021
$492,001
2021
$489,099
2019
$483,115
2018
$475,226
2022
$472,142
2025
$471,823
2026
$460,117
2025
$456,050
2024
$440,705
2021
$439,987
2026
$436,058
2017
$433,581
2024
$429,225
2018
$422,356
2025
$421,205
2018
$421,205
2018
$420,612
2023
$417,003
2026
$412,408
2024
$409,841
2022
$404,003
2026
$403,023
2026
$398,432
2026
$396,908
2025
$395,607
2025
$393,785
2024
$392,893
2022
$387,388
2023
$386,616
2026
$380,030
2025
$379,809
2021
$379,441
2023
$379,135
2020
$378,545
2019
$378,218
2018
$378,022
2017
$377,867
2025
$376,854
2026
$374,896
2024
$374,331
2020
$372,745
2025
$372,589
2022
$371,130
2023
$369,983
2018
$364,847
2025
Employees
3,796
Avg Salary
$140,043
Median
$130,197
Total Payroll
$531.6M
Employees
3,580
Avg Salary
$140,903
Median
$129,942
Total Payroll
$504.4M
Employees
3,044
Avg Salary
$143,835
Median
$134,738
Total Payroll
$437.8M
Employees
2,644
Avg Salary
$139,142
Median
$130,821
Total Payroll
$367.9M
Employees
2,473
Avg Salary
$141,148
Median
$132,170
Total Payroll
$349.1M
Employees
2,319
Avg Salary
$138,534
Median
$129,633
Total Payroll
$321.3M
Employees
2,226
Avg Salary
$138,372
Median
$129,130
Total Payroll
$308.0M
Employees
2,380
Avg Salary
$136,876
Median
$127,624
Total Payroll
$325.8M
Employees
1,993
Avg Salary
$136,143
Median
$127,248
Total Payroll
$271.3M
Employees
1,957
Avg Salary
$135,408
Median
$126,881
Total Payroll
$265.0M
| Year | Employees | Avg Salary | Median Salary | Total Payroll | Headcount Δ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 3,796 | $140,043 | $130,197 | $531.6M | +6.0% |
| 2025 | 3,580 | $140,903 | $129,942 | $504.4M | +17.6% |
| 2024 | 3,044 | $143,835 | $134,738 | $437.8M | +15.1% |
| 2023 | 2,644 | $139,142 | $130,821 | $367.9M | +6.9% |
| 2022 | 2,473 | $141,148 | $132,170 | $349.1M | +6.6% |
| 2021 | 2,319 | $138,534 | $129,633 | $321.3M | +4.2% |
| 2020 | 2,226 | $138,372 | $129,130 | $308.0M | -6.5% |
| 2019 | 2,380 | $136,876 | $127,624 | $325.8M | +19.4% |
| 2018 | 1,993 | $136,143 | $127,248 | $271.3M | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 1,957 | $135,408 | $126,881 | $265.0M | — |