It varies greatly by school and reputation. I doubt it is because of associate professors. More likely it is because of the size of the school, location, and t

It varies greatly by school and reputation. I doubt it is because of associate professors. More likely it is because of the size of the school, location, and type. I bet there are a lot of community college students in there. A quick look in my area (New England) shows associates starting at about $60k and going up from there. But New England has a high cost of living so it is all relative.