A comparison of college faculty earnings to earnings of other professionals with comparable educational background is presented in an effort to determine the relative standing of the academic profession among all professional occupations. The information is compiled from self-reported figures of the Bureau of Census survey that provides data on the composition and economic status of the total population. Earnings were assessed for a total of 16 occupational groups by geographic location, age, sex, and race. To be eligible for the survey respondents were required to have completed six or more years of college and to have worked full-time in 1976 in a job classified by the Census Bureau as "professional." The results indicate that college faculty as a group earn an average income only slightly below the mean earnings of the total sample of professional occupations. When adjusted to reflect the specific effects of occupation, the results indicate that college faculty earn approximately $600 less than university and school administrators. Relatively small effects on earnings were noted for the race and sex variables. Scientists, engineers, and social scientists did earn incomes significantly higher than comparable academics. The data are extensively tabulated and the methodology explained. (SF)