Imams
Overview
Introduction
Imams are religious leaders in the religion of Islam. They lead daily prayers, teach people about the Quran (the Muslim holy book) and the life of the Prophet Mohammed, officiate at weddings and funerals, and develop and oversee youth programs at their mosque. In most mosques, only men serve as imams, but in some countries or traditions, a woman may serve as an imam in special situations (e.g., women-only mosques and prayer groups).
Quick Facts
Median Salary
Employment Prospects
Minimum Education Level
Experience
Skills
Personality Traits
Earnings
More than two-thirds of mosques that responded to the U.S. Mosque Survey 2020 from the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding said that they paid their full-time imams $50,000 or more a year. Earnings ranged from $25,000 to $75,000 or more. In 2013 (the most recent year for which data is available), 62 percent of mosques that were affiliated with the Islamic Society of North America or N...
Work Environment
To accommodate worshipers attending the five daily prayers, mosques are typically open from before sunrise to two hours after sunset—but the imam may not be present for the entire day. A typical full-time imam works 40 to 50 hours a week. In the United States, mosques also serve as community centers, and the imam may be responsible for organizing non-religious classes and activities.
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Outlook
Opportunities for imams in the United States should be good during the next decade. The Pew Research Center (PRC) predicts that "by 2050, the U.S. Muslim population is projected to reach 8.1 million, or 2.1 percent of the nation’s total population—nearly twice the share of today [2018]. By 2040, Muslims will replace Jews as the nation’s second-largest religious group after Christians."
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