The problem addressed in this study was the negative impact salary has on adjunct faculty job satisfaction and under what conditions adjunct faculty experience job satisfaction in higher educational institutions in the United States. The purpose of this study was to explore adjunct faculty attitudes and perceptions of how salary impacts adjunct faculty job satisfaction and under what conditions adjunct faculty experienced job satisfaction in higher educational institutions in the United States using Herzberg's two-factor theory. A basic qualitative method was used to focus on the thoughts, meanings, and experiences of the adjunct faculty. Purposive sampling of 10 adjunct faculty was used that met the inclusion criteria adjunct faculty were engaged in teaching students, have taught students, or contractually bound to teach, with 1-5 years of experience online, in-person, or a combination of both at a higher educational institution in the United States, were recruited via a public post on LinkedIn. A consent form was completed by participants, a confirmation e-mail for the initial interview, and a second interview was used to confirm the transcript's accuracy. Interviews were used to collect data over Zoom and recorded. A six-phased thematic analysis using NVivo was performed to generate the themes: salary is low, working conditions, the work itself, professional development, positive leadership, and recognition. The findings indicated that the hygiene factor salary was low and did not negatively impact adjunct faculty job satisfaction and that participants looked to other conditions, like working conditions, a hygiene factor, and motivating factors like the work itself, professional development, positive leadership, and recognition for their job satisfaction. The research offered educational leadership insight into the reality of being an adjunct, the conditions that adjunct faculty experience job satisfaction and the vitality of compensation and creating an environment that enables adjunct faculty to thrive, the impact adjuncts have on student outcomes, and the effectiveness of higher educational institutions in the United States. Future research to confirm the statistical significance and correlation of the findings to student outcomes and institutional success would enhance this group as the primary source of delivering education in higher educational institutions. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]