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Development specialist salary

Quoted expert
Dr. Kate Seltzer Ph.D.

Average development specialist salary

$60,344

$29.01 hourly rate

Entry-level development specialist salary
$37,000 yearly salary
Updated January 8, 2025

Development Specialist Salary Overview

The average salary for a Development Specialist is approximately $60,344 annually or $29 per hour. Salaries can vary based on several factors, including geographic location, years of experience, and industry sector. For instance, Development Specialists in high-demand areas or industries such as technology and healthcare tend to earn more.

Experience levels significantly influence salary; entry-level positions typically start lower, while those with extensive experience and specialized skills can command higher salaries.

Salary by State

When examining salary by state, Development Specialists in states like California and New York generally earn higher wages compared to those in regions with lower living costs. This disparity reflects the local demand for skilled professionals and the cost of living adjustments.

Job Opportunities

As a Development Specialist, opportunities exist in non-profits, educational institutions, and corporate sectors. Each setting offers unique challenges and rewards, making it essential to choose a path that suits your career aspirations. By staying informed on salary trends and job markets, you can make strategic career decisions that enhance your professional growth.

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Where can a Development Specialist earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
98k
78k
58k
38k
18k
Columbus, OH$77,705
Cleveland, TN$48,138
Compare salary by company
Vs
202k
182k
162k
142k
122k
102k
82k
Ropes & Gray$177,700
Zscaler$111,922

Development specialist salaries by experience level

Development specialist salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Glassdoor and Payscale, the average salary for a development specialist typically falls between $46,095 and $82,690.
zippia
$60,344yearly
glassdoor[1]
$82,690yearly
Salary.com[2]
$65,017yearly
payscale[3]
$46,095yearly

Average development specialist salary by state

The highest-paying states for development specialists are New Jersey, Connecticut, and New York. The lowest average development specialist salary states are Arkansas, Florida, and South Carolina.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for development specialists

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1New Hampshire$69,084$33.21
2Maryland$69,102$33.22
3Michigan$67,708$32.55
4North Dakota$59,926$28.81
5Connecticut$76,777$36.91
6New York$76,035$36.56
7New Jersey$77,530$37.27
8Rhode Island$68,878$33.11
9Washington$70,158$33.73
10Virginia$68,852$33.10
11Minnesota$60,083$28.89
12Illinois$67,526$32.46
13Pennsylvania$58,683$28.21
14District of Columbia$70,259$33.78
15Maine$56,207$27.02
16Massachusetts$70,637$33.96
17Delaware$64,667$31.09
18New Mexico$56,343$27.09
19Wisconsin$56,358$27.10
20Arizona$52,956$25.46
21Iowa$53,120$25.54
22Ohio$56,278$27.06
23Texas$57,799$27.79
24California$65,379$31.43
25Wyoming$54,030$25.98
26Kansas$52,818$25.39
27Idaho$56,298$27.07
28Alaska$50,686$24.37
29Indiana$51,088$24.56
30Nebraska$50,323$24.19
31Nevada$50,897$24.47
32South Dakota$48,457$23.30
33Hawaii$48,625$23.38
34Vermont$53,683$25.81
35Colorado$55,255$26.56
36Oregon$56,209$27.02
37Montana$47,359$22.77
38North Carolina$48,905$23.51
39Missouri$51,085$24.56
40Tennessee$48,149$23.15
41Mississippi$48,991$23.55
42Arkansas$43,663$20.99
43Georgia$46,434$22.32
44Alabama$46,611$22.41
45Kentucky$45,977$22.10
46Florida$42,450$20.41
47West Virginia$40,755$19.59
48Oklahoma$40,881$19.65
49Utah$44,125$21.21
50Louisiana$40,594$19.52
51South Carolina$41,404$19.91

Highest paying cities for development specialists

The highest-paying cities for development specialists are Edison, NJ, New York, NY, and San Francisco, CA.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Edison, NJ$77,705$37.36
2New York, NY$76,261$36.66
3San Francisco, CA$72,052$34.64
4Olympia, WA$71,349$34.30
5Boston, MA$70,539$33.91
6Washington, DC$70,218$33.76
7Chicago, IL$68,069$32.73
8Ann Arbor, MI$67,576$32.49
9Minneapolis, MN$60,144$28.92
10Philadelphia, PA$59,018$28.37
11Austin, TX$57,997$27.88
12Cleveland, OH$57,984$27.88
13Madison, WI$55,975$26.91
14Denver, CO$55,291$26.58
15Phoenix, AZ$53,077$25.52
16Saint Louis, MO$52,009$25.00
17Indianapolis, IN$50,612$24.33
18Raleigh, NC$50,203$24.14
19Madison, MS$49,240$23.67
20Cleveland, TN$48,138$23.14

Development Specialists are the most in-demand in these five cities:

  1. Edison, NJ
  2. New York, NY
  3. San Francisco, CA
  4. Boston, MA
  5. Washington, DC

Development specialist salary details

A development specialist's salary ranges from $37,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $96,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average development specialist salary graph
Average development specialist salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a development specialist's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$96,000$8,000$46
75th Percentile$77,000$6,417$37
Average$60,344$5,029$29
25th Percentile$47,000$3,917$23
10th Percentile$37,000$3,083$18

Highest paying development specialist jobs

The highest paying types of development specialists are senior technician specialist, staff specialist, and senior training specialist.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Training Coordinator$46,698$3,891$22.4554,796
Training Consultant$56,760$4,730$27.2952,054
Training Facilitator$51,968$4,331$24.9839,523
Training Developer$62,974$5,248$30.28108,369
Leadership Development Program$71,543$5,962$34.40108,214
Staff Development Coordinator$63,198$5,266$30.38155,578

How would you rate the starting salaries for development specialists, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?

Dr. Kate Seltzer Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Rowan University

Educators are not paid nearly enough. However, working in a state with strong teachers' unions helps to ensure a starting salary that recent graduates can live off of and growth opportunities, albeit modest, over their careers.

Top companies hiring development specialists now:

  1. BNY Mellon jobs (41)
  2. Amdocs jobs (32)
  3. American Red Cross jobs (35)
  4. Praxair jobs (179)
  5. Ericsson jobs (36)

Which companies pay development specialists the most?

Development specialist salaries at Ropes & Gray and Google are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average development specialist salary at companies like First Republic Bank and BNY Mellon are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Ropes & Gray$177,700$85.43
2Google$125,482$60.33
3First Republic Bank$122,552$58.92
4BNY Mellon$120,564$57.96
5McKinsey & Company Inc$120,370$57.87
6Koch Industries$119,039$57.23
7Varian Medical Systems$118,992$57.21
8Citi$118,302$56.88
9Abbott$118,071$56.76
10VMware$117,501$56.49
11Mitsubishi Motors$117,349$56.42
12SAP$116,189$55.86
13Bloomberg$115,463$55.51
14Bristol-Myers Squibb$115,029$55.30
15Morgan Stanley$113,759$54.69
16Applied Materials$113,715$54.67
17Medtronic$113,460$54.55
18Summit Electric Supply$113,240$54.44
19Parsons$111,981$53.84
20Zscaler$111,922$53.81

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$62,000$60,800$59,600$58,400$57,200$56,000
MaleFemale

Development specialist salary trends

The average development specialist salary has risen by $7,267 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average development specialist earned $53,077 annually, but today, they earn $60,344 a year. That works out to a 6% change in pay for development specialists over the last decade.

Compare development specialist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average development specialist salary over time

Compare development specialist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Development specialist salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$60,300$29.01+2.4%
2024$58,900$28.32+0.6%
2023$58,600$28.16+0.8%
2022$58,100$27.93+2.2%
2021$56,800$27.31+1.4%

Recently added development specialist salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
Service Corporation InternationalCemetery Development SpecialistWhittier, CA06/30/2025$62,610
PenumbraTherapy Development Specialist-Chicago, IL, Milwaukee, WI, orChicago, IL06/29/2025$100,000
JmfamilyDevelopment SpecialistMaryland06/29/2025$65,000
JmfamilyDevelopment SpecialistIone, OR06/29/2025$65,000
MedtronicSenior Corevalve Therapy Development SpecialistNorwalk, CT06/29/2025$128,000
Equus HoldingsTalent Development Specialist (800017)-Gwinnett County TravelDuluth, GA06/29/2025$44,871
Brighton Center Inc.Talent Development SpecialistCovington, KY06/29/2025$37,566
Nj Sharing NetworkHospital Development Specialist (Essex and Hudson)New Providence, NJ06/29/2025$54,800
Careers | By The Hand Club for KidsSpiritual Development Specialist Austin Site With Benefits)Chicago, IL06/29/2025$41,740
New Jersey Sharing NetworkHospital Development Specialist (Bergen and Passaic)New Providence, NJ06/29/2025$54,800

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