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The differences between instructional designers and lead instructional designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an instructional designer and a lead instructional designer. Additionally, a lead instructional designer has an average salary of $64,428, which is higher than the $57,534 average annual salary of an instructional designer.
The top three skills for an instructional designer include instructional design, subject matter experts and project management. The most important skills for a lead instructional designer are instructional design, subject matter experts, and project management.
| Instructional Designer | Lead Instructional Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $57,534 | $64,428 |
| Hourly rate | $27.66 | $30.98 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 50,321 | 49,563 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Instructional designers and lead instructional designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Instructional Designer | Lead Instructional Designer | |
| Average salary | $57,534 | $64,428 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $79,000 | Between $46,000 And $89,000 |
| Highest paying City | Hartford, CT | Hartford, CT |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Harvard University | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between an instructional designer and a lead instructional designer in terms of educational background:
| Instructional Designer | Lead Instructional Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between instructional designers' and lead instructional designers' demographics:
| Instructional Designer | Lead Instructional Designer | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 41.8% Female, 58.2% | Male, 46.7% Female, 53.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 5.5% White, 62.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 5.7% White, 62.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 16% |