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Instructional systems designer salary
Average instructional systems designer salary
$65,907
Understanding Instructional Systems Designer Salaries
As of October 2025, the average salary for an Instructional Systems Designer is estimated at $65,907 annually. This figure reflects a range of salaries influenced by factors such as education level, years of experience, and geographic location.
Salary by Experience Level
Entry-level designers can expect to earn significantly less, while those with advanced degrees or extensive experience may see salaries exceeding $90,000. The demand for skilled instructional designers is growing, particularly in sectors like education and corporate environments.
Highest Paying States
Salaries vary widely across states. Places like California and New York often offer higher salaries, reflecting the cost of living and demand for skilled professionals in these areas. Additionally, urban centers tend to pay more due to competitive job markets.
Job Opportunities
Instructional Systems Designers can find roles in various industries including healthcare, technology, and government. Positions may involve creating e-learning modules, developing training materials, or designing instructional strategies that enhance learning experiences.
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Where can an Instructional Systems Designer earn more?
Instructional systems designer salaries by experience level
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level instructional systems designer | $57,100 | $27.46 |
| Mid-level instructional systems designer | $72,400 | $34.80 |
| Senior-level instructional systems designer | $83,900 | $40.33 |
Instructional systems designer salary estimates from across the web
Average instructional systems designer salary by state
The average instructional systems designer salary in Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Maryland are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average instructional systems designer salary states are Mississippi, Indiana, and Kentucky.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for instructional systems designers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Hampshire | $92,663 | $44.55 |
| 2 | Connecticut | $93,221 | $44.82 |
| 3 | New York | $84,276 | $40.52 |
| 4 | Rhode Island | $74,812 | $35.97 |
| 5 | Washington | $73,119 | $35.15 |
| 6 | Oregon | $71,526 | $34.39 |
| 7 | Vermont | $72,383 | $34.80 |
| 8 | Nevada | $74,509 | $35.82 |
| 9 | Michigan | $68,727 | $33.04 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | $71,660 | $34.45 |
| 11 | Maryland | $89,442 | $43.00 |
| 12 | Wyoming | $63,963 | $30.75 |
| 13 | District of Columbia | $82,049 | $39.45 |
| 14 | Delaware | $73,162 | $35.17 |
| 15 | Nebraska | $66,026 | $31.74 |
| 16 | Massachusetts | $74,602 | $35.87 |
| 17 | Texas | $62,798 | $30.19 |
| 18 | Virginia | $74,596 | $35.86 |
| 19 | Idaho | $63,688 | $30.62 |
| 20 | Arizona | $62,644 | $30.12 |
| 21 | Illinois | $65,641 | $31.56 |
| 22 | North Carolina | $62,386 | $29.99 |
| 23 | Minnesota | $63,923 | $30.73 |
| 24 | New Jersey | $70,648 | $33.97 |
| 25 | North Dakota | $60,486 | $29.08 |
| 26 | New Mexico | $61,136 | $29.39 |
| 27 | Alaska | $64,751 | $31.13 |
| 28 | California | $73,106 | $35.15 |
| 29 | Maine | $61,462 | $29.55 |
| 30 | Georgia | $60,678 | $29.17 |
| 31 | Ohio | $60,050 | $28.87 |
| 32 | Wisconsin | $60,132 | $28.91 |
| 33 | Tennessee | $58,672 | $28.21 |
| 34 | South Dakota | $57,084 | $27.44 |
| 35 | South Carolina | $57,049 | $27.43 |
| 36 | Colorado | $63,881 | $30.71 |
| 37 | Utah | $61,032 | $29.34 |
| 38 | Kansas | $55,429 | $26.65 |
| 39 | Arkansas | $56,400 | $27.12 |
| 40 | Oklahoma | $56,906 | $27.36 |
| 41 | Florida | $53,276 | $25.61 |
| 42 | Missouri | $56,110 | $26.98 |
| 43 | Hawaii | $61,409 | $29.52 |
| 44 | Mississippi | $52,040 | $25.02 |
| 45 | Alabama | $54,154 | $26.04 |
| 46 | Louisiana | $53,040 | $25.50 |
| 47 | Indiana | $51,966 | $24.98 |
| 48 | Montana | $50,970 | $24.50 |
| 49 | Iowa | $50,171 | $24.12 |
| 50 | Kentucky | $51,200 | $24.62 |
| 51 | West Virginia | $42,616 | $20.49 |
Highest paying cities for instructional systems designers
The highest-paying cities for instructional systems designers are Baltimore, MD, Union City, CA, and Reno, NV.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baltimore, MD | $89,709 | $43.13 |
| 2 | Union City, CA | $79,140 | $38.05 |
| 3 | Reno, NV | $77,655 | $37.33 |
| 4 | Arlington, VA | $76,240 | $36.65 |
| 5 | Newport, RI | $74,912 | $36.02 |
| 6 | Boston, MA | $74,648 | $35.89 |
| 7 | Philadelphia, PA | $72,134 | $34.68 |
| 8 | Jersey City, NJ | $70,805 | $34.04 |
| 9 | Chicago, IL | $66,020 | $31.74 |
| 10 | Denver, CO | $63,893 | $30.72 |
| 11 | Rochester, MN | $63,365 | $30.46 |
| 12 | Houston, TX | $63,212 | $30.39 |
| 13 | Albuquerque, NM | $61,324 | $29.48 |
| 14 | Roy, UT | $60,885 | $29.27 |
| 15 | Atlanta, GA | $60,646 | $29.16 |
| 16 | Charlotte, NC | $60,063 | $28.88 |
| 17 | Fairborn, OH | $57,839 | $27.81 |
| 18 | Oklahoma City, OK | $56,988 | $27.40 |
| 19 | Hazelwood, MO | $56,574 | $27.20 |
| 20 | Huntsville, AL | $54,351 | $26.13 |
Instructional systems designer salary details
An instructional systems designer's salary ranges from $46,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $93,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is an instructional systems designer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $93,000 | $7,750 | $45 |
| 75th Percentile | $79,000 | $6,583 | $38 |
| Average | $65,907 | $5,492 | $32 |
| 25th Percentile | $54,000 | $4,500 | $26 |
| 10th Percentile | $46,000 | $3,833 | $22 |
Highest paying instructional systems designer jobs
The highest paying types of instructional systems designers are director, educational research and product strategy, systems designer, and senior instructional systems designer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vocational Training Instructor | $56,294 | $4,691 | $27.06 | 46,814 |
| Curriculum Developer | $53,226 | $4,435 | $25.59 | 73,274 |
| Designer | $66,347 | $5,529 | $31.90 | 52,433 |
| E-Learning Designer | $65,312 | $5,443 | $31.40 | 51,006 |
| Curriculum Designer | $54,176 | $4,515 | $26.05 | 44,751 |
| Instructional Coordinator | $48,344 | $4,029 | $23.24 | 25,255 |
Top companies hiring instructional systems designers now:
Which companies pay instructional systems designers the most?
Instructional systems designer salaries at Parsons and Booz Allen Hamilton are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average instructional systems designer salary at companies like SAIC and Goldbelt Falcon are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parsons | $90,327 | $43.43 |
| 2 | Booz Allen Hamilton | $89,021 | $42.80 |
| 3 | SAIC | $78,398 | $37.69 |
| 4 | Goldbelt Falcon | $74,220 | $35.68 |
| 5 | TimeClock Plus | $72,793 | $35.00 |
| 6 | Integration Innovation | $72,743 | $34.97 |
| 7 | BMSX | $72,354 | $34.79 |
| 8 | NetImpact Strategies | $71,665 | $34.45 |
| 9 | Xylem | $71,635 | $34.44 |
| 10 | JTG | $71,302 | $34.28 |
| 11 | Trideum | $71,031 | $34.15 |
| 12 | Noblis | $70,601 | $33.94 |
| 13 | Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (finra) | $70,418 | $33.85 |
| 14 | Mayo Clinic | $69,839 | $33.58 |
| 15 | PeopleTec | $69,626 | $33.47 |
| 16 | Boeing | $69,624 | $33.47 |
| 17 | Logistics Management Institute | $69,380 | $33.36 |
| 18 | Northrop Grumman | $68,178 | $32.78 |
| 19 | CAE | $67,643 | $32.52 |
| 20 | The Greentree Group | $67,194 | $32.30 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Instructional Systems Designer salary by industry
The average instructional systems designer salary varies across industries:
- The average instructional systems designer salary in the technology industry is $71,031, the highest of any industry.
- The average instructional systems designer salary in the finance industry is $70,538.
- Instructional systems designers in the professional industry earn an average salary of $67,321, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for instructional systems designers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $71,031 | $34.15 |
| 2 | Manufacturing | $70,538 | $33.91 |
| 3 | Media | $69,664 | $33.49 |
| 4 | Transportation | $67,834 | $32.61 |
| 5 | Professional | $67,321 | $32.37 |
High paying instructional systems designer jobs
Instructional systems designer salary trends
The average instructional systems designer salary has risen by $7,568 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average instructional systems designer earned $58,339 annually, but today, they earn $65,907 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for instructional systems designers over the last decade.
Compare instructional systems designer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average instructional systems designer salary over time
Compare instructional systems designer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Instructional systems designer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $65,900 | $31.69 | +1.0% |
| 2024 | $65,200 | $31.36 | +2.8% |
| 2023 | $63,400 | $30.49 | +1.1% |
| 2022 | $62,700 | $30.16 | +2.0% |
| 2021 | $61,500 | $29.55 | +0.3% |
Recently added instructional systems designer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comtech Telecommunications Corp | Instructional Systems Designer II | Columbia, MD | 06/25/2025 | $150,000 |
| Noblis | Instructional Systems Designer (Mid-Level) | Springfield, VA | 06/20/2025 | $88,500 |
| Organizational Development | Mid-Level Instructional Systems Designer | Springfield, VA | 06/20/2025 | $80,000 |
| Hudson Valley Community College | Instructor-Heating and Refrigeration Systems Probationary Hv-Fac | Troy, NY | 06/07/2025 | $52,500 |
| Jeppesen | Mid-Level Instructional Systems Designer | Englewood, CO | 05/27/2025 | $87,550 |
| Flatter | Instructional Systems Designer | Quantico, VA | 05/25/2025 | $110,000 |
| Boeing | Mid-Level Instructional Systems Designer | Englewood, CO | 05/23/2025 | $87,550 |
| CSU Careers | Lecturer-EE 301: Digital Systems Design With HDL (Fall 2025) | San Marcos, CA | 05/22/2025 | $66,084 |
| California State University System | Lecturer-EE 301: Digital Systems Design With HDL (Fall 2025) | San Marcos, CA | 05/20/2025 | $66,084 |
| Butler Technical Group | Instructional Systems Designer | Littleton, CO | 05/15/2025 | $79,306 |
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