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The differences between lead instructional designers and designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a lead instructional designer, becoming a designer takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a designer has an average salary of $66,347, which is higher than the $64,428 average annual salary of a lead instructional designer.
The top three skills for a lead instructional designer include instructional design, subject matter experts and project management. The most important skills for a designer are sketch, customer service, and graphic design.
| Lead Instructional Designer | Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $64,428 | $66,347 |
| Hourly rate | $30.98 | $31.90 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 49,563 | 52,433 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 44 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
Lead instructional designers and designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Instructional Designer | Designer | |
| Average salary | $64,428 | $66,347 |
| Salary range | Between $46,000 And $89,000 | Between $45,000 And $97,000 |
| Highest paying City | Hartford, CT | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | Washington |
| Best paying company | Harvard University | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a lead instructional designer and a designer in terms of educational background:
| Lead Instructional Designer | Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Business | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | Harvard University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between lead instructional designers' and designers' demographics:
| Lead Instructional Designer | Designer | |
| Average age | 44 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 46.7% Female, 53.3% | Male, 56.9% Female, 43.1% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 10.4% White, 70.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 13% |