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Leadership development program salary

Quoted expert
Gregory Zobel Ph.D.

Average leadership development program salary

$71,543

$34.4 hourly rate

Entry-level leadership development program salary
$44,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Understanding Leadership Development Program Salaries

The average salary for a Leadership Development Program stands at $71,543 per year. Candidates in these programs typically undergo comprehensive training designed to prepare them for managerial roles within organizations. Salaries for these positions can vary based on several factors:

  • Experience Level: Entry-level positions may offer lower salaries, while seasoned professionals can command significantly higher pay.
  • Location: Salaries differ by state, with certain regions offering more competitive compensation due to cost of living adjustments.
  • Industry: Industries such as technology, finance, and healthcare often provide higher salaries compared to nonprofit sectors.

Additionally, those in larger, well-established companies may find more lucrative opportunities than in smaller organizations. Understanding these factors can help individuals make informed career decisions and negotiate better salary packages.

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Where can a Leadership Development Program earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
133k
113k
93k
73k
53k
33k
Columbus, OH$120,127
Indianapolis, IN$63,285
Compare salary by company
Vs
142k
122k
102k
82k
62k
Microsoft$126,025
Celanese$92,089

Leadership development program salaries by experience level

Leadership development program salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Glassdoor and Ziprecruiter, the average salary for a leadership development program typically falls between $61,410 and $116,000.
zippia
$71,543yearly
glassdoor[1]
$61,410yearly
ZipRecruiter[2]
$116,000yearly

Average leadership development program salary by state

The average leadership development program salary in Washington, Virginia, and California are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average leadership development program salary states are Georgia, Vermont, and Oklahoma.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for leadership development programs

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Nebraska$77,579$37.30
2Michigan$76,523$36.79
3Pennsylvania$76,645$36.85
4Montana$79,611$38.27
5Kansas$75,912$36.50
6Washington$112,712$54.19
7South Dakota$69,276$33.31
8Virginia$87,472$42.05
9Wisconsin$70,248$33.77
10Massachusetts$83,737$40.26
11New Hampshire$69,833$33.57
12Rhode Island$74,031$35.59
13New Jersey$81,467$39.17
14New York$78,689$37.83
15Wyoming$68,714$33.04
16California$86,201$41.44
17New Mexico$66,967$32.20
18Iowa$73,763$35.46
19Oregon$76,062$36.57
20Minnesota$74,968$36.04
21Maryland$79,350$38.15
22Kentucky$67,365$32.39
23North Dakota$63,370$30.47
24Ohio$65,854$31.66
25Connecticut$71,657$34.45
26Utah$69,170$33.25
27Delaware$70,839$34.06
28Illinois$66,181$31.82
29Mississippi$63,600$30.58
30Nevada$63,525$30.54
31Alaska$65,810$31.64
32Indiana$63,469$30.51
33North Carolina$60,502$29.09
34Tennessee$60,785$29.22
35District of Columbia$72,387$34.80
36Colorado$67,912$32.65
37Idaho$65,874$31.67
38Arizona$64,513$31.02
39Alabama$56,126$26.98
40Florida$57,616$27.70
41Texas$62,489$30.04
42Arkansas$45,396$21.82
43Louisiana$59,069$28.40
44Hawaii$35,214$16.93
45Georgia$52,699$25.34
46Vermont$52,084$25.04
47Missouri$57,225$27.51
48West Virginia$46,939$22.57
49South Carolina$56,292$27.06
50Oklahoma$48,927$23.52
51Maine$52,892$25.43
Top leadership development program jobs near you

Highest paying cities for leadership development programs

The highest-paying cities for leadership development programs are Seattle, WA, San Francisco, CA, and Arlington, VA.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Seattle, WA$120,127$57.75
2San Francisco, CA$98,226$47.22
3Arlington, VA$89,207$42.89
4Boston, MA$83,437$40.11
5New Brunswick, NJ$81,591$39.23
6Columbia, MD$79,354$38.15
7New York, NY$79,009$37.99
8Lenexa, KS$76,369$36.72
9Grand Rapids, MI$76,210$36.64
10Saint Paul, MN$75,090$36.10
11Cedar Rapids, IA$74,669$35.90
12Washington, DC$72,287$34.75
13New Haven, CT$71,883$34.56
14Milwaukee, WI$70,335$33.81
15Denver, CO$67,585$32.49
16Chicago, IL$66,397$31.92
17Columbus, OH$65,791$31.63
18Scottsdale, AZ$65,169$31.33
19Arlington, TX$64,922$31.21
20Indianapolis, IN$63,285$30.43

Leadership development program salary details

A leadership development program's salary ranges from $44,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $115,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average leadership development program salary graph
Average leadership development program salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a leadership development program's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$115,000$9,583$55
75th Percentile$92,000$7,667$44
Average$71,543$5,962$34
25th Percentile$55,000$4,583$26
10th Percentile$44,000$3,667$21

Highest paying leadership development program jobs

The highest paying types of leadership development programs are senior technician specialist, senior training specialist, and development officer.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Training Coordinator$46,698$3,891$22.4554,796
Facilitator$44,851$3,738$21.5630,474
Trainer$47,574$3,964$22.8740,650
Corporate Trainer$58,803$4,900$28.2752,090
Team Trainer$31,576$2,631$15.1854,150
Trainer Lead$72,175$6,015$34.7043,216

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

Gregory Zobel Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Educational Technology, Education & Leadership, Western Oregon University

Whether graduates start in higher education or industry usually ranges from $50,000 to $80,000. If students augment EdTech and Instructional Design training with User Experience, Interaction Design, Technical Communication, or Project Management, they could quickly jump up another ten to twenty thousand dollars. All that said, it depends on where people find personal fulfillment--education or industry. Ideally, graduates will make the most of their degrees and pivot between the two. That way, they can develop themselves and their skills most robustly while bringing the best of both worlds together in a smooth synthesis.

Top companies hiring leadership development programs now:

  1. American Tower jobs (14)
  2. Whirlpool jobs (26)
  3. Ford Motor jobs (25)
  4. Eaton jobs (107)
  5. AT&T jobs (130)

Which companies pay leadership development programs the most?

Leadership development program salaries at Microsoft and Amazon are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average leadership development program salary at companies like Citrix and American Tower are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Microsoft$126,025$60.59
2Amazon$114,359$54.98
3Citrix$113,164$54.41
4American Tower$112,876$54.27
5Citi$111,343$53.53
6Hillenbrand$110,427$53.09
7Western Alliance Bank$109,955$52.86
8CVS Health$109,357$52.58
9JPMorgan Chase & Co.$107,981$51.91
10Entegris$106,602$51.25
11The Vanguard Group$105,755$50.84
12Amgen$103,327$49.68
13Harley-Davidson$99,767$47.96
14Whirlpool$96,917$46.59
15Caterpillar$95,490$45.91
16Arkema$94,826$45.59
17Student Conservation Association$94,583$45.47
18Eaton$94,545$45.45
19Stanley Black & Decker$93,298$44.85
20Celanese$92,089$44.27

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$73,000$71,600$70,200$68,800$67,400$66,000
MaleFemale

Leadership Development Program salary by industry

The average leadership development program salary varies across industries:

  • The average leadership development program salary in the finance industry is $89,566, the highest of any industry.
  • The average leadership development program salary in the finance industry is $81,291.
  • Leadership development programs in the technology industry earn an average salary of $68,109, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for leadership development programs

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Finance$89,566$43.06
2Pharmaceutical$81,291$39.08
3Manufacturing$78,501$37.74
4Technology$68,109$32.74

High paying leadership development program jobs

Leadership development program salary trends

The average leadership development program salary has risen by $8,615 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average leadership development program earned $62,928 annually, but today, they earn $71,543 a year. That works out to a 6% change in pay for leadership development programs over the last decade.

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

Average leadership development program salary over time

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

Leadership development program salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2026$71,500$34.40+2.4%
2025$69,800$33.58+0.6%
2024$69,500$33.39+0.8%
2023$68,900$33.11+2.2%
2022$67,300$32.38+1.4%

Recently added leadership development program salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
Bae Systems PlcContracts Leadership Development Program (2026) ExternalNashua, NH06/28/2025$55,295
New York Life Insurance CompanyAccelerated Leadership ProgramFrisco, TX06/24/2025$120,000
Concordia College (Moorhead, MnSpanish Language Summer Camp Program Leadership (2025)Bakersfield, CA06/20/2025$23,479
RTX CorporationLeadership Development Program-Global Communications (Starts June 2026)Arlington, VA06/20/2025$52,000
Johnson & Johnson2026 Finance Leadership Development Program (Fldp)New Brunswick, NJ06/17/2025$81,000
Cedar Rapids Community School DistrictBuilding Leadership Member (BLT)Mapleton, IA06/12/2025$26,088
Techtronic Industries-TTILeadership Development ProgramDallas, TX06/10/2025$50,000
Dempsey Uniform & Linen SupplyNextgen Leadership ProgramBaltimore, MD06/09/2025$50,000
Helios Defense SolutionsLeadership Development SMEIndianapolis, IN06/06/2025$60,000
StretchlabLeadership Development ProgramHouston, TX06/02/2025$31,305

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