Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Learning design specialist salary
Average learning design specialist salary
$72,967
Exploring the Learning Design Specialist Salary
A Learning Design Specialist plays a vital role in developing instructional materials that enhance learning experiences. As of October 2025, the average salary for this position is $72,967 per year, with entry-level specialists earning less and experienced professionals potentially earning much more. Salary ranges can vary widely, influenced by factors such as geographic location, industry, and years of experience.
For instance, specialists in states like California and New York typically earn higher salaries due to the cost of living and demand for skilled professionals. According to data, entry-level positions may start around $50,000, while seasoned experts can command salaries exceeding $100,000 annually.
To maximize earning potential, it’s beneficial to pursue ongoing professional development and certifications in relevant technologies and learning methodologies. Job opportunities are abundant across diverse sectors, including education, corporate training, and e-learning companies. As the demand for effective learning solutions continues to rise, so too does the potential for lucrative careers in this field.
Let Zippia find your next learning design specialist job
Let Zippia find your next learning design specialist job
Where can a Learning Design Specialist earn more?
Learning design specialist salaries by experience level
Learning design specialist salary estimates from across the web
Average learning design specialist salary by state
The highest-paying states for learning design specialists are Wyoming, Washington, and New Jersey. The lowest average learning design specialist salary states are Oklahoma, Ohio, and Florida.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for learning design specialists
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wyoming | $87,859 | $42.24 |
| 2 | Oregon | $81,612 | $39.24 |
| 3 | Washington | $86,776 | $41.72 |
| 4 | Montana | $80,019 | $38.47 |
| 5 | Vermont | $76,369 | $36.72 |
| 6 | Colorado | $76,808 | $36.93 |
| 7 | Minnesota | $81,340 | $39.11 |
| 8 | Texas | $72,354 | $34.79 |
| 9 | Rhode Island | $81,290 | $39.08 |
| 10 | Virginia | $77,164 | $37.10 |
| 11 | New Jersey | $84,845 | $40.79 |
| 12 | Illinois | $76,609 | $36.83 |
| 13 | California | $77,121 | $37.08 |
| 14 | Maine | $76,928 | $36.98 |
| 15 | District of Columbia | $78,937 | $37.95 |
| 16 | Kansas | $70,609 | $33.95 |
| 17 | Iowa | $65,880 | $31.67 |
| 18 | Maryland | $77,884 | $37.44 |
| 19 | South Dakota | $72,211 | $34.72 |
| 20 | Delaware | $67,366 | $32.39 |
| 21 | Connecticut | $72,192 | $34.71 |
| 22 | North Dakota | $68,009 | $32.70 |
| 23 | New Hampshire | $69,975 | $33.64 |
| 24 | Nevada | $73,218 | $35.20 |
| 25 | Utah | $64,145 | $30.84 |
| 26 | Kentucky | $65,430 | $31.46 |
| 27 | Missouri | $68,071 | $32.73 |
| 28 | North Carolina | $65,822 | $31.65 |
| 29 | Alabama | $66,566 | $32.00 |
| 30 | New York | $72,472 | $34.84 |
| 31 | Nebraska | $65,104 | $31.30 |
| 32 | Tennessee | $64,445 | $30.98 |
| 33 | West Virginia | $62,643 | $30.12 |
| 34 | Arizona | $63,525 | $30.54 |
| 35 | Wisconsin | $63,196 | $30.38 |
| 36 | Michigan | $63,591 | $30.57 |
| 37 | Pennsylvania | $66,136 | $31.80 |
| 38 | Georgia | $63,758 | $30.65 |
| 39 | Idaho | $62,797 | $30.19 |
| 40 | Hawaii | $64,044 | $30.79 |
| 41 | Oklahoma | $59,435 | $28.57 |
| 42 | Massachusetts | $63,608 | $30.58 |
| 43 | Florida | $56,618 | $27.22 |
| 44 | Louisiana | $60,670 | $29.17 |
| 45 | Alaska | $52,436 | $25.21 |
| 46 | South Carolina | $62,704 | $30.15 |
| 47 | Indiana | $59,817 | $28.76 |
| 48 | Ohio | $58,655 | $28.20 |
| 49 | New Mexico | $60,282 | $28.98 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $53,185 | $25.57 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $54,160 | $26.04 |
Highest paying cities for learning design specialists
The highest-paying cities for learning design specialists are Olympia, WA, San Francisco, CA, and Providence, RI.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Olympia, WA | $87,389 | $42.01 |
| 2 | San Francisco, CA | $82,441 | $39.64 |
| 3 | Providence, RI | $81,267 | $39.07 |
| 4 | Helena, MT | $80,282 | $38.60 |
| 5 | Washington, DC | $79,047 | $38.00 |
| 6 | Annapolis, MD | $77,900 | $37.45 |
| 7 | Richmond, VA | $77,289 | $37.16 |
| 8 | Denver, CO | $76,878 | $36.96 |
| 9 | Chicago, IL | $76,767 | $36.91 |
| 10 | Carson City, NV | $76,653 | $36.85 |
| 11 | Dallas, TX | $72,846 | $35.02 |
| 12 | New York, NY | $72,530 | $34.87 |
| 13 | Hartford, CT | $71,996 | $34.61 |
| 14 | Concord, NH | $69,896 | $33.60 |
| 15 | Saint Louis, MO | $68,432 | $32.90 |
| 16 | Bismarck, ND | $68,180 | $32.78 |
| 17 | Raleigh, NC | $66,028 | $31.74 |
| 18 | Des Moines, IA | $65,708 | $31.59 |
| 19 | Frankfort, KY | $65,657 | $31.57 |
| 20 | Knoxville, TN | $65,041 | $31.27 |
Learning design specialist salary details
A learning design specialist's salary ranges from $58,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $91,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a learning design specialist's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $91,000 | $7,583 | $44 |
| 75th Percentile | $82,000 | $6,833 | $39 |
| Average | $72,967 | $6,081 | $35 |
| 25th Percentile | $64,000 | $5,333 | $31 |
| 10th Percentile | $58,000 | $4,833 | $28 |
Highest paying learning design specialist jobs
The highest paying types of learning design specialists are senior technician specialist, senior training specialist, and training specialist.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trainer Lead | $72,175 | $6,015 | $34.70 | 43,216 |
| Corporate Trainer | $58,803 | $4,900 | $28.27 | 52,090 |
| Epic Credentialed Trainer | $75,929 | $6,327 | $36.50 | 41,467 |
| Facilitator | $44,851 | $3,738 | $21.56 | 30,474 |
| Instructional Designer | $57,534 | $4,794 | $27.66 | 50,321 |
| Training Consultant | $56,760 | $4,730 | $27.29 | 52,054 |
Top companies hiring learning design specialists now:
Which companies pay learning design specialists the most?
Learning design specialist salaries at McKinsey & Company Inc and Merck are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average learning design specialist salary at companies like Sky Zone and Amazon are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McKinsey & Company Inc | $100,787 | $48.46 |
| 2 | Merck | $89,760 | $43.15 |
| 3 | Sky Zone | $85,006 | $40.87 |
| 4 | Amazon | $82,690 | $39.75 |
| 5 | Edward Jones | $81,598 | $39.23 |
| 6 | NRC | $77,712 | $37.36 |
| 7 | The Travelers Companies | $77,320 | $37.17 |
| 8 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | $75,827 | $36.46 |
| 9 | Tetra Pak | $75,471 | $36.28 |
| 10 | International Republican Institute | $75,034 | $36.07 |
| 11 | Infosys Public Service | $73,691 | $35.43 |
| 12 | Humana | $73,536 | $35.35 |
| 13 | International Rescue Committee | $73,368 | $35.27 |
| 14 | University of Washington | $72,900 | $35.05 |
| 15 | Ulta Beauty | $72,652 | $34.93 |
| 16 | LeapFrog | $72,507 | $34.86 |
| 17 | Washington State University | $72,444 | $34.83 |
| 18 | Utica College | $71,714 | $34.48 |
| 19 | Colorado State Express | $70,642 | $33.96 |
| 20 | Cortica | $70,642 | $33.96 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Learning Design Specialist salary by industry
The average learning design specialist salary varies across industries:
- The average learning design specialist salary in the hospitality industry is $77,365, the highest of any industry.
- The average learning design specialist salary in the finance industry is $70,302.
- Learning design specialists in the transportation industry earn an average salary of $46,511, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for learning design specialists
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hospitality | $77,365 | $37.19 |
| 2 | Insurance | $70,302 | $33.80 |
| 3 | Education | $63,252 | $30.41 |
| 4 | Retail | $61,509 | $29.57 |
| 5 | Transportation | $46,511 | $22.36 |
High paying learning design specialist jobs
Learning design specialist salary trends
The average learning design specialist salary has risen by $8,786 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average learning design specialist earned $64,181 annually, but today, they earn $72,967 a year. That works out to a 6% change in pay for learning design specialists over the last decade.
Compare learning design specialist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average learning design specialist salary over time
Compare learning design specialist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Learning design specialist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $73,000 | $35.08 | +2.4% |
| 2024 | $71,200 | $34.25 | +0.6% |
| 2023 | $70,800 | $34.06 | +0.8% |
| 2022 | $70,200 | $33.77 | +2.2% |
| 2021 | $68,700 | $33.02 | +1.4% |
Recently added learning design specialist salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humana | Senior Learning Design Professional | Annapolis, MD | 06/27/2025 | $71,100 |
| Humana | Senior Learning Design Professional | Lansing, MI | 06/27/2025 | $71,100 |
| Humana | Senior Learning Design Professional | Harrisburg, PA | 06/27/2025 | $71,100 |
| Humana | Senior Learning Design Professional | Salt Lake City, UT | 06/27/2025 | $71,100 |
| Humana | Senior Learning Design Professional | Cheyenne, WY | 06/27/2025 | $71,100 |
| Humana | Senior Learning Design Professional | Lincoln, NE | 06/27/2025 | $71,100 |
| Humana | Senior Learning Design Professional | Providence, RI | 06/27/2025 | $71,100 |
| Humana | Senior Learning Design Professional | Des Moines, IA | 06/27/2025 | $71,100 |
| Humana | Senior Learning Design Professional | Charleston, WV | 06/27/2025 | $71,100 |
| Humana | Senior Learning Design Professional | Dover, DE | 06/27/2025 | $71,100 |
Learning design specialist salary FAQs
Search for learning design specialist jobs