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The average salary for a Learning Development Specialist stands at $73,541 annually, translating to about $35 per hour. Salary figures can vary significantly based on factors such as geographical location, years of experience, and specific industry sectors.
Entry-level positions typically start lower, while seasoned specialists with extensive experience can earn significantly more. For example, those with over ten years of experience may see salaries exceeding $90,000.
Regions such as California and New York often offer higher salaries, reflecting the demand for skilled professionals in these areas. Cities like San Francisco and New York City are among the highest paying for this role, with average salaries reaching upwards of $85,000.
In addition to competitive salaries, Learning Development Specialists can find diverse opportunities across various sectors including corporate training, education, and technology. By continually upgrading their skills and certifications, professionals can position themselves for advancement in this dynamic field.
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The average learning development specialist salary in New Jersey, California, and Washington are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average learning development specialist salary states are Idaho, Hawaii, and Vermont.
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Carolina | $81,025 | $38.95 |
| 2 | Pennsylvania | $77,678 | $37.35 |
| 3 | Nevada | $72,745 | $34.97 |
| 4 | California | $92,344 | $44.40 |
| 5 | District of Columbia | $85,685 | $41.19 |
| 6 | New Jersey | $100,039 | $48.10 |
| 7 | Washington | $83,315 | $40.06 |
| 8 | Virginia | $77,133 | $37.08 |
| 9 | Georgia | $68,257 | $32.82 |
| 10 | Mississippi | $69,055 | $33.20 |
| 11 | South Carolina | $69,921 | $33.62 |
| 12 | Texas | $70,848 | $34.06 |
| 13 | Delaware | $71,709 | $34.48 |
| 14 | Michigan | $64,854 | $31.18 |
| 15 | New York | $78,360 | $37.67 |
| 16 | Louisiana | $67,658 | $32.53 |
| 17 | Rhode Island | $71,916 | $34.58 |
| 18 | New Hampshire | $63,744 | $30.65 |
| 19 | South Dakota | $61,299 | $29.47 |
| 20 | Maryland | $72,923 | $35.06 |
| 21 | Arizona | $66,165 | $31.81 |
| 22 | Ohio | $62,488 | $30.04 |
| 23 | Minnesota | $62,651 | $30.12 |
| 24 | Kansas | $61,084 | $29.37 |
| 25 | Tennessee | $61,128 | $29.39 |
| 26 | Indiana | $62,148 | $29.88 |
| 27 | Alabama | $61,768 | $29.70 |
| 28 | Connecticut | $67,425 | $32.42 |
| 29 | Montana | $65,662 | $31.57 |
| 30 | North Dakota | $57,257 | $27.53 |
| 31 | Florida | $60,178 | $28.93 |
| 32 | Massachusetts | $67,013 | $32.22 |
| 33 | Illinois | $64,065 | $30.80 |
| 34 | New Mexico | $56,350 | $27.09 |
| 35 | Arkansas | $54,293 | $26.10 |
| 36 | Hawaii | $53,006 | $25.48 |
| 37 | Iowa | $56,248 | $27.04 |
| 38 | Nebraska | $54,774 | $26.33 |
| 39 | Wisconsin | $54,774 | $26.33 |
| 40 | Oregon | $61,958 | $29.79 |
| 41 | Wyoming | $57,652 | $27.72 |
| 42 | Missouri | $56,494 | $27.16 |
| 43 | Colorado | $60,008 | $28.85 |
| 44 | Utah | $56,773 | $27.29 |
| 45 | Alaska | $44,131 | $21.22 |
| 46 | Oklahoma | $53,977 | $25.95 |
| 47 | West Virginia | $47,957 | $23.06 |
| 48 | Kentucky | $52,051 | $25.02 |
| 49 | Maine | $56,248 | $27.04 |
| 50 | Idaho | $53,406 | $25.68 |
| 51 | Vermont | $52,168 | $25.08 |
The highest-paying cities for learning development specialists are San Francisco, CA, Washington, DC, and Seattle, WA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $98,067 | $47.15 |
| 2 | Washington, DC | $85,815 | $41.26 |
| 3 | Seattle, WA | $83,716 | $40.25 |
| 4 | Raleigh, NC | $82,270 | $39.55 |
| 5 | New York, NY | $79,020 | $37.99 |
| 6 | Philadelphia, PA | $78,091 | $37.54 |
| 7 | Richmond, VA | $77,063 | $37.05 |
| 8 | Baltimore, MD | $72,944 | $35.07 |
| 9 | Houston, TX | $72,505 | $34.86 |
| 10 | Atlanta, GA | $67,668 | $32.53 |
| 11 | Boston, MA | $66,817 | $32.12 |
| 12 | Phoenix, AZ | $66,315 | $31.88 |
| 13 | Helena, MT | $66,100 | $31.78 |
| 14 | Detroit, MI | $65,185 | $31.34 |
| 15 | Chicago, IL | $64,498 | $31.01 |
| 16 | Columbus, OH | $62,790 | $30.19 |
| 17 | Minneapolis, MN | $62,787 | $30.19 |
| 18 | Indianapolis, IN | $62,243 | $29.92 |
| 19 | Colorado Springs, CO | $61,579 | $29.61 |
| 20 | Portland, OR | $60,923 | $29.29 |
A learning development specialist's salary ranges from $49,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $109,000 at the 90th percentile.

| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $109,000 | $9,083 | $52 |
| 75th Percentile | $90,000 | $7,500 | $43 |
| Average | $73,541 | $6,128 | $35 |
| 25th Percentile | $59,000 | $4,917 | $28 |
| 10th Percentile | $49,000 | $4,083 | $24 |
The highest paying types of learning development specialists are senior technician specialist, senior training specialist, and development officer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate Trainer | $58,803 | $4,900 | $28.27 | 52,090 |
| Epic Credentialed Trainer | $75,929 | $6,327 | $36.50 | 41,467 |
| Training Coordinator | $46,698 | $3,891 | $22.45 | 54,796 |
| Training Consultant | $56,760 | $4,730 | $27.29 | 52,054 |
| Training Facilitator | $51,968 | $4,331 | $24.98 | 39,523 |
| Development Officer | $78,541 | $6,545 | $37.76 | 105,553 |
Top companies hiring learning development specialists now:
Learning development specialist salaries at Clifford Chance and Cornerstone Research are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average learning development specialist salary at companies like Google and PayPal are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clifford Chance | $161,597 | $77.69 |
| 2 | Cornerstone Research | $142,089 | $68.31 |
| 3 | $136,623 | $65.68 | |
| 4 | PayPal | $136,234 | $65.50 |
| 5 | Microsoft | $132,529 | $63.72 |
| 6 | Cambridge Associates | $123,270 | $59.26 |
| 7 | First Republic Bank | $118,631 | $57.03 |
| 8 | Bloomberg | $112,705 | $54.19 |
| 9 | SAS Institute | $110,582 | $53.16 |
| 10 | Morgan Stanley | $110,525 | $53.14 |
| 11 | Amazon | $109,759 | $52.77 |
| 12 | Abiomed | $108,093 | $51.97 |
| 13 | Vista Equity Partners | $103,698 | $49.85 |
| 14 | Koch Industries | $100,167 | $48.16 |
| 15 | IBM | $97,046 | $46.66 |
| 16 | CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield | $97,045 | $46.66 |
| 17 | Tesla | $97,008 | $46.64 |
| 18 | Toyon Research | $96,682 | $46.48 |
| 19 | Gilead Sciences | $95,802 | $46.06 |
| 20 | EPAM Systems | $95,145 | $45.74 |
The average learning development specialist salary varies across industries:
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finance | $77,736 | $37.37 |
| 2 | Technology | $74,896 | $36.01 |
| 3 | Manufacturing | $62,214 | $29.91 |
| 4 | Health Care | $57,050 | $27.43 |
The average learning development specialist salary has risen by $8,856 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average learning development specialist earned $64,685 annually, but today, they earn $73,541 a year. That works out to a 6% change in pay for learning development specialists over the last decade.
Compare learning development specialist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Compare learning development specialist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $73,500 | $35.36 | +2.4% |
| 2024 | $71,800 | $34.52 | +0.6% |
| 2023 | $71,400 | $34.32 | +0.8% |
| 2022 | $70,800 | $34.04 | +2.2% |
| 2021 | $69,200 | $33.28 | +1.4% |
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Limited | Training & Development Spec 1-Learning Management Specialist | Saint Paul, MN | 06/29/2025 | $52,806 |
| Westerra Credit Union | Learning & Development Specialist | Denver, CO | 06/29/2025 | $49,858 |
| Guardiandentistry | Clinical Learning and Development Specialist | Miami, FL | 06/29/2025 | $80,000 |
| Southcentral Foundation | Learning and Development Training Specialist (Family Wellness Warriors Cultural Education & Engageme | Anchorage, AK | 06/28/2025 | $65,770 |
| Pultegroup | Learning & Development Specialist (Pulte Mortgage) | Englewood, CO | 06/27/2025 | $78,000 |
| Sanford Health | RN Clinical Learning and Development Specialist | Fort Collins, CO | 06/26/2025 | $61,567 |
| Chobani | Senior Learning & Development Specialist | New York, NY | 06/24/2025 | $77,000 |
| Russell Tobin | Learning & Development Delivery Operations Specialist | Mountain View, CA | 06/24/2025 | $58,436 |
| Encadria Staffing Solutions | Learning and Development Support Specialist-Temporary | Hillsboro, AL | 06/24/2025 | $41,740 |
| State University of New York at Cobleskill | Educational Learning and Development Specialist-Suny Cobleskill | Cobleskill, NY | 06/21/2025 | $85,000 |
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