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Job outlook for product development specialists in the United States
Are product development specialist jobs in demand?
Product development specialist job and salary trends over time
Product development specialist jobs over time
Product development specialist job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1,111 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 1,054 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 1,036 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 974 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 911 | 0.00% |
Average product development specialist salary over time
Product development specialist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $70,820 | $34.05 | +3.2% |
| 2025 | $68,646 | $33.00 | +1.1% |
| 2024 | $67,925 | $32.66 | --0.2% |
| 2023 | $68,044 | $32.71 | +1.1% |
| 2022 | $67,323 | $32.37 | +0.7% |
Product development specialist jobs by state
Most common states for product development specialists
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 548 | 41% |
| 2 | Vermont | 623,657 | 230 | 37% |
| 3 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 259 | 34% |
| 4 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 255 | 29% |
| 5 | Alaska | 739,795 | 215 | 29% |
| 6 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 541 | 28% |
| 7 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 3,389 | 26% |
| 8 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 1,495 | 26% |
| 9 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 2,611 | 25% |
| 10 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 176 | 25% |
| 11 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 2,487 | 24% |
| 12 | Arkansas | 3,004,279 | 710 | 24% |
| 13 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 697 | 24% |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 2,971 | 23% |
| 15 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 486 | 23% |
| 16 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 683 | 22% |
| 17 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 1,177 | 21% |
| 18 | Indiana | 6,666,818 | 1,317 | 20% |
| 19 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 118 | 20% |
| 20 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 1,624 | 19% |
Most common cities for product development specialists
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Redmond | 2 | 3% | $103,900 |
| 2 | Menlo Park | 1 | 3% | $81,243 |
| 3 | Owensboro | 1 | 2% | $49,161 |
| 4 | Wichita | 2 | 1% | $48,457 |
| 5 | Downey | 1 | 1% | $66,103 |
| 6 | Fort Smith | 1 | 1% | $51,814 |
| 7 | Lansing | 1 | 1% | $74,953 |
| 8 | Springfield | 1 | 1% | $55,606 |
| 9 | Torrance | 1 | 1% | $65,697 |
| 10 | Troy | 1 | 1% | $76,942 |
| 11 | Miami | 2 | 0% | $54,125 |
| 12 | Atlanta | 1 | 0% | $50,761 |
| 13 | Chicago | 1 | 0% | $60,921 |
| 14 | Los Angeles | 1 | 0% | $66,584 |
Product Development Specialist job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of product development specialist experts
University of South Florida
University of San Francisco
Texas A&M University - Central Texas
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Southeast Missouri State University
Southern Connecticut State University
Washington University in St Louis
Illinois State University
Hanover College
Arkansas State University
Jay Civitillo
University of South Florida
Business/Commerce
What Product Development Specialist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Jay Civitillo: Good evening, Attached are my responses. I look forward to reviewing the draft. Have a great weekend!
Esmat Sangari
University of San Francisco
Business Administration, Management And Operations
What will help Product Development Specialists increase their earning potential?
Esmat Sangari: To maximize salary potential when starting a career in the field, it's important to negotiate effectively, demonstrate value to employers, and pursue opportunities for advancement. Developing specialized skills and obtaining relevant certifications can also help increase earning potential.
What will help Product Development Specialists increase their earning potential?
Barrie Silver M.Ed.: Be nimble! Marketing is a fast-paced, ever-changing field and marketers need to be able to keep up. I encourage my students to take a variety of courses -- both in school and online -- and do as many internships as they can. For example, students in my 'Strategic Online Community Management' class are expected to complete social media certifications from HubSpot or Meta. Students in my 'Integrated Marketing and Communication' class work with local businesses and nonprofits to develop comprehensive integrated marketing campaigns. Along with our other coursework, this gives them hands-on, real-world experience -- and may also give them a leg up on other candidates when they start their job search.
Allen Redmon Ph.D.
Dean, College of Arts and SciencesTexas A&M University - Central Texas
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
What general advice would you give to a Product Development Specialist?
Allen Redmon Ph.D.: Those who want to maximize their earning potential should consider a company’s culture as much as the job they are taking. Every company has its own culture. Those who find the right culture for them and grow into that culture will fare better than those who just accept a job without considering the culture of a company. Those who take a job without considering the culture will almost always experience a mismatch at some point, which will require them to look for a new job sooner than expected.
What Product Development Specialist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Allen Redmon Ph.D.: One essential job trait that doesn’t get discussed enough is empathy, the ability to develop processes, statements, and objectives with the client, customer, or user in mind. Those employees or companies who start from a place of empathy will always outpace those who do not.
What general advice would you give to a Product Development Specialist?
Jaunelle Celaire: Never stop learning! This may consist of going back to school, earning new certifications in your field of study, attending conferences and seminars, and making sure that your time management is always at its finest level of excellence.
Scott Thorne Ph.D.
InstructorSoutheast Missouri State University
Department of Marketing
What soft skills should all Product Development Specialists possess?
Scott Thorne Ph.D.: Team building, leadership, co-operation, salesmanship. I always tell my students to show any leadership positions they had while in school on their resumes as businesses value people who can both take the initiative and work well with others.
Charles Gamble
Adjunct ProfessorSouthern Connecticut State University
Marketing Department
What skills will help Product Development Specialists earn the most?
Charles Gamble: -Lead Generation - Customers are the lifeblood of the business. Having the ability to generate leads will make you a valuable team member.
-Writing - Positioning, value proposition, messaging, and effective written communication are foundational to promoting or selling a product or service
-Data Analysis - Almost everything in marketing can be measured now. Data analytics can help to measure, improve and report on the performance of all marketing activities.
-Scalability - Always look to make a greater impact and operate on a larger scale.
-Leadership - As a marketer, you have the opportunity to work with almost every department in the business. Look how you can empower your team, as well as other departments, to be successful.
Sharon Deem DVM, PhD
Director of Saint Louis zoo institute for Conservation Medicine, Adjunct professor at WUSTLWashington University in St Louis
Institute for Conservation Medicine
How have salaries changed over time for Product Development Specialists?
Sharon Deem DVM, PhD: My field of One Health is so varied, as are the salaries. You may have a career as an infectious disease specialist, such as Dr. Anthony Fauci, a position in a state public health agency, work for a zoological park, or be a forester. The list of careers within One Health are as varied as the range of the salaries people may receive. As a wildlife veterinarian and epidemiologist, I think salaries have not changed significantly, albeit keeping up with inflation, over the past couple of decades.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Product Development Specialist job market given the pandemic?
Ross Kennedy: I think most of the basic trends will stay the same as they were pre-pandemic: jobs related to information, communication, health care, and clean energy industries will be growth leaders; the wage gap between those with a college education and those without one will continue to widen; businesses will seek to diversify the ranks of management; and employers will put a premium on finding employees who can adapt quickly to changes in technology and culture. Probably the main impact of the pandemic will be that employers will include more remote work in their way of doing business and will therefore want employees who are willing and able to work effectively from home.
What's a day at work look like for a Product Development Specialist?
Anthony Miller: Honestly, right now a recent graduate's "day at work" for one day to the next will likely not look the same. I think it should be expected that recent graduates will spend one day working remotely from the home, and the next be called into workspace with their colleagues face-to-face. Recent graduates will also likely have their jobs go from having no travel at present, to a time in the near future when work trips will be a regular expectation from their employer. The one feature that I would expect to be a regular, day-to-day, part of the job would be continuing education to learn new platforms and technologies to enhance their performance at work. So, spending an hour or two each day researching or acquiring new skills, that is something that I think will become a daily routine.
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Product Development Specialists in the next 3-5 years?
Dr. Gail Hudson Ph.D.: As I mentioned above, technology and social media will continue to be necessary. As marketers, students will need to be able to use the technology and have the analytics to support their decisions. This may require working outside the structure of software as well. Google Analytics, Social Media Management, Excel, and Coding are all essential skills.