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Director, learning and development salary
Average director, learning and development salary
$92,733
Understanding the Salary of Directors in Learning and Development
As of October 2025, the average salary for a Director of Learning and Development is approximately $92,733 per year, translating to about $45 per hour. This role is critical in fostering workplace learning and skill development, making it integral to organizational success.
Salary Variations by State
Salary levels can differ significantly across states. For instance, states with a high demand for skilled directors may offer higher salaries. Understanding regional salary trends can help job seekers negotiate better compensation.
Top Industries for Directors
Directors in sectors such as technology, healthcare, and finance often command higher salaries due to the specialized skills required. These industries value leadership in learning and development, driving their demand for qualified professionals.
Opportunities for Growth
With the right qualifications and experience, directors can advance their careers to executive roles, affecting company-wide training strategies. Continuous professional development and networking within your industry can significantly enhance your career trajectory.
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Where can a Director, Learning And Development earn more?
Average director, learning and development salary by state
The average director, learning and development salary in California, New Jersey, and Connecticut are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average director, learning and development salary states are South Carolina, Oklahoma, and Minnesota.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for directors, learning and development
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Hampshire | $112,546 | $54.11 |
| 2 | California | $130,345 | $62.67 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $117,504 | $56.49 |
| 4 | Oregon | $116,729 | $56.12 |
| 5 | West Virginia | $92,732 | $44.58 |
| 6 | Maryland | $106,987 | $51.44 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $116,957 | $56.23 |
| 8 | Vermont | $107,407 | $51.64 |
| 9 | New York | $114,362 | $54.98 |
| 10 | Wisconsin | $99,082 | $47.64 |
| 11 | Maine | $95,235 | $45.79 |
| 12 | Arkansas | $91,950 | $44.21 |
| 13 | New Mexico | $95,378 | $45.85 |
| 14 | Rhode Island | $101,318 | $48.71 |
| 15 | Nevada | $98,049 | $47.14 |
| 16 | Arizona | $94,695 | $45.53 |
| 17 | Delaware | $103,713 | $49.86 |
| 18 | Washington | $104,943 | $50.45 |
| 19 | Virginia | $102,525 | $49.29 |
| 20 | Iowa | $91,650 | $44.06 |
| 21 | Massachusetts | $97,224 | $46.74 |
| 22 | North Carolina | $95,795 | $46.06 |
| 23 | Montana | $87,935 | $42.28 |
| 24 | Ohio | $89,067 | $42.82 |
| 25 | South Dakota | $81,997 | $39.42 |
| 26 | Idaho | $95,507 | $45.92 |
| 27 | District of Columbia | $95,501 | $45.91 |
| 28 | North Dakota | $83,789 | $40.28 |
| 29 | Pennsylvania | $85,882 | $41.29 |
| 30 | Michigan | $84,483 | $40.62 |
| 31 | Alaska | $84,203 | $40.48 |
| 32 | Georgia | $83,919 | $40.35 |
| 33 | Mississippi | $77,705 | $37.36 |
| 34 | Hawaii | $84,827 | $40.78 |
| 35 | Colorado | $93,004 | $44.71 |
| 36 | Utah | $87,154 | $41.90 |
| 37 | Alabama | $77,721 | $37.37 |
| 38 | Illinois | $88,620 | $42.61 |
| 39 | Wyoming | $84,605 | $40.68 |
| 40 | Kentucky | $80,280 | $38.60 |
| 41 | South Carolina | $74,420 | $35.78 |
| 42 | Tennessee | $79,953 | $38.44 |
| 43 | Louisiana | $74,445 | $35.79 |
| 44 | Indiana | $80,501 | $38.70 |
| 45 | Kansas | $79,876 | $38.40 |
| 46 | Texas | $85,467 | $41.09 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $72,468 | $34.84 |
| 48 | Minnesota | $71,744 | $34.49 |
| 49 | Nebraska | $68,536 | $32.95 |
| 50 | Florida | $66,904 | $32.17 |
| 51 | Missouri | $68,215 | $32.80 |
Highest paying cities for directors, learning and development
The highest-paying cities for directors, learning and development are San Francisco, CA, Bridgewater, NJ, and Portland, OR.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $142,993 | $68.75 |
| 2 | Bridgewater, NJ | $117,668 | $56.57 |
| 3 | Portland, OR | $116,924 | $56.21 |
| 4 | Hartford, CT | $116,921 | $56.21 |
| 5 | New York, NY | $114,993 | $55.29 |
| 6 | Owings Mills, MD | $107,306 | $51.59 |
| 7 | Seattle, WA | $105,500 | $50.72 |
| 8 | Richmond, VA | $102,545 | $49.30 |
| 9 | Providence, RI | $101,224 | $48.67 |
| 10 | Milwaukee, WI | $99,720 | $47.94 |
| 11 | Las Vegas, NV | $98,131 | $47.18 |
| 12 | Raleigh, NC | $97,819 | $47.03 |
| 13 | Boston, MA | $97,043 | $46.66 |
| 14 | Washington, DC | $95,605 | $45.96 |
| 15 | Phoenix, AZ | $95,347 | $45.84 |
| 16 | Broomfield, CO | $92,871 | $44.65 |
| 17 | Cleveland, OH | $90,881 | $43.69 |
| 18 | Des Moines, IA | $90,549 | $43.53 |
| 19 | Chicago, IL | $89,066 | $42.82 |
| 20 | Dallas, TX | $86,781 | $41.72 |
Director, learning and development salary details
A director, learning and development's salary ranges from $61,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $138,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a director, learning and development's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $138,000 | $11,500 | $66 |
| 75th Percentile | $114,000 | $9,500 | $55 |
| Average | $92,733 | $7,728 | $45 |
| 25th Percentile | $75,000 | $6,250 | $36 |
| 10th Percentile | $61,000 | $5,083 | $29 |
Highest paying director, learning and development jobs
The highest paying types of directors, learning and development are development vice president, senior development manager, and development manager.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HSE Manager | $85,844 | $7,154 | $41.27 | 22,562 |
| Educational Manager | $76,368 | $6,364 | $36.72 | 16,924 |
| Training Manager | $73,453 | $6,121 | $35.31 | 121,521 |
| Training Administrator | $44,622 | $3,718 | $21.45 | 77,966 |
| Regional Training Manager | $56,726 | $4,727 | $27.27 | 131,719 |
| Development & Program Manager | $102,824 | $8,569 | $49.43 | 186,222 |
Top companies hiring directors, learning and development now:
Which companies pay directors, learning and development the most?
Director, learning and development salaries at Google and SoulCycle Holdings, LLC are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average director, learning and development salary at companies like Kaiser Permanente and APCO Worldwide are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $196,567 | $94.50 | |
| 2 | SoulCycle Holdings, LLC | $163,160 | $78.44 |
| 3 | Kaiser Permanente | $161,588 | $77.69 |
| 4 | APCO Worldwide | $160,704 | $77.26 |
| 5 | McKinsey & Company Inc | $160,659 | $77.24 |
| 6 | Saks Fifth Avenue | $157,684 | $75.81 |
| 7 | ViacomCBS | $152,297 | $73.22 |
| 8 | Winthrop Hospital | $149,319 | $71.79 |
| 9 | CKE Restaurants Holdings | $146,600 | $70.48 |
| 10 | Stanford University | $143,617 | $69.05 |
| 11 | Earthjustice | $142,024 | $68.28 |
| 12 | Mercy Corps | $141,633 | $68.09 |
| 13 | Cytokinetics | $139,872 | $67.25 |
| 14 | Internews | $139,382 | $67.01 |
| 15 | Lucid Motors | $136,670 | $65.71 |
| 16 | Merck | $135,516 | $65.15 |
| 17 | The RealReal | $129,455 | $62.24 |
| 18 | Alexion Pharmaceuticals | $127,711 | $61.40 |
| 19 | Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network | $126,807 | $60.96 |
| 20 | University of Baltimore | $125,573 | $60.37 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Director, Learning And Development salary by industry
The average director, learning and development salary varies across industries:
- The average director, learning and development salary in the finance industry is $148,776, the highest of any industry.
- The average director, learning and development salary in the finance industry is $113,861.
- Directors, learning and development in the professional industry earn an average salary of $88,606, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for directors, learning and development
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finance | $148,776 | $71.53 |
| 2 | Hospitality | $113,861 | $54.74 |
| 3 | Health Care | $106,633 | $51.27 |
| 4 | Retail | $101,456 | $48.78 |
| 5 | Professional | $88,606 | $42.60 |
High paying director, learning and development jobs
Director, learning and development salary trends
The average director, learning and development salary has risen by $19,166 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average director, learning and development earned $73,567 annually, but today, they earn $92,733 a year. That works out to a 9% change in pay for directors, learning and development over the last decade.
Compare director, learning and development salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average director, learning and development salary over time
Compare director, learning and development salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Director, learning and development salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $92,700 | $44.58 | +2.0% |
| 2025 | $90,900 | $43.70 | +1.8% |
| 2024 | $89,300 | $42.93 | +2.8% |
| 2023 | $86,800 | $41.73 | +2.2% |
| 2022 | $84,900 | $40.80 | +3.0% |
Recently added director, learning and development salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Particle Measuring Systems | Learning and Development Director | Boulder, CO | 06/30/2025 | $115,000 |
| TXNM Energy | Director, Learning & Development | Albuquerque, NM | 06/29/2025 | $138,283 |
| Invitrogen Holdings | Director, Commercial Learning & Development | Carlsbad, CA | 06/27/2025 | $160,100 |
| Thermofisher Scientific | Director, Commercial Learning & Development | Pittsburgh, PA | 06/25/2025 | $160,100 |
| Thermofisher Scientific | Director, Commercial Learning & Development | Cambridge, MA | 06/25/2025 | $160,100 |
| Thermofisher Scientific | Director, Commercial Learning & Development | Carlsbad, CA | 06/25/2025 | $160,100 |
| Boston Lyric Opera | Director of Learning | Boston, MA | 06/25/2025 | $80,000 |
| Harnham | Director of Machine Learning | San Francisco, CA | 06/24/2025 | $250,000 |
| Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc. | Temporary Associate Director, Commercial Learning & Development | Santa Ana, CA | 06/23/2025 | $110,569 |
| Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group | Director of Learning and Development | New York, NY | 06/21/2025 | $100,000 |
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