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Instructional design consultant salary
Average instructional design consultant salary
$70,045
Average Instructional Design Consultant Salary
The current average salary for an Instructional Design Consultant is approximately $70,045 per year or $34 per hour. This figure reflects the compensation skilled professionals can expect in various sectors. Experience plays a crucial role, with entry-level positions earning less and more seasoned consultants commanding higher salaries.
Salary by Experience Level
As you gain experience in the field, your salary can significantly increase. Entry-level consultants may start around $50,000, while those with several years of experience can earn upwards of $90,000.
Top-Paying States
Salary varies notably by location. States like California and New York often offer the highest salaries, reflecting regional demand for instructional design expertise. Understanding these geographic differences is essential for maximizing your earning potential.
Job Opportunities
In addition to salary, exploring job openings can provide insights into the skills and qualifications most sought after by employers. Familiarizing yourself with industry trends can enhance your marketability.
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Where can an Instructional Design Consultant earn more?
Instructional design consultant salaries by experience level
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level instructional design consultant | $60,700 | $29.18 |
| Mid-level instructional design consultant | $76,900 | $36.99 |
| Senior-level instructional design consultant | $89,100 | $42.86 |
Instructional design consultant salary estimates from across the web
Average instructional design consultant salary by state
The average instructional design consultant salary in Connecticut, New Hampshire, and New York are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average instructional design consultant salary states are Idaho, Indiana, and Nebraska.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for instructional design consultants
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connecticut | $89,024 | $42.80 |
| 2 | Vermont | $82,896 | $39.85 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $92,332 | $44.39 |
| 4 | New Hampshire | $83,445 | $40.12 |
| 5 | Maine | $76,246 | $36.66 |
| 6 | Michigan | $78,739 | $37.86 |
| 7 | Wyoming | $81,882 | $39.37 |
| 8 | Alabama | $72,319 | $34.77 |
| 9 | New York | $83,212 | $40.01 |
| 10 | Illinois | $79,551 | $38.25 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | $78,895 | $37.93 |
| 12 | California | $77,521 | $37.27 |
| 13 | Virginia | $78,743 | $37.86 |
| 14 | Minnesota | $76,246 | $36.66 |
| 15 | Delaware | $80,982 | $38.93 |
| 16 | Washington | $77,576 | $37.30 |
| 17 | Massachusetts | $76,491 | $36.77 |
| 18 | Missouri | $75,418 | $36.26 |
| 19 | Kansas | $72,757 | $34.98 |
| 20 | Nevada | $74,342 | $35.74 |
| 21 | West Virginia | $73,078 | $35.13 |
| 22 | North Carolina | $69,740 | $33.53 |
| 23 | Rhode Island | $69,240 | $33.29 |
| 24 | New Jersey | $73,851 | $35.51 |
| 25 | Florida | $71,033 | $34.15 |
| 26 | North Dakota | $67,791 | $32.59 |
| 27 | Alaska | $65,661 | $31.57 |
| 28 | Ohio | $68,130 | $32.75 |
| 29 | Tennessee | $69,301 | $33.32 |
| 30 | Iowa | $67,593 | $32.50 |
| 31 | Texas | $64,855 | $31.18 |
| 32 | Utah | $63,308 | $30.44 |
| 33 | New Mexico | $66,684 | $32.06 |
| 34 | Oklahoma | $55,634 | $26.75 |
| 35 | Arkansas | $66,042 | $31.75 |
| 36 | Wisconsin | $63,584 | $30.57 |
| 37 | Georgia | $64,988 | $31.24 |
| 38 | Arizona | $57,122 | $27.46 |
| 39 | Oregon | $58,201 | $27.98 |
| 40 | Maryland | $68,367 | $32.87 |
| 41 | South Dakota | $51,618 | $24.82 |
| 42 | Colorado | $60,292 | $28.99 |
| 43 | Mississippi | $51,257 | $24.64 |
| 44 | Kentucky | $61,866 | $29.74 |
| 45 | Idaho | $55,582 | $26.72 |
| 46 | Hawaii | $59,340 | $28.53 |
| 47 | Montana | $51,340 | $24.68 |
| 48 | South Carolina | $57,755 | $27.77 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $57,976 | $27.87 |
| 50 | Indiana | $54,603 | $26.25 |
| 51 | Nebraska | $53,523 | $25.73 |
Highest paying cities for instructional design consultants
The highest-paying cities for instructional design consultants are Washington, DC, New York, NY, and Pleasanton, CA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington, DC | $92,366 | $44.41 |
| 2 | New York, NY | $83,377 | $40.09 |
| 3 | Pleasanton, CA | $81,400 | $39.13 |
| 4 | Chicago, IL | $79,719 | $38.33 |
| 5 | Detroit, MI | $78,928 | $37.95 |
| 6 | Norfolk, VA | $78,843 | $37.91 |
| 7 | Boston, MA | $76,569 | $36.81 |
| 8 | Minnetonka, MN | $76,181 | $36.63 |
| 9 | Overland Park, KS | $73,149 | $35.17 |
| 10 | Miami, FL | $71,334 | $34.30 |
| 11 | Raleigh, NC | $70,751 | $34.01 |
| 12 | Cincinnati, OH | $66,862 | $32.15 |
| 13 | Houston, TX | $64,735 | $31.12 |
| 14 | Provo, UT | $63,202 | $30.39 |
| 15 | Indianapolis, IN | $54,558 | $26.23 |
Instructional design consultant salary details
An instructional design consultant's salary ranges from $51,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $95,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is an instructional design consultant's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $95,000 | $7,917 | $46 |
| 75th Percentile | $82,000 | $6,833 | $39 |
| Average | $70,045 | $5,837 | $34 |
| 25th Percentile | $59,000 | $4,917 | $28 |
| 10th Percentile | $51,000 | $4,250 | $25 |
Highest paying instructional design consultant jobs
The highest paying types of instructional design consultants are consultant, senior instructional designer, and instructional design manager.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curriculum Writer | $57,563 | $4,797 | $27.67 | 11,540 |
| Curriculum Developer | $53,226 | $4,435 | $25.59 | 73,274 |
| Vocational Training Instructor | $56,294 | $4,691 | $27.06 | 46,814 |
| Curriculum Coordinator | $47,586 | $3,965 | $22.88 | 9,654 |
| College Scouting Coordinator | $48,169 | $4,014 | $23.16 | 17,016 |
| Education Coordinator | $49,139 | $4,095 | $23.62 | 33,367 |
Top companies hiring instructional design consultants now:
Which companies pay instructional design consultants the most?
Instructional design consultant salaries at Qualtrics and Citrix are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average instructional design consultant salary at companies like NTT Data International L.L.C. And Chevron are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qualtrics | $102,263 | $49.16 |
| 2 | Citrix | $93,716 | $45.06 |
| 3 | NTT Data International L.L.C. | $88,551 | $42.57 |
| 4 | Chevron | $86,895 | $41.78 |
| 5 | Guidehouse | $82,244 | $39.54 |
| 6 | Zurich | $81,303 | $39.09 |
| 7 | Centric Consulting | $80,910 | $38.90 |
| 8 | Health Alliance | $78,620 | $37.80 |
| 9 | Henry Ford Health System | $76,035 | $36.56 |
| 10 | Kaiser Permanente | $74,481 | $35.81 |
| 11 | Solugenix | $73,994 | $35.57 |
| 12 | IUPUI | $72,371 | $34.79 |
| 13 | IntraHealth International | $70,263 | $33.78 |
| 14 | Innovative Intelligent Solutions | $66,335 | $31.89 |
| 15 | ADP | $63,133 | $30.35 |
| 16 | JM Family Enterprises | $62,885 | $30.23 |
| 17 | UnitedHealth Group | $60,717 | $29.19 |
| 18 | Randstad North America, Inc. | $57,928 | $27.85 |
| 19 | The Henry Ford | $53,870 | $25.90 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Instructional Design Consultant salary by industry
The average instructional design consultant salary varies across industries:
- The average instructional design consultant salary in the energy industry is $77,885, the highest of any industry.
- The average instructional design consultant salary in the finance industry is $76,013.
- Instructional design consultants in the telecommunication industry earn an average salary of $66,189, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for instructional design consultants
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Energy | $77,885 | $37.44 |
| 2 | Finance | $76,013 | $36.54 |
| 3 | Media | $75,917 | $36.50 |
| 4 | Health Care | $75,013 | $36.06 |
| 5 | Technology | $73,265 | $35.22 |
| 6 | Manufacturing | $71,653 | $34.45 |
| 7 | Professional | $69,188 | $33.26 |
| 8 | Education | $67,666 | $32.53 |
| 9 | Telecommunication | $66,189 | $31.82 |
High paying instructional design consultant jobs
Instructional design consultant salary trends
The average instructional design consultant salary has risen by $8,043 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average instructional design consultant earned $62,002 annually, but today, they earn $70,045 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for instructional design consultants over the last decade.
Compare instructional design consultant salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average instructional design consultant salary over time
Compare instructional design consultant salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Instructional design consultant salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $70,000 | $33.68 | +1.0% |
| 2024 | $69,300 | $33.33 | +2.8% |
| 2023 | $67,400 | $32.41 | +1.1% |
| 2022 | $66,700 | $32.06 | +2.0% |
| 2021 | $65,300 | $31.41 | +0.3% |
Recently added instructional design consultant salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mosaic | Instructional Design Consultant | Bothell, WA | 06/11/2025 | $90,000 |
| Clarity Consultants | Learning Strategist/Instructional Designer Consultant (Mostly Virtual) | New York, NY | 03/20/2025 | $146,090 |
| Verizon Communications | Consultant-Instructional Design | Tampa, FL | 03/19/2025 | $74,000 |
| Verizon Corp Rsrcs Group | Consultant-Instructional Design | Tampa, FL | 03/19/2025 | $74,000 |
| Cardinal Health | Consultant, Instructional Design & Development | Indianapolis, IN | 03/14/2025 | $66,500 |
| Cardinal Health | Consultant, Instructional Design & Development | Albany, NY | 03/14/2025 | $66,500 |
| Cardinal Health | Consultant, Instructional Design & Development | Concord, NH | 03/14/2025 | $66,500 |
| Cardinal Health | Consultant, Instructional Design & Development | Washington, DC | 03/14/2025 | $66,500 |
| Cardinal Health | Consultant, Instructional Design & Development | Des Moines, IA | 03/14/2025 | $66,500 |
| Cardinal Health | Consultant, Instructional Design & Development | Boston, MA | 03/14/2025 | $66,500 |
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