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Instructional design technologist salary
Average instructional design technologist salary
$64,845
Average Instructional Design Technologist Salary
The salary for an Instructional Design Technologist in the United States averages around $64,845 per year. This figure can vary significantly based on several factors, including geographic location, years of experience, and the specific industry. For example, technologists with advanced skills or those working in high-demand areas often earn more.
How Much Does an Instructional Design Technologist Make?
As of October 2025, the hourly wage for this profession is approximately $31. Entry-level positions may start lower, while seasoned professionals can command significantly higher salaries, especially in metropolitan areas known for technology and education.
Where Can an Instructional Design Technologist Earn More?
States like California and New York often feature the highest salaries for this role. Within these states, cities like San Francisco and New York City have competitive pay scales, reflecting the demand for skilled professionals in instructional design.
- California: Highest average salaries
- Texas: Strong job market and competitive wages
- New York: High demand in education and tech sectors
Overall, pursuing a career as an Instructional Design Technologist can lead to rewarding opportunities, with salary potential increasing with experience and expertise.
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Where can an Instructional Design Technologist earn more?
Instructional design technologist salaries by experience level
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level instructional design technologist | $56,200 | $27.01 |
| Mid-level instructional design technologist | $71,200 | $34.24 |
| Senior-level instructional design technologist | $82,500 | $39.68 |
Average instructional design technologist salary by state
The average instructional design technologist salary in Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Maryland are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average instructional design technologist salary states are Indiana, Mississippi, and Montana.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for instructional design technologists
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connecticut | $91,802 | $44.14 |
| 2 | New Hampshire | $91,232 | $43.86 |
| 3 | New York | $86,897 | $41.78 |
| 4 | Oregon | $70,625 | $33.95 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | $73,627 | $35.40 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $73,439 | $35.31 |
| 7 | Washington | $72,210 | $34.72 |
| 8 | Vermont | $71,247 | $34.25 |
| 9 | Maryland | $88,104 | $42.36 |
| 10 | District of Columbia | $80,923 | $38.91 |
| 11 | Wyoming | $63,998 | $30.77 |
| 12 | Virginia | $73,458 | $35.32 |
| 13 | Michigan | $67,714 | $32.55 |
| 14 | Nevada | $73,326 | $35.25 |
| 15 | Delaware | $72,168 | $34.70 |
| 16 | California | $69,260 | $33.30 |
| 17 | Pennsylvania | $70,677 | $33.98 |
| 18 | Nebraska | $65,864 | $31.67 |
| 19 | Arizona | $61,863 | $29.74 |
| 20 | North Dakota | $60,692 | $29.18 |
| 21 | Idaho | $63,205 | $30.39 |
| 22 | Alaska | $64,304 | $30.92 |
| 23 | Texas | $61,876 | $29.75 |
| 24 | New Jersey | $69,574 | $33.45 |
| 25 | Colorado | $63,816 | $30.68 |
| 26 | Maine | $60,574 | $29.12 |
| 27 | North Carolina | $60,737 | $29.20 |
| 28 | Georgia | $59,870 | $28.78 |
| 29 | Illinois | $65,370 | $31.43 |
| 30 | Utah | $60,633 | $29.15 |
| 31 | Minnesota | $63,920 | $30.73 |
| 32 | Wisconsin | $59,978 | $28.84 |
| 33 | New Mexico | $60,635 | $29.15 |
| 34 | Ohio | $59,244 | $28.48 |
| 35 | Arkansas | $55,931 | $26.89 |
| 36 | Tennessee | $57,831 | $27.80 |
| 37 | South Dakota | $57,073 | $27.44 |
| 38 | Alabama | $53,461 | $25.70 |
| 39 | Florida | $52,147 | $25.07 |
| 40 | Hawaii | $61,612 | $29.62 |
| 41 | South Carolina | $55,748 | $26.80 |
| 42 | Montana | $50,833 | $24.44 |
| 43 | Kansas | $55,197 | $26.54 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $56,563 | $27.19 |
| 45 | Louisiana | $51,985 | $24.99 |
| 46 | Indiana | $51,558 | $24.79 |
| 47 | Missouri | $55,900 | $26.88 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $51,286 | $24.66 |
| 49 | Iowa | $50,079 | $24.08 |
| 50 | Kentucky | $50,653 | $24.35 |
| 51 | West Virginia | $41,919 | $20.15 |
Highest paying cities for instructional design technologists
The highest-paying cities for instructional design technologists are Annapolis, MD, New York, NY, and Reston, VA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Annapolis, MD | $88,321 | $42.46 |
| 2 | New York, NY | $87,036 | $41.84 |
| 3 | Reston, VA | $74,995 | $36.06 |
| 4 | Seattle, WA | $72,502 | $34.86 |
| 5 | Newark, DE | $72,213 | $34.72 |
| 6 | Newark, NJ | $69,694 | $33.51 |
| 7 | Santa Barbara, CA | $69,147 | $33.24 |
| 8 | Pontiac, MI | $68,057 | $32.72 |
| 9 | Chicago, IL | $65,701 | $31.59 |
| 10 | Lincoln, NE | $65,618 | $31.55 |
| 11 | Morrisville, NC | $62,577 | $30.09 |
| 12 | Austin, TX | $62,391 | $30.00 |
| 13 | Fargo, ND | $60,546 | $29.11 |
| 14 | Sandy Springs, GA | $59,970 | $28.83 |
| 15 | Madison, WI | $59,252 | $28.49 |
| 16 | Chattanooga, TN | $57,719 | $27.75 |
| 17 | Miami, FL | $52,739 | $25.36 |
Instructional design technologist salary details
An instructional design technologist's salary ranges from $46,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $91,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is an instructional design technologist's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $91,000 | $7,583 | $44 |
| 75th Percentile | $77,000 | $6,417 | $37 |
| Average | $64,845 | $5,404 | $31 |
| 25th Percentile | $54,000 | $4,500 | $26 |
| 10th Percentile | $46,000 | $3,833 | $22 |
Highest paying instructional design technologist jobs
The highest paying types of instructional design technologists are director, educational research and product strategy, lead performance support analyst, and senior instructional systems designer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curriculum Developer | $53,226 | $4,435 | $25.59 | 73,274 |
| Curriculum Designer | $54,176 | $4,515 | $26.05 | 44,751 |
| E-Learning Designer | $65,312 | $5,443 | $31.40 | 51,006 |
| Instructional Systems Designer | $65,907 | $5,492 | $31.69 | 104,993 |
| Instructional Designer And Trainer | $65,072 | $5,423 | $31.28 | 70,222 |
| Instructional Designer Internship | $33,791 | $2,816 | $16.25 | 94,366 |
Top companies hiring instructional design technologists now:
Which companies pay instructional design technologists the most?
Instructional design technologist salaries at ServiceNow and Amazon are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average instructional design technologist salary at companies like General Dynamics Mission Systems and Erlanger Health System are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ServiceNow | $98,503 | $47.36 |
| 2 | Amazon | $97,886 | $47.06 |
| 3 | General Dynamics Mission Systems | $90,626 | $43.57 |
| 4 | Erlanger Health System | $87,039 | $41.85 |
| 5 | FireEye | $84,947 | $40.84 |
| 6 | United States Naval Academy | $79,403 | $38.17 |
| 7 | Loma Linda University Health | $76,915 | $36.98 |
| 8 | Hospital for Special Surgery | $76,297 | $36.68 |
| 9 | Infopro Learning | $75,724 | $36.41 |
| 10 | Alstom | $74,374 | $35.76 |
| 11 | SUNY Empire State College | $70,978 | $34.12 |
| 12 | UNC Health Care | $70,743 | $34.01 |
| 13 | PSEA | $69,029 | $33.19 |
| 14 | EPI-USE Labs | $67,896 | $32.64 |
| 15 | MSX International | $65,688 | $31.58 |
| 16 | Adecco | $65,052 | $31.27 |
| 17 | Delaware Systems Technology, Inc. | $64,605 | $31.06 |
| 18 | Nes Holdings | $64,338 | $30.93 |
| 19 | RemX | $64,319 | $30.92 |
| 20 | General Dynamics | $62,718 | $30.15 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Instructional Design Technologist salary by industry
The average instructional design technologist salary varies across industries:
- The average instructional design technologist salary in the health care industry is $75,235, the highest of any industry.
- The average instructional design technologist salary in the finance industry is $73,383.
- Instructional design technologists in the hospitality industry earn an average salary of $60,761, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for instructional design technologists
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Health Care | $75,235 | $36.17 |
| 2 | Technology | $73,383 | $35.28 |
| 3 | Transportation | $69,720 | $33.52 |
| 4 | Professional | $69,138 | $33.24 |
| 5 | Real Estate | $63,174 | $30.37 |
| 6 | Education | $62,010 | $29.81 |
| 7 | Hospitality | $60,761 | $29.21 |
High paying instructional design technologist jobs
Instructional design technologist salary trends
The average instructional design technologist salary has risen by $7,446 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average instructional design technologist earned $57,399 annually, but today, they earn $64,845 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for instructional design technologists over the last decade.
Compare instructional design technologist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average instructional design technologist salary over time
Compare instructional design technologist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Instructional design technologist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $64,800 | $31.18 | +1.0% |
| 2024 | $64,200 | $30.86 | +2.8% |
| 2023 | $62,400 | $30.00 | +1.1% |
| 2022 | $61,700 | $29.68 | +2.0% |
| 2021 | $60,500 | $29.08 | +0.3% |
Recently added instructional design technologist salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Devine Consulting | Instructional Designer, Articulate Storyline, Educational Technologies | Monterey, CA | 06/27/2025 | $90,000 |
| Eastern Iowa Community College District | Instructional Designer/Technologist | Davenport, IA | 06/17/2025 | $45,000 |
| University of Northwestern St. Paul | Instructor of Theatre: Design and Technical Theatre, Department of Music and Theatre | Saint Paul, MN | 06/03/2025 | $49,000 |
| Hackensack Meridian Health | Epic IT Instructional Designer-Digital Technology Services | Edison, NJ | 06/01/2025 | $111,925 |
| Mitsubishi Electric Us | Instructional Designer, Hvac Technical Training-REQ # 1240 | Suwanee, GA | 05/18/2025 | $72,800 |
| California State University | MS In Instructional Design and Technology (Msidt) Program-Lecturer Pool | Fullerton, CA | 05/13/2025 | $66,084 |
| CSU Careers | MS In Instructional Design and Technology (Msidt) Program-Lecturer Pool | Fullerton, CA | 05/13/2025 | $66,084 |
| CSUF | MS In Instructional Design and Technology (Msidt) Program-Lecturer Pool | Fullerton, CA | 05/13/2025 | $66,084 |
| Northern Arizona University | Technical Instructional Designer | Flagstaff, AZ | 05/06/2025 | $93,915 |
| Sigma Computing | Technical Instructional Designer (Contract) | New York, NY | 04/28/2025 | $135,655 |
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