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Instructional designer salary
Average instructional designer salary
$57,534
Average Instructional Designer Salary
The current average salary for an instructional designer is approximately $57,534 per year. This figure reflects the growing demand for skilled professionals who design effective training programs and educational materials. Factors influencing salary include experience, educational background, and the specific industry in which they work.
Salary by Experience Level
Entry-level instructional designers generally start with lower salaries, while those with several years of experience can see substantial increases. For instance, mid-career professionals can earn around $70,000, while those in senior roles may exceed $90,000 per year.
Highest Paying States
Instructional designers in states like California and New York tend to earn higher salaries compared to those in other regions. For example, the average salary in California can reach up to $75,000 annually, reflecting the demand for educational technology in major urban centers.
Job Opportunities
As the education sector evolves, opportunities for instructional designers continue to grow across various fields, including corporate training, e-learning development, and higher education. Professionals seeking to enter this field should consider gaining experience through internships or related positions to enhance their marketability.
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Where can an Instructional Designer earn more?
Instructional designer salaries by experience level
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level instructional designer | $49,900 | $23.97 |
| Mid-level instructional designer | $63,200 | $30.38 |
| Senior-level instructional designer | $73,200 | $35.20 |
Instructional designer salary estimates from across the web
Average instructional designer salary by state
The average instructional designer salary in Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Washington are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average instructional designer salary states are Mississippi, Montana, and Indiana.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for instructional designers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connecticut | $76,925 | $36.98 |
| 2 | Washington | $68,770 | $33.06 |
| 3 | New Hampshire | $76,818 | $36.93 |
| 4 | New York | $66,068 | $31.76 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $65,157 | $31.33 |
| 6 | Oregon | $63,144 | $30.36 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $61,899 | $29.76 |
| 8 | District of Columbia | $66,174 | $31.81 |
| 9 | Michigan | $62,339 | $29.97 |
| 10 | Minnesota | $63,338 | $30.45 |
| 11 | Virginia | $62,062 | $29.84 |
| 12 | California | $64,448 | $30.98 |
| 13 | New Jersey | $66,184 | $31.82 |
| 14 | Maryland | $64,008 | $30.77 |
| 15 | Vermont | $60,305 | $28.99 |
| 16 | Nevada | $62,083 | $29.85 |
| 17 | Pennsylvania | $57,518 | $27.65 |
| 18 | Idaho | $56,231 | $27.03 |
| 19 | Alaska | $61,976 | $29.80 |
| 20 | Nebraska | $56,802 | $27.31 |
| 21 | Wyoming | $55,625 | $26.74 |
| 22 | Georgia | $53,109 | $25.53 |
| 23 | Illinois | $54,643 | $26.27 |
| 24 | Delaware | $59,500 | $28.61 |
| 25 | Texas | $53,171 | $25.56 |
| 26 | Utah | $51,467 | $24.74 |
| 27 | Colorado | $54,651 | $26.27 |
| 28 | Wisconsin | $50,818 | $24.43 |
| 29 | Ohio | $52,175 | $25.08 |
| 30 | New Mexico | $53,404 | $25.68 |
| 31 | Arizona | $50,552 | $24.30 |
| 32 | North Dakota | $52,883 | $25.42 |
| 33 | North Carolina | $50,574 | $24.31 |
| 34 | Maine | $51,277 | $24.65 |
| 35 | Hawaii | $57,163 | $27.48 |
| 36 | Arkansas | $50,331 | $24.20 |
| 37 | Tennessee | $50,897 | $24.47 |
| 38 | South Dakota | $49,175 | $23.64 |
| 39 | Florida | $48,381 | $23.26 |
| 40 | South Carolina | $48,889 | $23.50 |
| 41 | Kansas | $48,220 | $23.18 |
| 42 | Alabama | $48,197 | $23.17 |
| 43 | Missouri | $48,345 | $23.24 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $47,766 | $22.96 |
| 45 | Montana | $44,641 | $21.46 |
| 46 | Louisiana | $47,056 | $22.62 |
| 47 | Mississippi | $46,564 | $22.39 |
| 48 | Kentucky | $42,604 | $20.48 |
| 49 | Indiana | $42,780 | $20.57 |
| 50 | Iowa | $42,748 | $20.55 |
| 51 | West Virginia | $33,815 | $16.26 |
Highest paying cities for instructional designers
The highest-paying cities for instructional designers are Hartford, CT, Seattle, WA, and San Francisco, CA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hartford, CT | $77,179 | $37.11 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $69,123 | $33.23 |
| 3 | San Francisco, CA | $68,453 | $32.91 |
| 4 | Washington, DC | $66,226 | $31.84 |
| 5 | Albany, NY | $66,223 | $31.84 |
| 6 | New Brunswick, NJ | $66,178 | $31.82 |
| 7 | Boston, MA | $65,245 | $31.37 |
| 8 | Baltimore, MD | $64,426 | $30.97 |
| 9 | Alexandria, VA | $63,994 | $30.77 |
| 10 | Saint Paul, MN | $63,403 | $30.48 |
| 11 | Portland, OR | $63,130 | $30.35 |
| 12 | Philadelphia, PA | $58,035 | $27.90 |
| 13 | Chicago, IL | $54,870 | $26.38 |
| 14 | Englewood, CO | $54,658 | $26.28 |
| 15 | San Antonio, TX | $53,890 | $25.91 |
| 16 | Atlanta, GA | $52,974 | $25.47 |
| 17 | Salt Lake City, UT | $51,487 | $24.75 |
| 18 | Raleigh, NC | $51,202 | $24.62 |
| 19 | Columbus, OH | $51,175 | $24.60 |
| 20 | Phoenix, AZ | $50,655 | $24.35 |
Instructional Designers are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Instructional designer salary details
An instructional designer's salary ranges from $41,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $79,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is an instructional designer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $79,000 | $6,583 | $38 |
| 75th Percentile | $68,000 | $5,667 | $33 |
| Average | $57,534 | $4,795 | $28 |
| 25th Percentile | $48,000 | $4,000 | $23 |
| 10th Percentile | $41,000 | $3,417 | $20 |
Highest paying instructional designer jobs
The highest paying types of instructional designers are training specialist, senior instructional systems designer, and senior instructional designer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curriculum Developer | $53,226 | $4,435 | $25.59 | 73,274 |
| Vocational Training Instructor | $56,294 | $4,691 | $27.06 | 46,814 |
| Technical Instructor | $68,086 | $5,674 | $32.73 | 103,399 |
| Designer | $66,347 | $5,529 | $31.90 | 52,433 |
| Curriculum Designer | $54,176 | $4,515 | $26.05 | 44,751 |
| E-Learning Designer | $65,312 | $5,443 | $31.40 | 51,006 |
Top companies hiring instructional designers now:
Which companies pay instructional designers the most?
Instructional designer salaries at Google and Meta are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average instructional designer salary at companies like Biogen and Apple are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $96,413 | $46.35 | |
| 2 | Meta | $93,002 | $44.71 |
| 3 | Biogen | $90,305 | $43.42 |
| 4 | Apple | $89,548 | $43.05 |
| 5 | Novo Nordisk | $88,158 | $42.38 |
| 6 | Goldman Sachs | $86,558 | $41.61 |
| 7 | Intuitive Surgical | $85,939 | $41.32 |
| 8 | Adobe | $84,348 | $40.55 |
| 9 | The New York Times Company | $83,998 | $40.38 |
| 10 | First Republic Bank | $83,956 | $40.36 |
| 11 | General Motors | $82,800 | $39.81 |
| 12 | Credit Suisse | $81,867 | $39.36 |
| 13 | City National Bank | $81,807 | $39.33 |
| 14 | $81,241 | $39.06 | |
| 15 | Citi | $80,641 | $38.77 |
| 16 | JPMorgan Chase & Co. | $79,858 | $38.39 |
| 17 | Cypress Semiconductor | $79,647 | $38.29 |
| 18 | Palo Alto Networks | $79,242 | $38.10 |
| 19 | Tesla | $79,144 | $38.05 |
| 20 | Mouser Electronics | $78,893 | $37.93 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Instructional Designer salary by industry
The average instructional designer salary varies across industries:
- The average instructional designer salary in the technology industry is $65,698, the highest of any industry.
- The average instructional designer salary in the finance industry is $64,516.
- Instructional designers in the education industry earn an average salary of $57,059, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for instructional designers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $65,698 | $31.59 |
| 2 | Finance | $64,516 | $31.02 |
| 3 | Health Care | $61,497 | $29.57 |
| 4 | Manufacturing | $59,706 | $28.70 |
| 5 | Professional | $59,051 | $28.39 |
| 6 | Government | $57,727 | $27.75 |
| 7 | Education | $57,059 | $27.43 |
High paying instructional designer jobs
Instructional designer salary trends
The average instructional designer salary has risen by $6,607 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average instructional designer earned $50,927 annually, but today, they earn $57,534 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for instructional designers over the last decade.
Compare instructional designer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average instructional designer salary over time
Compare instructional designer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Instructional designer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $57,500 | $27.66 | +1.0% |
| 2024 | $56,900 | $27.38 | +2.8% |
| 2023 | $55,400 | $26.62 | +1.1% |
| 2022 | $54,800 | $26.33 | +2.0% |
| 2021 | $53,700 | $25.80 | +0.3% |
Recently added instructional designer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas State Technical College | Instructor of Drafting and Design | North Richland Hills, TX | 06/30/2025 | $59,586 |
| Kion Group | Instructional Designer-Global Sales Enablement | Grand Rapids, MI | 06/30/2025 | $96,800 |
| 2020Companies | Sales Instructional Designer | Southlake, TX | 06/30/2025 | $70,000 |
| Nintendo | Instructional Designer | Redmond, WA | 06/29/2025 | $69,200 |
| Chubb | Instructional Designer | Chicago, IL | 06/29/2025 | $80,000 |
| Medimpact Healthcare Systems | Instructional Designer | San Diego, CA | 06/29/2025 | $71,614 |
| Scale Ai Inc. | Instructional Designer | San Francisco, CA | 06/29/2025 | $128,000 |
| Steampunk | Instructional Designer | McLean, VA | 06/29/2025 | $75,000 |
| Get It Recruit-Educational Services | Instructional Designer-Remote | WFH | Shawnee Hills, OH | 06/29/2025 | $125,220 |
| General Dynamics | Netc Instructional Designer | Pensacola, FL | 06/28/2025 | $82,283 |
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