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Senior instructional designer salary
Average senior instructional designer salary
$68,140
Understanding Senior Instructional Designer Salaries
The average salary for a Senior Instructional Designer is currently estimated at $68,140 annually, translating to approximately $33 per hour. Salaries can vary widely based on factors such as location, industry, and years of experience.
Salary by State
States like California and New York are known for offering higher salaries, with opportunities in tech and education sectors leading the way. For instance, the highest paying states include:
- California
- New York
- Massachusetts
Additionally, industries such as technology and healthcare typically pay more than education-focused roles. Employers are increasingly valuing instructional design expertise, reflecting in competitive salaries. Knowing these details can guide you in negotiating your salary or seeking positions that offer better compensation.
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Where can a Senior Instructional Designer earn more?
Senior instructional designer salary estimates from across the web
Average senior instructional designer salary by state
The average senior instructional designer salary in Connecticut, New Hampshire, and New York are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average senior instructional designer salary states are Mississippi, Indiana, and Kentucky.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for senior instructional designers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $85,229 | $40.98 |
| 2 | New Hampshire | $93,715 | $45.06 |
| 3 | Connecticut | $94,154 | $45.27 |
| 4 | Virginia | $80,137 | $38.53 |
| 5 | Maryland | $83,182 | $39.99 |
| 6 | Washington | $75,976 | $36.53 |
| 7 | District of Columbia | $83,202 | $40.00 |
| 8 | Oregon | $74,133 | $35.64 |
| 9 | Rhode Island | $75,395 | $36.25 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | $75,399 | $36.25 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | $72,556 | $34.88 |
| 12 | California | $78,057 | $37.53 |
| 13 | Michigan | $68,827 | $33.09 |
| 14 | Nevada | $74,842 | $35.98 |
| 15 | Illinois | $70,152 | $33.73 |
| 16 | Vermont | $73,596 | $35.38 |
| 17 | Minnesota | $69,601 | $33.46 |
| 18 | Nebraska | $70,869 | $34.07 |
| 19 | Delaware | $73,958 | $35.56 |
| 20 | Texas | $67,657 | $32.53 |
| 21 | Georgia | $65,884 | $31.68 |
| 22 | North Carolina | $65,880 | $31.67 |
| 23 | Colorado | $68,205 | $32.79 |
| 24 | New Jersey | $71,425 | $34.34 |
| 25 | Arizona | $65,159 | $31.33 |
| 26 | Idaho | $65,707 | $31.59 |
| 27 | Wisconsin | $63,902 | $30.72 |
| 28 | Wyoming | $67,031 | $32.23 |
| 29 | Tennessee | $64,973 | $31.24 |
| 30 | Alaska | $69,571 | $33.45 |
| 31 | New Mexico | $64,905 | $31.20 |
| 32 | Ohio | $62,594 | $30.09 |
| 33 | Utah | $60,671 | $29.17 |
| 34 | South Carolina | $62,837 | $30.21 |
| 35 | Maine | $62,839 | $30.21 |
| 36 | North Dakota | $63,705 | $30.63 |
| 37 | Arkansas | $63,162 | $30.37 |
| 38 | Hawaii | $67,049 | $32.24 |
| 39 | Florida | $63,094 | $30.33 |
| 40 | Kansas | $60,527 | $29.10 |
| 41 | Alabama | $60,743 | $29.20 |
| 42 | Missouri | $61,502 | $29.57 |
| 43 | South Dakota | $60,737 | $29.20 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $59,445 | $28.58 |
| 45 | Mississippi | $58,289 | $28.02 |
| 46 | Iowa | $53,972 | $25.95 |
| 47 | Montana | $53,112 | $25.53 |
| 48 | Kentucky | $55,401 | $26.64 |
| 49 | Indiana | $55,771 | $26.81 |
| 50 | Louisiana | $58,373 | $28.06 |
| 51 | West Virginia | $44,121 | $21.21 |
Highest paying cities for senior instructional designers
The highest-paying cities for senior instructional designers are Newtown, CT, New York, NY, and San Francisco, CA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Newtown, CT | $94,142 | $45.26 |
| 2 | New York, NY | $85,375 | $41.05 |
| 3 | San Francisco, CA | $83,848 | $40.31 |
| 4 | Baltimore, MD | $83,474 | $40.13 |
| 5 | Washington, DC | $83,306 | $40.05 |
| 6 | Arlington, VA | $81,528 | $39.20 |
| 7 | Seattle, WA | $76,384 | $36.72 |
| 8 | Boston, MA | $75,492 | $36.29 |
| 9 | Las Vegas, NV | $74,280 | $35.71 |
| 10 | Portland, OR | $73,977 | $35.57 |
| 11 | Philadelphia, PA | $72,924 | $35.06 |
| 12 | Lincoln, NE | $70,748 | $34.01 |
| 13 | Chicago, IL | $70,420 | $33.86 |
| 14 | Eden Prairie, MN | $69,500 | $33.41 |
| 15 | Denver, CO | $68,204 | $32.79 |
| 16 | Austin, TX | $67,773 | $32.58 |
| 17 | Raleigh, NC | $66,951 | $32.19 |
| 18 | Marietta, GA | $65,883 | $31.67 |
| 19 | Phoenix, AZ | $65,244 | $31.37 |
| 20 | Cleveland, OH | $63,993 | $30.77 |
Senior instructional designer salary details
A senior instructional designer's salary ranges from $49,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $93,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a senior instructional designer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $93,000 | $7,750 | $45 |
| 75th Percentile | $80,000 | $6,667 | $38 |
| Average | $68,140 | $5,678 | $33 |
| 25th Percentile | $57,000 | $4,750 | $27 |
| 10th Percentile | $49,000 | $4,083 | $24 |
Highest paying senior instructional designer jobs
The highest paying types of senior instructional designers 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 |
| Designer | $66,347 | $5,529 | $31.90 | 52,433 |
| Vocational Training Instructor | $56,294 | $4,691 | $27.06 | 46,814 |
| Curriculum Designer | $54,176 | $4,515 | $26.05 | 44,751 |
| E-Learning Designer | $65,312 | $5,443 | $31.40 | 51,006 |
| Instructional Coordinator | $48,344 | $4,029 | $23.24 | 25,255 |
Top companies hiring senior instructional designers now:
Which companies pay senior instructional designers the most?
Senior instructional designer salaries at Algolia and Zuora are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average senior instructional designer salary at companies like Autodesk and Amgen are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Algolia | $95,488 | $45.91 |
| 2 | Zuora | $94,185 | $45.28 |
| 3 | Autodesk | $93,874 | $45.13 |
| 4 | Amgen | $88,157 | $42.38 |
| 5 | Booz Allen Hamilton | $87,381 | $42.01 |
| 6 | Lucid Motors | $87,113 | $41.88 |
| 7 | Amazon | $85,996 | $41.34 |
| 8 | Franklin Templeton | $85,744 | $41.22 |
| 9 | Cottage Health | $84,904 | $40.82 |
| 10 | American Express | $84,615 | $40.68 |
| 11 | Saint Xavier University | $84,262 | $40.51 |
| 12 | SAIC | $84,205 | $40.48 |
| 13 | University of California-Berkeley | $83,768 | $40.27 |
| 14 | Arch Capital Group | $83,037 | $39.92 |
| 15 | PitchBook Data | $83,003 | $39.91 |
| 16 | EPAM Systems | $82,741 | $39.78 |
| 17 | Chubb | $82,703 | $39.76 |
| 18 | Informatica | $82,428 | $39.63 |
| 19 | Buchanan & Edwards | $82,167 | $39.50 |
| 20 | M&T Bank | $80,765 | $38.83 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Senior Instructional Designer salary by industry
The average senior instructional designer salary varies across industries:
- The average senior instructional designer salary in the technology industry is $78,014, the highest of any industry.
- The average senior instructional designer salary in the finance industry is $73,736.
- Senior instructional designers in the insurance industry earn an average salary of $64,155, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for senior instructional designers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $78,014 | $37.51 |
| 2 | Media | $73,736 | $35.45 |
| 3 | Health Care | $72,451 | $34.83 |
| 4 | Manufacturing | $70,094 | $33.70 |
| 5 | Professional | $70,016 | $33.66 |
| 6 | Education | $66,799 | $32.11 |
| 7 | Transportation | $64,732 | $31.12 |
| 8 | Insurance | $64,155 | $30.84 |
High paying senior instructional designer jobs
Senior instructional designer salary trends
The average senior instructional designer salary has risen by $7,824 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average senior instructional designer earned $60,316 annually, but today, they earn $68,140 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for senior instructional designers over the last decade.
Compare senior instructional designer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average senior instructional designer salary over time
Compare senior instructional designer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Senior instructional designer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $68,100 | $32.76 | +1.0% |
| 2024 | $67,400 | $32.43 | +2.8% |
| 2023 | $65,600 | $31.53 | +1.1% |
| 2022 | $64,900 | $31.18 | +2.0% |
| 2021 | $63,600 | $30.55 | +0.3% |
Recently added senior instructional designer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Dynamics Information Technology | L&D Senior Instructional Designer | Fairfax, VA | 06/28/2025 | $99,549 |
| MGM McKesson Medical-Surgical | SR Instructional Designer | Richmond, VA | 06/28/2025 | $107,300 |
| McKesson Corporation | SR Instructional Designer | Richmond, VA | 06/27/2025 | $107,300 |
| T-Mobile | SR. Instructional Designer | Bellevue, WA | 06/27/2025 | $72,200 |
| Staffmark Group | Senior Instructional Designer | Laurel, MD | 06/25/2025 | $125,220 |
| SCU Credit Union | Senior Instructional Designer | Santa Clara, CA | 06/25/2025 | $91,800 |
| Moog | Senior Instructional Designer | Buffalo, NY | 06/24/2025 | $90,000 |
| Seatgeek | Senior Instructional Designer | New York, NY | 06/24/2025 | $68,000 |
| Chewy, Inc. | Senior Customer Service Instructional Designer | Minneapolis, MN | 06/21/2025 | $91,000 |
| Chewy, Inc. | Senior Customer Service Instructional Designer | Bellevue, WA | 06/21/2025 | $91,000 |
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