Post job

Usability specialist salary

Average usability specialist salary

$86,253

$41.47 hourly rate

Entry-level usability specialist salary
$51,000 yearly salary
Updated January 8, 2025

Average Usability Specialist Salary

The average Usability Specialist earns approximately $86,253 per year, translating to about $41 per hour. Salaries can vary significantly based on factors such as experience, location, and industry, with entry-level positions earning less than their seasoned counterparts. For instance, those with more than five years of experience often command higher salaries due to their expertise.

Where Can a Usability Specialist Earn More?

States with the highest salaries for Usability Specialists include California, New York, and Washington. These areas offer competitive compensation due to a higher cost of living and demand for skilled professionals. Additionally, industries such as technology and healthcare tend to pay above-average salaries, providing lucrative opportunities for specialists looking to maximize their earning potential.

Salary Estimates from Across the Web

Various platforms provide salary estimates for Usability Specialists, reflecting a range from $75,000 to over $100,000 depending on the source. It is beneficial for individuals to compare these estimates and consider factors like job responsibilities and company size when evaluating potential offers.

On this page
Usability specialist salary by: 

Let Zippi find your next usability specialist job

Floating question marks illustration

Let Zippi find your next usability specialist job

Floating question marks illustration

Where can a Usability Specialist earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
123k
103k
83k
63k
43k
Columbus, OH$103,617
Dublin, OH$73,181
Compare salary by company
Vs
137k
117k
97k
77k
57k
37k
17k
Blue Shield of California$111,832
Aquent$47,255

Usability specialist salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter, SalaryExpert, Comparably and Payscale, the average salary for a usability specialist typically falls between $75,393 and $106,473.
zippia
$86,253yearly
glassdoor[1]
$106,473yearly
comparably[2]
$88,469yearly
ZipRecruiter[3]
$75,393yearly
payscale[4]
$82,740yearly
SalaryExpert[5]
$94,689yearly

Average usability specialist salary by state

The average usability specialist salary in New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Michigan are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average usability specialist salary states are Kansas, Louisiana, and South Carolina.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for usability specialists

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1West Virginia$96,766$46.52
2Delaware$94,287$45.33
3Michigan$97,180$46.72
4Vermont$93,356$44.88
5Massachusetts$100,783$48.45
6Alaska$91,598$44.04
7Nevada$92,101$44.28
8Georgia$89,990$43.26
9New Jersey$113,890$54.75
10Pennsylvania$90,279$43.40
11Rhode Island$96,790$46.53
12North Dakota$85,876$41.29
13Oklahoma$88,267$42.44
14District of Columbia$92,362$44.40
15Wyoming$80,047$38.48
16North Carolina$82,714$39.77
17Illinois$86,890$41.77
18Minnesota$91,184$43.84
19California$95,036$45.69
20Tennessee$83,339$40.07
21New York$87,902$42.26
22Oregon$84,113$40.44
23Washington$86,678$41.67
24Arizona$78,381$37.68
25Maine$85,695$41.20
26Virginia$82,842$39.83
27Arkansas$75,716$36.40
28Texas$79,997$38.46
29New Mexico$82,919$39.86
30Idaho$77,949$37.48
31Iowa$75,192$36.15
32Utah$79,231$38.09
33Wisconsin$78,016$37.51
34New Hampshire$80,454$38.68
35Connecticut$83,935$40.35
36Florida$71,561$34.40
37Nebraska$73,858$35.51
38Mississippi$79,285$38.12
39Alabama$72,923$35.06
40Indiana$75,211$36.16
41Maryland$77,147$37.09
42Colorado$76,977$37.01
43Missouri$76,468$36.76
44Ohio$73,532$35.35
45Hawaii$53,565$25.75
46Kansas$70,013$33.66
47Louisiana$64,888$31.20
48Kentucky$72,407$34.81
49South Dakota$62,383$29.99
50Montana$63,149$30.36
51South Carolina$64,771$31.14

Highest paying cities for usability specialists

The highest-paying cities for usability specialists are Oakland, CA, Natick, MA, and Southfield, MI.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Oakland, CA$103,617$49.82
2Natick, MA$101,364$48.73
3Southfield, MI$97,868$47.05
4Seattle, WA$88,210$42.41
5Webster, NY$85,779$41.24
6Reston, VA$85,300$41.01
7Southlake, TX$80,545$38.72
8Murray, UT$78,588$37.78
9Saint Louis, MO$78,284$37.64
10Madison, WI$77,020$37.03
11Dublin, OH$73,181$35.18

Usability specialist salary details

A usability specialist's salary ranges from $51,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $143,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average usability specialist salary graph
Average usability specialist salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a usability specialist's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$143,000$11,917$69
75th Percentile$112,000$9,333$54
Average$86,253$7,188$41
25th Percentile$65,000$5,417$31
10th Percentile$51,000$4,250$25

Highest paying usability specialist jobs

The highest paying types of usability specialists are president ergonomic consulting, human factors engineer, and integration specialist.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Human Factors Engineer$96,426$8,036$46.3657,075
Human Factors Scientist$87,720$7,310$42.1778,875

Top companies hiring usability specialists now:

  1. Microsoft jobs (3)
  2. American Express jobs (2)
  3. Intel jobs (2)
  4. Ford Motor jobs (2)
  5. Tufts Health Plan jobs (2)

Which companies pay usability specialists the most?

Usability specialist salaries at Blue Shield of California and MEDITECH are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average usability specialist salary at companies like MathWorks and Sabre are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Blue Shield of California$111,832$53.77
2MEDITECH$105,733$50.83
3MathWorks$104,427$50.21
4Sabre$100,721$48.42
5TALENT Software Services$95,683$46.00
6Nationwide$86,005$41.35
7Xerox$81,409$39.14
8Epitec$74,935$36.03
9Monsanto$71,641$34.44
10Tele Data Solutions Inc$69,110$33.23
11NANA$66,039$31.75
12Aquent$47,255$22.72

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$91,000$89,800$88,600$87,400$86,200$85,000
MaleFemale

Usability Specialist salary by industry

The average usability specialist salary varies across industries:

  • The average usability specialist salary in the media industry is $121,714, the highest of any industry.
  • The average usability specialist salary in the finance industry is $108,165.
  • Usability specialists in the manufacturing industry earn an average salary of $73,270, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for usability specialists

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Media$121,714$58.52
2Professional$108,165$52.00
3Finance$90,888$43.70
4Technology$90,151$43.34
5Government$83,365$40.08
6Manufacturing$73,270$35.23

High paying usability specialist jobs

Usability specialist salary trends

The average usability specialist salary has risen by $11,355 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average usability specialist earned $74,898 annually, but today, they earn $86,253 a year. That works out to a 6% change in pay for usability specialists over the last decade.

Compare usability specialist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average usability specialist salary over time

Compare usability specialist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Usability specialist salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$86,300$41.47+1.0%
2024$85,400$41.03+1.1%
2023$84,400$40.58+1.3%
2022$83,300$40.04+1.8%
2021$81,800$39.30+1.0%

Recently added usability specialist salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, IlUsability and Accessibility Specialist, College of Education-IT PartnersUrbana, IL05/23/2025$60,000

Usability specialist salary FAQs

Search for usability specialist jobs

Browse architecture and engineering jobs