How Much Do Instructional Designers Make?
Having a clear understanding of earnings potential is important, especially if you are researching career paths or considering changing jobs. If you're one of those people, and you're curious what kind of salary instructional designers make, you've come to the right place.
Using data from Lightcast,™ the Best Adult Colleges and Careers Guide has compiled rich information about salary for instructional designers and related jobs, including details about average compensation, salary trends and job growth. We've also gathered advertised salaries from actual job postings to provide insight into what employers of instructional designers are offering as compensation.
Keep reading to learn more about how much instructional designers can expect to make in the United States.
At a Glance: Salary & Jobs for Instructional Designers
According to data from 2023, there were about 220,965 positions for instructional designers in the United States. In terms of salary, the national median salary for instructional designers was reported to be $74,610. Additionally, when examining job demand, employers across the country posted 54,786 job postings related to positions for instructional designers.
How Much Money Do Instructional Designers Make?
Median salary is just one data point. To build a better understanding of how much money instructional designers and related positions can expect to make in the United States, it can be helpful to look at the full range of compensation for those jobs.
Let's look more deeply at data that was reported to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for detail into the lowest and highest salary earnings for instructional designers.
Annual Salary for Instructional Designers
According to the BLS, the lowest earners for instructional designers and related professions earned about $46,530 per year in 2023. Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, the highest earners made about $109,512 annually.
As mentioned previously, the median salary for instructional designers in the United States in 2023 was $74,610.
Annual Salary Range For Instructional Designers In 2023
Hourly Salary for Instructional Designers
The BLS also breaks down compensation for instructional designers by hourly salary, and the median average hourly pay for instructional designers in 2023 was $36. Lowest hourly earners took home $22 while the highest reported hourly salaries for instructional designers was $53.
Hourly Salary Range For Instructional Designers In 2023
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Degree Options for Instructional Designers
Develop the knowledge and skills you need to become an outstanding middle or high school teacher in Ohio with Franklin’s Adolescent to Young Adult (AYA) Education program.
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Master the learning theories and models used in PK-12 education settings as a foundation for a variety of education-related careers.
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Focus your online doctoral program at Franklin University and earn an Ed.D. in curriculum and instruction (Doctor of Education in Instructional Design Leadership).Focus your online doctoral program at Franklin University and earn an Ed.D. in curriculum and instruction (Doctor of Education in Instructional Design Leadership).
- Years To Complete: 3
Focus your online doctorate in educational technology at Franklin University and earn an Ed.D. Instructional Technology degree (Doctor of Education in Instructional Design Leadership).
- Years To Complete: 3
- Class Type: 100% online
- Years To Complete: 3
Learn proven strategies for designing effective training materials and apply them in real-world case studies and projects.
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Advertised Compensation for Instructional Designers
Data from the BLS is one way to dig into compensation for instructional designers, but another way to build a more real-time understanding of salary is to look at actual job postings and see what compensation organizations are currently providing to fill open positions for instructional designers.
Keep in mind that salary data is not included in every job posting, so the information compiled here is reflective of the data available through Lightcast.™
Annual Salary from Job Postings for Instructional Designers
Advertised Annual Salary
During a review of 57,346 job postings related to instructional designers, advertised salary was included in 21,086 of them, which was 37%. Based on those postings, the median advertised salary for instructional designers was $71,040 per year.
Hourly Salary from Job Postings for Instructional Designers
Advertised Hourly Salary
A similar analysis of job postings provides insight into advertised hourly salary for instructional designers. Based on 38% of postings with advertised compensation, the median hourly salary for open positions for instructional designers in the United States is about $34.
Salary Trend for Instructional Designers
If you're thinking about pursuing a career in the field, you may want to understand how compensation has changed over time for instructional designers. The chart below provides a snapshot of advertised salaries over the past three years.
Based on compensation data that was included in job postings for instructional designers dating back to September 2020, advertised salaries for instructional designers have increased 16%.
Advertised Wage Trend For Instructional Designers
What's the Job Growth for Instructional Designers?
Another data point that someone thinking about a career path should consider is whether or not jobs are expected to see growth in the future. The chart below looks at projected employment for instructional designers over the next 10 years.
According to the data obtained through Lightcast,™ there were 221,101 jobs for instructional designers in the United States in 2023. By 2033, it is expected that about 17,219 jobs will be added. That's a 7.8% increase over the next 10-year period.
Employment Projections For Instructional Designers
Additional Links
Ready to dig deeper into career information about instructional designers? Visit our other pages focused on salary and education for instructional designers.
What do instructional designers do?
Instructional Designers: How do you become one?
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