How much does an Instructional Designer make?

Updated Dec 8, 2023

Experience

Industry

Total Pay Range
$71K - $106K/yr
Base Pay
$67K - $98K/yr
Additional Pay
$4K - $8K/yr

$87K

/yr
$71K$106K
Most Likely Range

The estimated total pay for a Instructional Designer is $86,763 per year in the United States area, with an average salary of $81,342 per year. These numbers represent the median, which is the midpoint of the ranges from our proprietary Total Pay Estimate model and based on salaries collected from our users. The estimated additional pay is $5,421 per year. Additional pay could include cash bonus, commission, tips, and profit sharing. The "Most Likely Range" represents values that exist within the 25th and 75th percentile of all pay data available for this role.

How accurate is this most likely Total Pay range (base + additional) of $71K-$106K/yr?

Total Pay Trajectory

For Instructional Designer

$86,763 /yr
Instructional Designer
$106,310 /yr
Senior Instructional Designer
$92,509 /yr
Instructional Designer IV
See Full Career Path

Download as data table

What is the total pay trajectory for Instructional Designer?

Job TitleSalary
Instructional Designer$86,763 /yr
Senior Instructional Designer$106,310 /yr
Instructional Designer IV$92,509 /yr

Related Job Titles

For Instructional Designer

Some related job titles are E-Learning Salaries with median pay of $85,937, Instructional Design Consultant Salaries with median pay of $94,876, Instructional Design Specialist Salaries with median pay of $83,208, Instructional Systems Designer Salaries with median pay of $94,971.

Top Paying Companies

For an Instructional Designer in United States

Below is the total pay for the top 10 highest paying companies for an Instructional Designer in United States. Employers include Google, VMware and Meta.

1
Google
Google
$168,010/yr
1K open jobs
3
Meta
$153,993/yr
7
Apple
$141,387/yr
See pay for all companies for an Instructional Designer in United StatesView data as table

Top Paying Companies

For Instructional Designer in United States

1Google$168,010
2VMware$155,968
3Meta$153,993
4Cisco Systems$150,216
5LinkedIn$147,679
6Microsoft$145,663
7Apple$141,387
8Workday$141,147
9Salesforce$134,680
10Intel Corporation$134,432
Total Pay Trajectory

For Instructional Designer

$86,763 /yr
Instructional Designer
$106,310 /yr
Senior Instructional Designer
$92,509 /yr
Instructional Designer IV
See Full Career Path

Download as data table

What is the total pay trajectory for Instructional Designer?

Job TitleSalary
Instructional Designer$86,763 /yr
Senior Instructional Designer$106,310 /yr
Instructional Designer IV$92,509 /yr

What are total pay estimates for an Instructional Designer at different companies?

or
Sort:
Company
Jobs
Total Pay Range
GP Strategies
3.6
Instructional DesignerSee 80 salaries from this location

$84,016

 / yr
Pearson
3.7
Instructional DesignerSee 62 salaries from this location

$83,557

 / yr
Apple
4.2
Instructional DesignerSee 57 salaries from this location

$141,387

 / yr
Amazon
3.7
Instructional DesignerSee 56 salaries from this location

$95,715

 / yr
UnitedHealth Group
3.7
Instructional DesignerSee 38 salaries from this location

$85,745

 / yr
AllenComm
3.4
Instructional DesignerSee 37 salaries from this location

$80,541

 / yr
Arizona State University
4.2
Instructional DesignerSee 36 salaries from this location

$74,479

 / yr

Is this salary info helpful?

Let’s pay it forward! The Glassdoor community relies on people like you to share accurate salary info to promote fair compensation everywhere

Share Salary Anonymously
Carley Corporation
3.9
Instructional DesignerSee 34 salaries from this location

$85,512

 / yr
ADP
3.9
Instructional DesignerSee 34 salaries from this location

$84,775

 / yr
Florida International University
4.1
Instructional DesignerSee 33 salaries from this location

$71,545

 / yr
Wells Fargo
3.6
Instructional DesignerSee 33 salaries from this location

$98,570

 / yr
Management Concepts
3.7
Instructional DesignerSee 32 salaries from this location

$84,815

 / yr
Penn State
4.2
Instructional DesignerSee 32 salaries from this location

$72,811

 / yr
Texas State Technical College
3.4
Instructional DesignerSee 29 salaries from this location

$68,312

 / yr
U.S. Bank
3.7
Instructional DesignerSee 29 salaries from this location

$85,898

 / yr
The Mosaic Company
4
Instructional DesignerSee 28 salaries from this location

$95,925

 / yr
Bisk
2.6
Instructional DesignerSee 27 salaries from this location

$73,697

 / yr
Spectrum
3.3
Instructional DesignerSee 25 salaries from this location

$85,812

 / yr
Google
4.4
Instructional DesignerSee 25 salaries from this location

$168,010

 / yr
DISH
2.9
Instructional DesignerSee 25 salaries from this location

$83,861

 / yr
Download as data table

Instructional Designer Salaries

Job TitleSalary
GP Strategies Instructional Designer salaries - 80 salaries reported$84,016/yr
Pearson Instructional Designer salaries - 62 salaries reported$83,557/yr
Apple Instructional Designer salaries - 57 salaries reported$141,387/yr
Amazon Instructional Designer salaries - 56 salaries reported$95,715/yr
UnitedHealth Group Instructional Designer salaries - 38 salaries reported$85,745/yr
AllenComm Instructional Designer salaries - 37 salaries reported$80,541/yr
Arizona State University Instructional Designer salaries - 36 salaries reported$74,479/yr
Carley Corporation Instructional Designer salaries - 34 salaries reported$85,512/yr
ADP Instructional Designer salaries - 34 salaries reported$84,775/yr
Florida International University Instructional Designer salaries - 33 salaries reported$71,545/yr
Wells Fargo Instructional Designer salaries - 33 salaries reported$98,570/yr
Management Concepts Instructional Designer salaries - 32 salaries reported$84,815/yr
Penn State Instructional Designer salaries - 32 salaries reported$72,811/yr
Texas State Technical College Instructional Designer salaries - 29 salaries reported$68,312/yr
U.S. Bank Instructional Designer salaries - 29 salaries reported$85,898/yr
The Mosaic Company Instructional Designer salaries - 28 salaries reported$95,925/yr
Bisk Instructional Designer salaries - 27 salaries reported$73,697/yr
Spectrum Instructional Designer salaries - 25 salaries reported$85,812/yr
Google Instructional Designer salaries - 25 salaries reported$168,010/yr
DISH Instructional Designer salaries - 25 salaries reported$83,861/yr
Viewing 1 - 20 of 4,020

Top Paying Industries

For an Instructional Designer in United States

The top 5 paying industries for an Instructional Designer in United States are Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology with a median total pay of $110,726, Manufacturing with a median total pay of $102,110, Insurance with a median total pay of $97,646, Energy, Mining & Utilities with a median total pay of $95,269, and Financial Services with a median total pay of $93,127.

IndustryTotal PayTotal Pay Insight
  • Pharmaceutical & BiotechnologyPharmaceutical & Biotechnology$110,726

    27% Higher than other industries

  • ManufacturingManufacturing$102,110

    21% Higher than other industries

  • InsuranceInsurance$97,646

    18% Higher than other industries

  • Energy, Mining & UtilitiesEnergy, Mining & Utilities$95,269

    16% Higher than other industries

  • Financial ServicesFinancial Services$93,127

    14% Higher than other industries

Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology

Top paying companies in Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology for Instructional Designer are Amgen and IQVIA.

AmgenAmgen$126,824/yr
IQVIAIQVIA$94,629/yr

Glassdoor Economist Pay Overview

What is the pay outlook for Arts & Design?

Jobs in arts & design are growing due to increased access to remote work. These jobs often require a bachelor’s degree and technical skills such as graphic design software, web-development and research. Salaries vary, as jobs tend to be short-term and contractual, offering workers flexible schedules and the opportunity to manage multiple projects at once.

Recent Salaries Shared

For instructional designer

Salary Share
Anonymously share your pay to help the community

Job Title

Location

Total Pay

Base Pay | Additional Pay

Total Years of Experience

Years at Recent Employer

Submitted

Date or Time

Instructional Designer

United States of America

 | 1-3 years

$48,000

/yr

Submitted Yesterday

1-3 years
Yesterday
Instructional Designer

United States of America

 | 10-14 years

$93,500

/yr

$85K | $9K

Submitted Yesterday

10-14 years
Yesterday
Instructional Designer

United States of America

 | 15+ years

$97,000

/yr

$90K | $7K

Submitted Yesterday

15+ years
Yesterday
Learning Experience Designer

United States of America

 | 4-6 years

$140,000

/yr

Submitted Yesterday

4-6 years
Yesterday
Instructional Designer

United States of America

 | 10-14 years

$65,000

/yr

Submitted Yesterday

10-14 years
Yesterday
Instructional Designer

United States of America

 | 4-6 years

$74,000

/yr

$73K | $1K

Submitted Yesterday

4-6 years
Yesterday
Instructional Designer

United States of America

 | 7-9 years

$105,000

/yr

Submitted Yesterday

7-9 years
Yesterday
Instructional Designer

United States of America

 | 1-3 years

$75,000

/yr

Submitted Yesterday

1-3 years
Yesterday
Curriculum Designer

United States of America

 | 1-3 years

$50,000

/yr

Submitted Yesterday

1-3 years
Yesterday

Instructional Designer pay FAQ

The average salary for an Instructional Designer is $86,763 per year in United States. Salaries estimates are based on 8887 salaries submitted anonymously to Glassdoor by an Instructional Designer employees in United States.

The highest salary for an Instructional Designer in United States is $105,963 per year.

The lowest salary for an Instructional Designer in United States is $71,326 per year.

If you are thinking of becoming an Instructional Designer or planning the next step in your career, find details about the role, the career path and salary trajectory of an Instructional Designer.

Instructional designers earn salaries comparable to other educational administrators. They often hold both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in a field related to education, learning, or cognition. Their role is to create training programs by selecting reading materials, designing rubrics, creating a syllabus, and creating assessments such as tests and quizzes. Pay is expected to rise over the next decade, as continuing education courses increase in popularity.

Powered by Glassdoor Economic Research

According to anonymous employee ratings, 73% of instructional designers feel that they make good money. Holding advanced degrees, acquiring years of experience, and an average of $5,420.85 in potential additional annual pay can qualify an instructional designer's annual income as a good salary.

If you want a higher instructional designer salary, consider earning certifications or advanced degrees. Most will need at least a bachelor's degree in instructional design or a related field, and many have progressed to master's degrees. Also, many universities and organizations offer certification programs and courses specifically for instructional design. Additional training in technical and software skills can make you more marketable to current and potential future employers. Instructional designers working in business command larger salaries than those in education, so if you're working in education and are unhappy with your salary, consider moving into a higher-paying field.

One of the most important things you can do for a higher salary in an instructional designer job is to leverage degrees or experience you may have in the industry. Maximize your chances for earning a fair initial salary by preparing for instructional designer interview questions. If you're in an established position and want a higher salary as an instructional designer, highlight any achievements or notable projects you've worked on in the last year. Explain how your work has affected the company's revenue and costs. Use any additional skills and certifications you've built to support a salary increase for your next performance review.

Additional Resources

Instructional Designer Job Description Template

Salaries

 > 

instructional designer

 > 

United States