How much does an Instructional Designer make?
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- 7-9 Years
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$87K
/yrThe 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?
For Instructional Designer
Download as data table
What is the total pay trajectory for Instructional Designer?
| Job Title | Salary |
|---|---|
| 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.
Top Paying Companies
For Instructional Designer in United States
| 1 | $168,010 | ||
| 2 | VMware | $155,968 | |
| 3 | Meta | $153,993 | |
| 4 | Cisco Systems | $150,216 | |
| 5 | $147,679 | ||
| 6 | Microsoft | $145,663 | |
| 7 | Apple | $141,387 | |
| 8 | Workday | $141,147 | |
| 9 | Salesforce | $134,680 | |
| 10 | Intel Corporation | $134,432 |
For Instructional Designer
Download as data table
What is the total pay trajectory for Instructional Designer?
| Job Title | Salary |
|---|---|
| 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?
- Popular
- Most Reports
- Salary: high to low
- Salary: low to high
$84,016
/ yr
$83,557
/ yr
$141,387
/ yr
$95,715
/ yr
$85,745
/ yr
$74,479
/ yrIs 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
$85,512
/ yr
$84,775
/ yr
$71,545
/ yr
$98,570
/ yr
$84,815
/ yr
$72,811
/ yr
$68,312
/ yr
$85,898
/ yr
$95,925
/ yr
$85,812
/ yr
$168,010
/ yr
$83,861
/ yrInstructional Designer Salaries
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.
- Pharmaceutical & BiotechnologyPharmaceutical & Biotechnology$110,726
27% Higher than other industries
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
Job Title
Location
Total Pay
Base Pay | Additional Pay
Total Years of Experience
Years at Recent Employer
Submitted
Date or Time
United States of America
| 1-3 years
/yr
Submitted Yesterday
United States of America
| 10-14 years
/yr
$85K | $9K
Submitted Yesterday
United States of America
| 15+ years
/yr
$90K | $7K
Submitted Yesterday
United States of America
| 4-6 years
/yr
Submitted Yesterday
United States of America
| 10-14 years
/yr
Submitted Yesterday
United States of America
| 4-6 years
/yr
$73K | $1K
Submitted Yesterday
United States of America
| 7-9 years
/yr
Submitted Yesterday
United States of America
| 1-3 years
/yr
Submitted Yesterday
United States of America
| 1-3 years
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Submitted 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.
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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.