Training and Development Specialists Salaries by State

Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for training and development specialistss across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).

National mean salary $75,550 ≈ $36/hr
National median salary $69,280
Total employment 458,300 nationwide

Job Outlook, 2024–2034

Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.

Projected growth +10.8% Much faster than average
Annual openings 43,900 per year (avg)
Employment 2024→2034 452,300 → 501,000 (+48,700)
Typical entry education Bachelor's degree

Salary Map

Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.

💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States

  1. Delaware$89,780
  2. Washington$89,460
  3. Rhode Island$87,760
  4. Connecticut$86,490
  5. Massachusetts$86,070

📉 5 Lowest-Paying States

  1. Arkansas$58,270
  2. Mississippi$61,690
  3. Missouri$62,590
  4. Idaho$64,700
  5. South Dakota$65,660
#StateMeanMedian Hourlyvs. U.S.Employment
1 Delaware $89,780 $88,570 $43 +18.8% 1,590
2 Washington $89,460 $81,860 $43 +18.4% 8,130
3 Rhode Island $87,760 $75,910 $42 +16.2% 1,130
4 Connecticut $86,490 $78,080 $42 +14.5% 3,650
5 Massachusetts $86,070 $80,270 $41 +13.9% 12,190
6 District of Columbia $86,030 $80,980 $41 +13.9% 1,900
7 Alaska $85,910 $81,860 $41 +13.7% 530
8 California $84,110 $75,790 $40 +11.3% 46,530
9 Vermont $83,930 $77,800 $40 +11.1% 750
10 Virginia $82,680 $77,690 $40 +9.4% 15,570
11 New York $82,620 $76,080 $40 +9.4% 27,460
12 Oregon $82,530 $76,360 $40 +9.2% 5,190
13 Minnesota $82,310 $76,710 $40 +8.9% 9,650
14 New Jersey $81,390 $77,020 $39 +7.7% 9,210
15 New Hampshire $80,700 $86,050 $39 +6.8%

Top-Paying Metro Areas

Highest median pay among 520 metro areas.

#Metro areaMedianMeanEmployment
1 Dothan, AL $120,020 $95,320 120
2 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $104,770 $109,240 3,310
3 Kennewick-Richland, WA $98,280 $100,740 330
4 Alaska nonmetropolitan area $95,510 $95,680 150
5 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $95,050 $100,800 6,310
6 Lexington Park, MD $94,440 $93,160 220
7 Casper, WY $94,070 $87,150 100
8 Decatur, AL $93,230 $100,190 110
9 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA $89,550 $95,580 5,120
10 Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT $88,880 $95,890 620

Pay by Industry

Highest-paying industries employing training and development specialistss (BLS OEWS, by median).

#IndustryMedianMeanEmployment
1 Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) $136,710 $132,500 440
2 Pipeline Transportation of Crude Oil $135,860 $131,570 70
3 Nuclear Electric Power Generation $135,630 $140,140 1,610
4 Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing $129,150 $123,880 460
5 Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing $129,150 $123,880 460
6 Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution $128,720 $124,760 3,480
7 Utilities $126,550 $122,560 4,400
8 Sector 22 - Utilities $126,550 $122,560 4,400
9 Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation $125,830 $119,240 470
10 Monetary Authorities-Central Bank $123,290 $122,630 160
11 Monetary Authorities-Central Bank $123,290 $122,630 160
12 Pipeline Transportation $119,190 $122,180 160

Workforce Deep-Dive

Distribution and demographics from Census ACS (2023, self-reported). Wage figures here are ACS averages and run lower than the authoritative BLS wages above; use them for shape, not exact pay.

Annual wage distribution

< $10K
30,843
$10-20k
7,991
$20-30k
9,253
$30-40k
15,156
$40-50k
25,893
$50-60k
27,491
$60-70k
24,034
$70-80k
22,104
$80-90k
15,605
$90-100k
11,277
$100-110k
10,790
$110-120k
6,508
$120-130k
5,218
$130-140k
5,331
$140-150k
2,824
$150-160k
2,470
$160-170k
953
$170-180k
936
$180-190k
1,130
$190-200k
346
$200k+
3,603

Pay by age band

16-24
$26,592
25-34
$56,841
35-44
$70,688
45-54
$77,727
55-64
$72,701
65+
$39,567

Education level

Bachelors Degree
$67,142
Masters Degree
$78,189
1 or more years of college credit, no degree
$62,202
Regular high school diploma
$54,400
Associates Degree
$56,683
Some college, but less than 1 year
$54,856
GED or alternative credential
$52,612
Professional degree
$81,203
Doctorate degree
$99,563
12th grade - no diploma
$45,594
Grade 10
$53,564
Grade 11
$23,468
No schooling completed
$48,328
Grade 8
$17,999
Grade 7
$83,600
Grade 9
$48,733
Grade 3
$12,234
Grade 6
$12,234

Full-time vs part-time

Full-time
182,425 · $75,942
Part-time
15,032 · $38,084

Race / ethnicity

White
$66,971
Black
$56,117
Two or More Races
$59,679
Other
$63,037
Asian
$67,098
American Indian
$52,670
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
$46,731
American Indian and Alaska Native tribes specified; or American Indian or Alaska Native, not specified and no other races
$42,451
Alaska Native
$55,054

Top fields of study

Business Management And Administration
$73,090
Psychology
$69,020
General Business
$64,347
English Language And Literature
$83,436
Biology
$83,295
General Education
$59,287
Communications
$71,513
Economics
$76,009

Top Skills

Most important skills for this role (O*NET importance, 1–5 scale).

Speaking
4.4
Instructing
4.4
Learning Strategies
4.1
Active Listening
4.0
Social Perceptiveness
4.0
Writing
3.9
Monitoring
3.9
Reading Comprehension
3.9
Critical Thinking
3.9
Judgment and Decision Making
3.9
Active Learning
3.9
Coordination
3.8

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do training and development specialists make in the U.S.?

The median training and development specialists salary in the United States is $69,280 per year (mean $75,550), and about 80% earn between $38,760 and $123,250.

How much do training and development specialists make per hour?

Roughly $36 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $75,550 and 2,080 work hours per year.

Which state pays training and development specialists the most?

Delaware has the highest average pay for training and development specialists at $89,780 per year (median $88,570).

What is the job outlook for training and development specialists?

Employment is projected to change +10.8% from 2024 to 2034 (Much faster than average), with about 43,900 openings per year.

What People Search

Common U.S. search queries related to this occupation.

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