SalariesWhat the occupation covers
Design or conduct work-related training and development programs to improve individual skills or organizational performance. May analyze organizational training needs or evaluate training effectiveness. Excludes “Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary” (25-1194) and “Other Teachers and Instructors” (25-3000). Flight instructors are included with “Aircraft Pilots and Flight Engineers” (53-2010).
Official definition from the Standard Occupational Classification, code 13-1151.
The pay range
Pay differs a lot inside one occupation, with experience, employer and place. The table shows where the lines fall.
| Share of workers | A year | A month* | A week* | An hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest 10% earn less than | $38,760 | $3,230 | $745 | $18.64 |
| Lowest 25% earn less than | $50,110 | $4,176 | $964 | $24.09 |
| Median (half earn less, half more) | $69,280 | $5,773 | $1,332 | $33.31 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $95,050 | $7,921 | $1,828 | $45.70 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $123,250 | $10,271 | $2,370 | $59.26 |
* Month and week are the yearly figure divided by 12 and by 52, worked out here for convenience. BLS publishes the yearly and hourly figures.
How it compares
The median for all occupations in the United States was $50,980 a year. The median for Training and Development Specialists is $69,280, which is 36% higher. Among the 32 occupations of the field Business and Financial Operations, it ranks number 26 by median pay. With 458,300 jobs, it makes up about 29 of every 10,000 jobs in the country.
Training and Development Specialists pay by state
The highest median pay was in Delaware ($88,570), New Hampshire ($86,050) and Alaska ($81,860). The lowest was in Guam ($42,950), Puerto Rico ($47,820) and Virgin Islands ($50,430). The most jobs were in Texas (46,630), California (46,530) and Florida (34,130). The occupation is most concentrated in Colorado, where its share of all jobs is 1.4 times the national share.
No state matches.
| State | Jobs | Median a year | Average a year | Median an hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware | 1,590 | $88,570 | $89,780 | $42.58 |
| New Hampshire | not published | $86,050 | $80,700 | $41.37 |
| Alaska | 530 | $81,860 | $85,910 | $39.36 |
| Washington | 8,130 | $81,860 | $89,460 | $39.35 |
| District of Columbia | 1,900 | $80,980 | $86,030 | $38.93 |
| Massachusetts | 12,190 | $80,270 | $86,070 | $38.59 |
| Connecticut | 3,650 | $78,080 | $86,490 | $37.54 |
| Vermont | 750 | $77,800 | $83,930 | $37.41 |
| Virginia | 15,570 | $77,690 | $82,680 | $37.35 |
| New Jersey | 9,210 | $77,020 | $81,390 | $37.03 |
| Minnesota | 9,650 | $76,710 | $82,310 | $36.88 |
| Maryland | 9,800 | $76,370 | $78,610 | $36.72 |
| Oregon | 5,190 | $76,360 | $82,530 | $36.71 |
| New York | 27,460 | $76,080 | $82,620 | $36.58 |
| Rhode Island | 1,130 | $75,910 | $87,760 | $36.50 |
| California | 46,530 | $75,790 | $84,110 | $36.44 |
| Colorado | 12,100 | $75,790 | $77,650 | $36.44 |
| Florida | 34,130 | $71,990 | $74,650 | $34.61 |
| Pennsylvania | 14,780 | $71,350 | $77,070 | $34.30 |
| Wisconsin | 9,360 | $70,770 | $74,140 | $34.02 |
| Wyoming | 550 | $69,380 | $76,640 | $33.35 |
| Illinois | 15,140 | $67,380 | $74,660 | $32.39 |
| Georgia | 16,200 | $67,320 | $74,290 | $32.37 |
| Arizona | not published | $67,140 | $74,820 | $32.28 |
| Iowa | 4,670 | $66,110 | $73,090 | $31.79 |
| Nebraska | 3,650 | $65,700 | $71,610 | $31.59 |
| Maine | 1,600 | $65,680 | $73,880 | $31.58 |
| North Carolina | 20,220 | $65,250 | $71,770 | $31.37 |
| West Virginia | 1,710 | $64,960 | $70,290 | $31.23 |
| Ohio | 17,690 | $64,780 | $69,600 | $31.15 |
| Alabama | 3,000 | $64,490 | $71,050 | $31.00 |
| Michigan | 10,640 | $64,350 | $70,510 | $30.94 |
| North Dakota | 670 | $63,260 | $70,280 | $30.41 |
| South Carolina | 6,960 | $63,070 | $71,040 | $30.32 |
| New Mexico | 2,190 | $62,900 | $69,890 | $30.24 |
| Montana | 900 | $62,880 | $66,830 | $30.23 |
| Texas | 46,630 | $62,860 | $69,910 | $30.22 |
| Tennessee | 9,370 | $62,280 | $70,770 | $29.94 |
| Kansas | 5,150 | $62,010 | $68,060 | $29.81 |
| Idaho | 2,430 | $61,720 | $64,700 | $29.67 |
| South Dakota | 520 | $61,570 | $65,660 | $29.60 |
| Kentucky | 6,090 | $61,390 | $66,370 | $29.52 |
| Nevada | 3,440 | $61,350 | $66,860 | $29.50 |
| Indiana | 8,450 | $61,050 | $67,090 | $29.35 |
| Oklahoma | 5,440 | $61,040 | $66,060 | $29.35 |
| Hawaii | 1,200 | $60,960 | $72,180 | $29.31 |
| Utah | 6,140 | $60,900 | $68,760 | $29.28 |
| Missouri | not published | $58,670 | $62,590 | $28.21 |
| Louisiana | 3,030 | $58,070 | $66,390 | $27.92 |
| Mississippi | 2,820 | $53,680 | $61,690 | $25.81 |
| Arkansas | 3,880 | $52,290 | $58,270 | $25.14 |
| Virgin Islands | 40 | $50,430 | $60,100 | $24.25 |
| Puerto Rico | not published | $47,820 | $50,830 | $22.99 |
| Guam | 50 | $42,950 | $45,240 | $20.65 |
Sorted by median pay, highest first. "Not published" means BLS did not release that figure for the state, usually because too few employers were surveyed. "$239,200 or more" is the highest value BLS reports in the state tables.
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Common questions
How much do Training and Development Specialists earn in the United States?
The median pay was $69,280 a year in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $38,760 and the highest-paid 10% more than $123,250.
How many people work as Training and Development Specialists?
About 458,300 jobs in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Checked in November 2026. Figures are for employees, before tax, and leave out overtime pay and benefits. They are official statistics, not advice or a pay offer; see bls.gov/oes for the original tables.