CNN Money says that being an Instructional Designer is the 38th best job in America. I think that working as an Instructional Designer may be both the best job in higher education.

According to CNN Money (2012) there are 217,700 Instructional Designers. Expected job growth over 10 years is 28.3 percent. Payscale.com says that Instructional Designers rate a 5 out of 5 in the “extremely satisfied” category. 70 percent of Instructional Designers have been on the job less than 10 years, 38% less than 4. Women outnumber men 61% to 39%

The national average salary for an Instructional Designer is $61,000. The highest paid Instructional Designers are in San Francisco (a 23% wage premium), Washington (22%), Los Angeles (18%) and Seattle (16%). The most senior Instructional Designers, those with 10 to 20 years of experience, have average salaries between $70,000 and $80,000.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Handbook does not have a category for Instructional Designer. They have something called “ Instructional Coordinators ”, which I think is pretty close. According to the BLS there are 147,700 Instructional Coordinator jobs (in 2012). The field is expected to add 18,500 jobs over the next 10 years, a growth of 13%. Average salary is $60,050. The entry-level education needed is a Master’s degree.

My sense is that the numbers and pay of Instructional Designers is growing faster than the data that I’ve been able to Google. Every school that I know is trying to build their Instructional Design team. The competition for excellent Instructional Designers seems to be heating up.

Do you have some more numbers on Instructional Designers that you can share?

What is your experience recruiting Instructional Designers?

What is your experience on the job market if you are an Instructional Designer?