Side-by-side distribution
Instructional Designer
$87,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 31.1%
- Live roles
- 302
Librarian
$72,250
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 59.8%
- Live roles
- 102
Highest-paying jobs
Instructional Designer
Senior Instructional Designer
Senior Learning Designer, Indian Languages
Senior Instructional Systems Designer (ISD)
Instructional Systems Designer
Learning Experience Designer
Learning Experience Designer
PSL&D Instructional Designer
Learning Experience Designer
Instructional Designer
Highest-paying jobs
Config Management Librarian 3
Software Engineer/Data Science Librarian
PART TIME POOL - LIBRARIAN
College Librarian and Director of Schaffer Library
PCB Designer / Altium Librarian
PCB Design Librarian III
Electrical Harness Connector Engineer / Librarian
Associate University Librarian, Archives and Special Collections
Librarian, Faculty
Sentinel - Engineering CAM/CAD Librarian (19224)
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Leidos
|
$115,888 | 6 |
Booz Allen Hamilton
|
$113,700 | 5 |
Esri
|
$91,000 | 5 |
| UO University of Wisconsin–Madison | $60,000 | 4 |
Anduril Industries
|
$123,000 | 3 |
BMO
|
$99,000 | 2 |
Loblaw
|
$80,750 | 2 |
Metropolis
|
$80,000 | 2 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| CC Chesterfield County Public Schools | $72,500 | 4 |
Washington University in St. Louis
|
$79,050 | 3 |
College of Southern Nevada
|
$75,600 | 3 |
The City of Fort Worth
|
$86,242 | 2 |
Wellesley College
|
$85,000 | 2 |
|
Austin Community College
|
$75,959 | 2 |
University of Pennsylvania
|
$74,414 | 2 |
| WP William Paterson University | $69,373 | 2 |
Instructional Designer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago | $102,500 | 3 |
| New York | $98,350 | 7 |
| Denver | $91,000 | 5 |
| Los Angeles | $82,500 | 3 |
Instructional Designer vs Librarian: which pays more?
The median for Instructional Designer is $87,000 per year (typically $70,050–$115,888), versus $72,250 for Librarian ($57,980–$85,000). That puts Instructional Designer about 20% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Instructional Designer and Librarian are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.