Source: https://deftridge.com/rates/learning-designer/united-states/ Title: L&D Designer hourly rate in the United States | Deftridge Summary: Learning & Development Designer pay in the United States: median wage $44 an hour, typical part-time contractor rate $75. United States · **Updated November 3, 2026** # Learning & Development Designer hourly rate in United States The market median wage for a Learning & Development Designer in the United States is **$44.50 an hour**. A senior part-time contractor typically receives **$75 an hour** on Deftridge. **$75/hr** typical contractor rate, senior **$44.50/hr** median wage **$32-61** middle half of wages **$1,630** a month at 5 hours a week ## Learning & Development Designer wage percentiles in United States Employee wages for the role. The yellow row is the median. | Percentile | Per hour | 5 h a week, per month | Full time, per year | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 10th | $24.90 | $540 | $51,800 | | 25th | $32.19 | $700 | $67,000 | | Median | $44.50 | $960 | $92,600 | | 75th | $61.06 | $1,320 | $127,000 | | 90th | $79.18 | $1,720 | $164,700 | Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025; aged to October 2026; about 436,610 people employed in the role. [How rates are built](https://deftridge.com/rates/methodology/). ## United States in numbers What sets the United States apart for a Learning & Development Designer, from the same sources as the table above. - **$59.05** highest median wage, District of Columbia - **$33.78** lowest median wage, Arkansas - **436,610** people employed in the role - **$76.91** median wage in the San Jose metro area, the highest in the country - **$35** country floor: no United States rate is published below it - Self-employment tax is 15.3%: 12.4% Social Security plus 2.9% Medicare; the employer-equivalent half is deductible in working out adjusted gross income. [Source](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/self-employment-tax-social-security-and-medicare-taxes) - For 2026 the first $184,500 of combined wages, tips and net self-employment earnings is subject to the Social Security part. [Source](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/self-employment-tax-social-security-and-medicare-taxes) ## What contractors receive The Deftridge rate for a Learning & Development Designer in the United States by level and by format. The company adds 15% on top; you keep all of the rate shown. | Level | Per hour | Per month at 5 h/week | | --- | --- | --- | | Senior | $75 | $1,630 | | Manager | $90 | $1,950 | - One-off task **$75** - Task bundle **$65** ## Learning & Development Designer pay by region in United States Typical contractor rate for a senior Learning & Development Designer, highest first; 9 of 51 places shown. | Place | Median wage | Contractor rate | | --- | --- | --- | | District of Columbia | $59.05 | $95 | | Wyoming | $58.34 | $95 | | California | $57.51 | $95 | | Washington | $55.53 | $90 | | Delaware | $55.46 | $90 | | Alaska | $52.44 | $85 | | New York | $51.78 | $85 | | Virginia | $51.18 | $85 | | Rhode Island | $50.76 | $85 | ## Highest-paying metro areas Median employee wage for the role in the metro area (BLS OEWS). - [San Jose $76.91/hr median wage · range $56-107](https://deftridge.com/rates/learning-designer/california/) - [San Francisco $72.86/hr median wage · range $47-100](https://deftridge.com/rates/learning-designer/california/) - [Casper $69.46/hr median wage · range $34-77](https://deftridge.com/rates/learning-designer/wyoming/) - [Seattle $62.09/hr median wage · range $46-83](https://deftridge.com/rates/learning-designer/washington/) - [Kennewick $60.54/hr median wage · range $40-89](https://deftridge.com/rates/learning-designer/washington/) - [Parkersburg $59.36/hr median wage · range $40-67](https://deftridge.com/rates/learning-designer/west-virginia/) - [Cheyenne $58.34/hr median wage · range $42-65](https://deftridge.com/rates/learning-designer/wyoming/) - [Sierra Vista $58.14/hr median wage · range $44-62](https://deftridge.com/rates/learning-designer/arizona/) - [Los Angeles $57.85/hr median wage · range $39-79](https://deftridge.com/rates/learning-designer/california/) - [Washington, D.C. $57.56/hr median wage · range $40-74](https://deftridge.com/rates/learning-designer/district-of-columbia/) ## Questions about pay, fees and privacy The same rules apply to every task, so they live on two pages: [Pricing](https://deftridge.com/pricing/) explains the 15% fee, prepayment and when you are paid; [How it works](https://deftridge.com/how-it-works/) covers matching, what a company sees and side work next to a job. [Learning & Development Designer rates in every country](https://deftridge.com/rates/learning-designer/) · [Learning & Development Designer jobs in United States](https://deftridge.com/jobs/learning-designer/united-states/) · [Methodology](https://deftridge.com/rates/methodology/)