How much do learning and development managers make in 2026?
Learning and development managers are counted in the BLS training and development managers series, where OEWS May 2025 puts the national median at $133,000 a year ($63.94 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $79,550 and the top 10% at $233,600. This is a small series of 48,050 people, and a disclosure belongs up front: it pools this title with training manager, and most employers use the two interchangeably. The split used on this site is by emphasis. Training management centres on delivery, qualification and auditable compliance; learning and development, as covered here, centres on capability — leadership and management development, skills strategy and internal mobility, coaching and mentoring programmes, career frameworks, succession-linked development and the culture of learning that determines whether any of it is used. That work is closer to organisational development than to course delivery, and it is judged on different evidence: internal fill rates, manager effectiveness, retention of high performers and time to proficiency. Pay follows organisational scale, the seniority of the populations developed, and whether the role sets strategy or executes someone else's. Employment is projected to grow 5.8% through 2034 with roughly 3,800 openings a year. → Full learning and development manager career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $133,000 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Learning and Development Managers earn a national median $133,000/yr ($63.94/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 11-3131); the P10 to P90 range is $79,550 to $233,600.
- The $133,000 median comes from a small 48,050-person BLS series that pools learning and development managers with training managers; most employers use the titles interchangeably.
- This page covers the capability side — leadership development, skills strategy, internal mobility, coaching and career frameworks — while the companion training manager page covers delivery and compliance.
- L&D is judged on internal fill rates, manager effectiveness, high-performer retention and time to proficiency rather than on course completions, and pay follows the seniority of the populations developed.
US Learning and Development Manager Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do learning and development managers earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 11-3131; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 11-3131, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a learning and development manager earn at each career stage?
L&D pay follows organisational scale, the seniority of the populations developed and strategic ownership. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 11-3131, a small series pooling training and learning leadership.
By State
Which states pay learning and development managers the most in 2026?
State figures are modeled estimates — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers salary-calculator state wage index — not BLS state observations. Capability-focused L&D roles concentrate in larger organisations with the headcount to justify structured development, so employer scale and sector explain far more of the pay variation than state wage levels do.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($152,950), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay learning and development managers the most?
Metro figures are modeled — national median times state wage index times published metro index — not BLS MSA observations. Headquarters metros host the leadership populations that enterprise development programmes are built for, which is where these roles sit.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a learning and development manager’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does learning and development manager pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Learning and Development Managers sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify learning and development manager wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a learning and development manager actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Learning and Development Manager Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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