Average Employee Development Specialist Salary in Washington D.C., United States for 2025

In this article, we will look at the average Employee Development Specialist salary for 2025 in Washington D.C. and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the United States dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the USD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does an Employee Development Specialist Make in Washington D.C.?

An Employee Development Specialist working in Washington D.C. will typically earn around 109,000 USD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 54,700 USD to the highest average salary of 166,600 USD.

Average Annual Salary109,000 USD
Average Monthly Salary9,083 USD
Average Lowest Salary54,700 USD
Lowest Monthly Salary4,558 USD
Average Highest Salary166,600 USD
Highest Monthly Salary13,883 USD

These are average salaries for an Employee Development Specialist in Washington D.C. and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for an Employee Development Specialist to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Employee Development Specialist salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Employee Development Specialist Salaries in Washington D.C.

So we've looked at the average salaries an Employee Development Specialist will earn in Washington D.C.. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that an Employee Development Specialist can earn between 54,700 USD and 166,600 USD on average in Washington D.C.. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for an Employee Development Specialist in Washington D.C. is 107,300 USD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 107,300 USD, and 50% of the population earn more than 107,300 USD.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Employee Development Specialist salary in Washington D.C., 25% of the population are earning less than 73,500 USD while 75% of the population earn more than 73,500 USD.

75% of the population earn less than 134,100 USD, and 25% of the population earn more than 134,100 USD.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Employee Development Specialist Salary by Experience Level in Washington D.C.

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average Employee Development Specialist salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. An Employee Development Specialist in Washington D.C. that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 63,100 USD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Employee Development Specialist salary would increase to 79,500 USD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as an Employee Development Specialist, the average salary would be 114,600 USD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 137,100 USD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. An Employee Development Specialist with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 146,900 USD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For an Employee Development Specialist with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 160,700 USD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years-
63,100 USD
2-5 Years+31%
79,500 USD
5-10 Years+40%
114,600 USD
10-15 Years+20%
137,100 USD
15-20 Years+9%
146,900 USD
20+ Years+8%
160,700 USD

Employee Development Specialist Salary by Education Level in Washington D.C.

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for an Employee Development Specialist in Washington D.C. based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • Bachelor's Degree. An Employee Development Specialist in Washington D.C. with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 76,000 USD.
  • Master's Degree. An Employee Development Specialist in Washington D.C. with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 137,100 USD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

Bachelor's Degree-
76,000 USD
Master's Degree+77%
137,100 USD

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in United States is around 39,500 to 118,000 USD and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Employee Development Specialist Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In Washington D.C., a male employee development specialist will earn an average of 107,300 USD, while a female employee development specialist will earn around 103,600 USD.

This means that a male employee development specialist earns approximately 4% more than a female employee development specialist for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Washington D.C.

Male-
107,300 USD
Female-4%
103,600 USD

Employee Development Specialist Average Pay Raise in Washington D.C.

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for an Employee Development Specialist in Washington D.C. is around 11% every 17 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in United States is around 8% every 16 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 11 ÷ 17 ) × 12  = 8%

What this means is that an Employee Development Specialist in Washington D.C. can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 8% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Washington D.C. for 2025

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in United States.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking-
4%
Energy-
8%
Information Technology-
3%
Healthcare-
7%
Travel-
2%
Construction-
6%
Education-
1%

Employee Development Specialist Bonus and Incentive Rates in Washington D.C.

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

An Employee Development Specialist is a moderate bonus based job, with 57% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

43% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 6%.

Received Bonus-
57%
No Bonus-
43%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in United States earn approximately 6% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector-
98,800 USD
Private Sector-6%
93,100 USD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to an Employee Development Specialist

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to an Employee Development Specialist in Washington D.C..

Job TitleCategorySalary
Benefits AdministratorHuman Resources63,700 USD
Benefits AnalystHuman Resources75,100 USD
Benefits ManagerHuman Resources121,800 USD
Benefits SpecialistHuman Resources74,700 USD
Chief Human Resources OfficerHuman Resources152,900 USD
Chief People OfficerHuman Resources152,700 USD
Compensation AnalystHuman Resources71,900 USD
Compensation ManagerHuman Resources127,600 USD
Compensation and Benefits ManagerHuman Resources127,600 USD
Compensation and Benefits OfficerHuman Resources53,800 USD
Compensation and Benefits SpecialistHuman Resources74,700 USD
Corporate Director of Human ResourcesHuman Resources160,700 USD
Corporate RecruiterHuman Resources100,700 USD
Corporate TrainerHuman Resources76,000 USD
Director of Talent AcquisitionHuman Resources152,900 USD
Employee Benefits AdministratorHuman Resources87,700 USD
Employee Benefits ConsultantHuman Resources114,900 USD
Employee Benefits CoordinatorHuman Resources45,600 USD
Employee Communications ManagerHuman Resources107,300 USD
Employee Engagement SpecialistHuman Resources107,700 USD
Employee Health and Wellness AdministratorHuman Resources98,100 USD
Employee Performance SpecialistHuman Resources80,700 USD
Employee Relations AnalystHuman Resources107,300 USD
Employee Relations ManagerHuman Resources105,800 USD
Employee Relations PractitionerHuman Resources107,700 USD
Employee Relations RepresentativeHuman Resources79,600 USD
Employee Relations SpecialistHuman Resources100,400 USD
Employee Services ManagerHuman Resources109,000 USD
Employee Services SpecialistHuman Resources102,700 USD
Employee Wellness OfficerHuman Resources80,800 USD
Employment Advice WorkerHuman Resources46,700 USD
Employment InterviewerHuman Resources70,700 USD
Employment Relations OfficerHuman Resources48,600 USD
Employment Service SpecialistHuman Resources60,700 USD
Employment Services CoordinatorHuman Resources73,100 USD
Enrollment CounselorHuman Resources100,700 USD
Equal Opportunity RepresentativeHuman Resources78,200 USD
Executive Human Capital ManagementHuman Resources151,800 USD
Executive RecruiterHuman Resources102,700 USD
Expatriate Administration ManagerHuman Resources105,200 USD
Expatriate Administration SupervisorHuman Resources72,000 USD
Global Mobility ManagerHuman Resources130,500 USD
HRIS AnalystHuman Resources58,600 USD
HRIS ManagerHuman Resources95,000 USD
HRIS OfficerHuman Resources48,600 USD
HRIS SupervisorHuman Resources51,100 USD
Head of Human ResourcesHuman Resources151,800 USD
HeadhunterHuman Resources112,700 USD
Health Benefits CoordinatorHuman Resources60,800 USD
Human Resources Administration SpecialistHuman Resources58,600 USD
Human Resources Administrative AssistantHuman Resources45,000 USD
Human Resources Administrative CoordinatorHuman Resources62,100 USD
Human Resources AdministratorHuman Resources64,300 USD
Human Resources AdvisorHuman Resources100,700 USD
Human Resources AnalystHuman Resources92,400 USD
Human Resources AssessorHuman Resources58,100 USD
Human Resources AssistantHuman Resources39,800 USD
Human Resources Assistant ManagerHuman Resources116,400 USD
Human Resources AssociateHuman Resources39,600 USD
Human Resources ConsultantHuman Resources118,900 USD
Human Resources CoordinatorHuman Resources44,500 USD
Human Resources Data Analytics ManagerHuman Resources88,300 USD
Human Resources Deputy Manager Human Resources118,900 USD
Human Resources Development ManagerHuman Resources130,500 USD
Human Resources DirectorHuman Resources157,600 USD
Human Resources ExecutiveHuman Resources100,700 USD
Human Resources GeneralistHuman Resources80,800 USD
Human Resources ManagerHuman Resources146,900 USD
Human Resources OfficerHuman Resources60,000 USD
Human Resources RecruiterHuman Resources109,000 USD
Human Resources RepresentativeHuman Resources57,800 USD
Human Resources Section HeadHuman Resources103,600 USD
Human Resources Services ManagerHuman Resources130,400 USD
Human Resources SpecialistHuman Resources78,500 USD
Human Resources SuperintendentHuman Resources55,200 USD
Human Resources Training ExecutiveHuman Resources107,300 USD
Human Resources Vice PresidentHuman Resources148,300 USD
Industrial Organizational PsychologistHuman Resources127,600 USD
Job Evaluation SpecialistHuman Resources105,800 USD
Labor Relations DirectorHuman Resources116,400 USD
Labor Relations ManagerHuman Resources118,900 USD
Labor Relations SpecialistHuman Resources58,700 USD
Learning and Development ManagerHuman Resources125,400 USD
Occupational Health and Safety OfficerHuman Resources53,800 USD
Organizational Development ConsultantHuman Resources118,900 USD
Organizational Development ManagerHuman Resources134,700 USD
Organizational Development SpecialistHuman Resources69,700 USD
Payroll AssistantHuman Resources49,700 USD
Payroll SupervisorHuman Resources60,500 USD
People Development OfficerHuman Resources77,300 USD
Personnel OfficerHuman Resources43,200 USD
Personnel RecruiterHuman Resources103,600 USD
Records ClerkHuman Resources39,800 USD
Records ManagerHuman Resources64,200 USD
RecruiterHuman Resources103,600 USD
Recruiting CoordinatorHuman Resources57,800 USD
Recruiting ManagerHuman Resources137,100 USD
Recruitment ConsultantHuman Resources103,600 USD
Recruitment OfficerHuman Resources57,200 USD
Recruitment SupervisorHuman Resources89,300 USD
Research AssociateHuman Resources49,300 USD
SAP Resource ManagerHuman Resources108,200 USD
Talent Acquisition ManagerHuman Resources142,300 USD
Talent Acquisition SpecialistHuman Resources86,300 USD
Talent Management OfficerHuman Resources62,600 USD
Technical RecruiterHuman Resources64,200 USD
Training AdministratorHuman Resources58,600 USD
Training ExecutiveHuman Resources123,000 USD
Training ManagerHuman Resources127,700 USD
Training OfficerHuman Resources54,100 USD
Training SpecialistHuman Resources78,100 USD
Training and Development ManagerHuman Resources127,600 USD
Training and Development Section HeadHuman Resources105,200 USD

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in United States, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

CityAverage Salary
Atlanta92,900 USD
Austin108,200 USD
Baltimore103,600 USD
Boston109,700 USD
Bristol85,100 USD
Chicago114,300 USD
Cincinnati91,000 USD
Cleveland87,400 USD
Dallas118,900 USD
Denver112,700 USD
Detroit109,000 USD
Honolulu87,200 USD
Houston116,400 USD
Indianapolis105,800 USD
Iowa City81,900 USD
Jacksonville107,700 USD
Kansas City99,700 USD
Kent82,300 USD
Las Vegas99,900 USD
Long Beach100,900 USD
Los Angeles123,000 USD
Memphis102,700 USD
Miami95,500 USD
Minneapolis96,000 USD
New Orleans95,500 USD
New York117,100 USD
Oakland93,200 USD
Oklahoma City107,300 USD
Orlando87,900 USD
Philadelphia123,000 USD
Phoenix114,300 USD
Sacramento99,900 USD
San Antonio114,300 USD
San Diego119,700 USD
San Francisco114,600 USD
San Jose111,700 USD
Seattle109,000 USD
Tampa93,800 USD
Vancouver86,800 USD

Salary Comparison by State

The table below includes links to the average salary for each state in United States.

StateAverage Salary
Alabama109,700 USD
Alaska90,300 USD
Arizona112,700 USD
Arkansas98,800 USD
California116,400 USD
Colorado109,000 USD
Connecticut99,900 USD
Delaware97,200 USD
District of Columbia89,800 USD
Florida114,900 USD
Georgia115,600 USD
Hawaii92,600 USD
Idaho99,100 USD
Illinois109,700 USD
Indiana109,000 USD
Iowa105,200 USD
Kansas99,600 USD
Kentucky105,800 USD
Louisiana97,300 USD
Maine95,500 USD
Maryland112,700 USD
Massachusetts105,800 USD
Michigan114,900 USD
Minnesota100,700 USD
Mississippi99,900 USD
Missouri111,700 USD
Montana93,200 USD
Nebraska97,300 USD
Nevada94,200 USD
New Hampshire95,500 USD
New Jersey116,400 USD
New Mexico95,200 USD
New York115,600 USD
North Carolina107,700 USD
North Dakota91,700 USD
Ohio115,600 USD
Oklahoma99,700 USD
Oregon105,200 USD
Pennsylvania109,700 USD
Rhode Island92,500 USD
South Carolina109,000 USD
South Dakota90,600 USD
Tennessee108,200 USD
Texas111,700 USD
Utah99,600 USD
Vermont93,100 USD
Virginia109,000 USD
Washington112,700 USD
West Virginia92,900 USD
Wisconsin107,300 USD
Wyoming93,800 USD

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