Business and Financial Operations Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 13-1151

Training and Development Specialists

The published band from $38,760 to $123,250 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Financial and Investment Analysts.

Same-major-group titles next to Training and Development Specialists: Financial and Investment Analysts ($103K) , Compliance Officers ($81K) , Management Analysts ($102K) , Accountants and Auditors ($84K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Training and Development Specialists publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 13-1151 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Present information with a variety of instructional techniques or formats, such as role playing, simulations, team exercises, group discu…
  2. 2. Obtain, organize, or develop training procedure manuals, guides, or course materials, such as handouts or visual materials
  3. 3. Evaluate modes of training delivery, such as in-person or virtual, to optimize training effectiveness, training costs, or environmental i…
  4. 4. Offer specific training programs to help workers maintain or improve job skills
  5. 5. Assess training needs through surveys, interviews with employees, focus groups, or consultation with managers, instructors, or customer r…
  6. 6. Monitor, evaluate, or record training activities or program effectiveness
  7. 7. Design, plan, organize, or direct orientation and training programs for employees or customers
  8. 8. Develop alternative training methods if expected improvements are not seen
  9. 9. Evaluate training materials prepared by instructors, such as outlines, text, or handouts
  10. 10. Monitor training costs and prepare budget reports to justify expenditures
  11. 11. Devise programs to develop executive potential among employees in lower-level positions
  12. 12. Keep up with developments in area of expertise by reading current journals, books, or magazine articles

Training and Development Specialists: O*NET ranks Speaking first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 13-1151 - lead skill Speaking at 4.4 ; lead knowledge Education and Training. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Speaking 4.4
  2. 2. Instructing 4.4
  3. 3. Learning Strategies 4.1
  4. 4. Active Listening 4.0
  5. 5. Social Perceptiveness 4.0
  6. 6. Reading Comprehension 3.9
  7. 7. Writing 3.9
  8. 8. Critical Thinking 3.9

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Education and Training 4.7
  2. 2. Customer and Personal Service 4.0
  3. 3. English Language 3.8
  4. 4. Personnel and Human Resources 3.5
  5. 5. Administration and Management 3.5
  6. 6. Psychology 3.4
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$38,760 to $123,250
median $69,280 · ~3.2× spread
$69K
National median
↑ +11%
Growth 2024-2034
43,900
Annual openings
458,300
Estimated US jobs
Financial and Investment Analysts
Highest-pay peer · $103K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Bachelor's degree
Related experience Less than 5 years

Top Paying States for Training and Development Specialists

The OEWS band for Training and Development Specialists runs from $38,760 (10th) to $123,250 (90th), about 3.2× wide, with median $69,280. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +11% change between 2024 and 2034 (much faster than average vs baseline 3.1%). About 43,900 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as typical education needed for entry and less than 5 years as the typical related-work-experience category. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Alaska at $81,860. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Financial and Investment Analysts at $102,740. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Training and Development Specialists pay-rank #26 in Business and Financial Operations Occupations

On the Business and Financial Operations Occupations median table (32 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Training and Development Specialists lands at #26, in the lower third. That rank is a table position, not a statement about individual workers.

Other lower-third titles · closest medians

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Training and Development Specialists land on the Business and Financial Operations Occupations median table?
Training and Development Specialists is pay-rank #26 of 32 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Property Appraisers and Assessors ($68K), Fundraisers ($73K), Human Resources Specialists ($76K), Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue Agents ($62K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do training and development specialists do day to day?
O*NET lists published task statements for Training and Development Specialists. Leading ones include: Present information with a variety of instructional techniques or formats, such as role playing, simulations, team exercises, group discu…; Obtain, organize, or develop training procedure manuals, guides, or course materials, such as handouts or visual materials; Evaluate modes of training delivery, such as in-person or virtual, to optimize training effectiveness, training costs, or environmental i…; Offer specific training programs to help workers maintain or improve job skills. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for training and development specialists?
For SOC 13-1151, O*NET importance scores lead with Speaking (4.4), Instructing (4.4), Learning Strategies (4.1), Active Listening (4.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Education and Training, Customer and Personal Service, English Language. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Training and Development Specialists?
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $38,760 and the 90th at $123,250 for Training and Development Specialists (3.2× spread). The national median is $69,280. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Training and Development Specialists?
The 2024-2034 projection for Training and Development Specialists is +11%. Projected annual openings: about 43,900. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: much faster than average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Training and Development Specialists?
BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Training and Development Specialists. Related-work-experience category: less than 5 years. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Training and Development Specialists?
Alaska ($81,860), New Hampshire ($86,050), Delaware ($88,570) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Training and Development Specialists card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 13-1151. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Training and Development Specialists. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics