2017 Talent Development Compensation Report

In 2017, the median annual salary for someone in the talent development profession in the United States is between $80,000 - $89,999, according to new research from the Association for Talent Development (ATD).

ATD Research surveyed 1,230 talent development professionals who work full time at all employment levels across the United States. 

Key findings in the report, How Does Your Pay Stack Up? 2017 Talent Development Compensation, Benefits, and Job Seeker Report are:

• One in four respondents held at least a four-year college degree and just over half had a master’s degree, doctorate, or professional degree.

• 70 percent of talent develop professionals are women.

• Median salary for talent development professionals in the U.S. is between $80,000 and $89,999. In 2015, ATD found the median salary to be between $70,000 and $79,999. More participants earned more than $120,000 in the 2017 Study than in the 2015 report.

• 84 percent of talent development professionals received a raise in the last 12 months, typically between 2 and 4 percent. 

• Only 13 percent of talent development professionals were actively looking for a new job, but another 65 percent were open to new opportunities.

• Regardless of whether talent development professionals were actively looking for a job, almost all respondents engaged in some type of career development activity. The top three sources of skill development were reading industry literature (84 percent), joining a professional association (83 percent), and attending industry conferences and events (75 percent).

• The most valued benefits were retirement benefits, paid time off, and healthcare benefits, which almost all employers currently provide.

The compensation and benefits analysis in this report empowers talent development professionals to benchmark personal earnings and benefits and enables organizations to evaluate their offerings.

More information about this research can be found on the ATD store.