Median pay for training specialists runs from $34,450 in Mayaguez to $120,020 in Dothan — a 3.48× range across 517 metropolitan areas. The national median of $69,280 sits inside that range but describes no particular market.
The top tenth of training specialists earn $123,250 or more; the bottom tenth earn under $38,760. That is a 3.18× gap within the same occupation, in the same year. A spread this wide means the job title is not what determines pay — specialisation, employer type, seniority or book of business is. Expect the early years to sit near the bottom of the band rather than the middle, and treat the $69,280 median as a waypoint, not a destination.
Dothan (AL) leads and Mayaguez (PR) trails, but the gap is modest. For a role like this the more useful comparison is not between cities but between the 10th and 90th percentile within one — see the band above.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dothan AL | $120,020 | $57.70 | 0.65 | 120 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $104,770 | $50.37 | 0.99 | 3,310 |
| Kennewick-Richland WA | $98,280 | $47.25 | 0.88 | 330 |
| Alaska nonmetropolitan area | $95,510 | $45.92 | 0.46 | 150 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $95,050 | $45.70 | 0.9 | 6,310 |
| Lexington Park MD | $94,440 | $45.41 | 1.08 | 220 |
| Casper WY | $94,070 | $45.23 | 0.83 | 100 |
| Decatur AL | $93,230 | $44.82 | 0.59 | 110 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $89,550 | $43.05 | 0.83 | 5,120 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury CT | $88,880 | $42.73 | 0.52 | 620 |
| Northeast Virginia nonmetropolitan area | $87,060 | $41.85 | 1.3 | 220 |
| Balance of Nevada nonmetropolitan area | $86,940 | $41.80 | 0.85 | 230 |
| Norwich-New London-Willimantic CT | $85,320 | $41.02 | 0.87 | 320 |
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater WA | $84,500 | $40.63 | 1.04 | 400 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $83,800 | $40.29 | 1.17 | 9,360 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard WA | $82,590 | $39.71 | 0.44 | 120 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $82,400 | $39.62 | 1.24 | 11,490 |
| Trenton-Princeton NJ | $82,070 | $39.46 | 1.04 | 740 |
| Southside Virginia nonmetropolitan area | $81,910 | $39.38 | 0.93 | 280 |
| Lake Charles LA | $80,550 | $38.72 | 0.41 | 120 |
| Arizona nonmetropolitan area | $79,990 | $38.46 | 1.03 | 300 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $79,840 | $38.39 | 0.79 | 22,190 |
| Carson City NV | $79,620 | $38.28 | 0.75 | 70 |
| Boulder CO | $79,420 | $38.19 | 1.27 | 720 |
| Parkersburg-Vienna WV | $79,290 | $38.12 | 0.64 | 70 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mayaguez PR | $34,450 | $16.56 | 0.38 | 60 |
| Arecibo PR | $35,360 | $17.00 | 0.46 | 50 |
| Decatur IL | $36,880 | $17.73 | 1.58 | 210 |
| East Arkansas nonmetropolitan area | $37,230 | $17.90 | 0.6 | 120 |
| Aguadilla PR | $39,210 | $18.85 | 0.38 | 50 |
| Laredo TX | $41,790 | $20.09 | 0.6 | 190 |
| Texarkana TX-AR | $42,830 | $20.59 | 0.67 | 110 |
| Odessa TX | $43,580 | $20.95 | 0.63 | 150 |
| West Arkansas nonmetropolitan area | $43,770 | $21.04 | 0.88 | 220 |
| Youngstown-Warren OH | $44,410 | $21.35 | 0.9 | 420 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Logan UT-ID | $51,760 | $24.89 | 2.15 | 420 |
| Rochester MN | $76,030 | $36.55 | 1.97 | 710 |
| Jacksonville NC | $59,190 | $28.46 | 1.76 | 270 |
| Raleigh-Cary NC | $67,560 | $32.48 | 1.75 | 3,830 |
| Pueblo CO | $64,350 | $30.94 | 1.74 | 320 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill NC | $74,530 | $35.83 | 1.63 | 1,650 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial CO | $79,000 | $37.98 | 1.61 | 7,660 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos TX | $71,710 | $34.48 | 1.59 | 6,060 |
| Decatur IL | $36,880 | $17.73 | 1.58 | 210 |
| Topeka KS | $64,470 | $31.00 | 1.55 | 530 |
| Fayetteville NC | $70,750 | $34.02 | 1.53 | 590 |
| Salem OR | $79,190 | $38.07 | 1.51 | 840 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $79,840 | $38.39 | 0.79 | 22,190 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $71,990 | $34.61 | 0.81 | 15,030 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $71,010 | $34.14 | 1.08 | 12,930 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $82,400 | $39.62 | 1.24 | 11,490 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $67,050 | $32.23 | 0.82 | 10,940 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA | $71,330 | $34.29 | 1.21 | 10,280 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler AZ | $66,710 | $32.07 | 1.42 | 9,910 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX | $62,630 | $30.11 | 0.99 | 9,630 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $83,800 | $40.29 | 1.17 | 9,360 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD | $76,710 | $36.88 | 0.93 | 7,980 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial CO | $79,000 | $37.98 | 1.61 | 7,660 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI | $78,430 | $37.71 | 1.14 | 6,580 |
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 13-1151. OEWS surveys employers, so it reports what is actually paid rather than what job advertisements claim, and it excludes the self-employed. Estimates cover 517 of 528 metropolitan areas — near-complete coverage, which means the ranges above are reliable rather than drawn from a handful of markets. Read the methodology.