Human Resources Specialists pay in the U.S.
$81,990avg. a year
$39.42 an hour · 912,430 employed
Human Resources Specialists in the U.S. earn an average of $81,990 a year and a median of $75,940. Pay is highest in District of Columbia ($116,020) and lowest in Arkansas ($62,410).
$75,940Median pay
$39.42Average hourly
+18%Avg. pay since 2020
912,430Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for human resources specialists
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
16,910 jobs
District of Columbia
$116,020
$55.78 an hour
227,300 jobs
Massachusetts
$95,400
$45.87 an hour
3104,000 jobs
California
$95,180
$45.76 an hour
454,610 jobs
New York
$95,040
$45.69 an hour
522,770 jobs
Washington
$94,000
$45.19 an hour
615,530 jobs
Maryland
$92,180
$44.32 an hour
79,010 jobs
Connecticut
$90,080
$43.31 an hour
828,540 jobs
Virginia
$89,620
$43.09 an hour
921,690 jobs
New Jersey
$89,170
$42.87 an hour
1019,450 jobs
Colorado
$88,440
$42.52 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Human Resources Specialists pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL
Under $74k$74k–$77k$77k–$84k$84k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $122,290 | $58.79 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $113,530 | $54.58 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $105,580 | $50.76 |
| Lexington Park, MD | $104,240 | $50.11 |
| Boulder, CO | $99,420 | $47.80 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $99,220 | $47.70 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $98,100 | $47.16 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $96,840 | $46.56 |
Related jobs
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Human Resources Specialists pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $72,590 | $64,940 | 11,080 |
| Alaska | $80,410 | $76,990 | 1,420 |
| Arizona | $76,500 | $71,390 | 20,230 |
| Arkansas | $62,410 | $55,010 | 6,230 |
| California | $95,180 | $83,500 | 104,000 |
| Colorado | $88,440 | $80,840 | 19,450 |
| Connecticut | $90,080 | $82,890 | 9,010 |
| Delaware | $85,230 | $77,700 | 2,720 |
| District of Columbia | $116,020 | $110,970 | 6,910 |
| Florida | $74,610 | $66,410 | 62,730 |
| Georgia | $77,570 | $70,570 | 32,110 |
| Hawaii | $77,320 | $73,750 | 2,570 |
| Idaho | $70,070 | $64,990 | 3,930 |
| Illinois | $81,480 | $76,820 | 35,430 |
| Indiana | $72,550 | $65,600 | 17,110 |
| Iowa | $73,850 | $66,710 | 7,930 |
| Kansas | $76,590 | $70,870 | 7,560 |
| Kentucky | $72,970 | $69,010 | 10,900 |
| Louisiana | $66,370 | $61,300 | 7,240 |
| Maine | $75,140 | $71,630 | 3,020 |
| Maryland | $92,180 | $83,910 | 15,530 |
| Massachusetts | $95,400 | $85,630 | 27,300 |
| Michigan | $75,250 | $69,520 | 25,520 |
| Minnesota | $83,970 | $78,760 | 17,240 |
| Mississippi | $68,360 | $60,300 | 4,850 |
| Missouri | $74,670 | $66,990 | 17,650 |
| Montana | $71,430 | $63,790 | 2,340 |
| Nebraska | $67,010 | $61,930 | 7,220 |
| Nevada | $79,260 | $71,610 | 6,520 |
| New Hampshire | $78,500 | $70,840 | 4,270 |
| New Jersey | $89,170 | $80,690 | 21,690 |
| New Mexico | $75,140 | $68,050 | 4,090 |
| New York | $95,040 | $84,380 | 54,610 |
| North Carolina | $79,450 | $73,070 | 31,140 |
| North Dakota | $79,210 | $75,630 | 1,710 |
| Ohio | $76,230 | $70,180 | 33,500 |
| Oklahoma | $67,900 | $61,630 | 9,370 |
| Oregon | $84,550 | $78,060 | 10,620 |
| Pennsylvania | $77,290 | $70,450 | 36,960 |
| Rhode Island | $82,250 | $77,560 | 3,320 |
| South Carolina | $74,710 | $65,370 | 13,720 |
| South Dakota | $74,450 | $67,590 | 1,340 |
| Tennessee | $73,590 | $67,370 | 21,460 |
| Texas | $74,920 | $68,920 | 84,930 |
| Utah | $77,610 | $71,750 | 9,900 |
| Vermont | $80,760 | $77,800 | 1,270 |
| Virginia | $89,620 | $82,090 | 28,540 |
| Washington | $94,000 | $84,550 | 22,770 |
| West Virginia | $74,040 | $66,860 | 3,130 |
| Wisconsin | $74,310 | $70,540 | 17,360 |
| Wyoming | $74,990 | $66,970 | 1,000 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$98,100
52,370 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$89,780
36,850 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX$75,220
29,190 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$83,190
26,470 jobsWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV$105,580
24,450 jobsBoston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$96,840
21,770 jobsAtlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA$81,320
20,920 jobsHouston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX$77,120
18,320 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do human resources specialists make?
The average is $81,990 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $75,940 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $39.42, and the median is $36.51 an hour.
Which state pays human resources specialists the most?
District of Columbia, with an average of $116,020 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $122,290.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $47,180 a year, and the top 10% earn over $128,720.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 13-1071. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.