How much does an employee relations manager make?

The average employee relations manager salary in the United States is $81,465. Employee relations manager salaries typically range between $59,000 and $112,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for employee relations managers is $39.17 per hour. Employee relations manager salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Employee relations managers earn the highest average salary in Washington.

Employee relations manager salary

Q: What state pays Employee Relations Managers the most?

Washington pays Employee Relations Managers the most in the United States, with an average salary of $102,729 per year, or $49.39 per hour.

Q: How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as an employee relations manager?

You know if you are being paid fairly as an employee relations manager if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in California you should be paid close to $96,289 per year.

Average employee relations manager salary

$81,465

$39.17 hourly rate

Entry-level employee relations manager salary

$59,000 yearly salary

Updated December 15, 2025

Understanding Employee Relations Manager Salaries

The role of an Employee Relations Manager is crucial in fostering a positive work environment. As of October 2025, the average salary for this position stands at $81,465 annually, translating to approximately $39 per hour. Salaries for Employee Relations Managers can vary significantly based on factors such as location, industry, and experience.

Salary by State

In particular, states like California and New York often offer higher salaries, reflecting the cost of living and demand for skilled professionals in these regions. Exploring the salary landscape can guide prospective employees in making informed career choices.

Industry Impact

Industries such as technology and healthcare tend to provide better compensation packages, making them attractive sectors for Employee Relations Managers. Understanding these dynamics is essential for job seekers aiming to maximize their earning potential.

Conclusion

As the workplace evolves, Employee Relations Managers play a vital role in managing employee satisfaction and organizational culture. Leveraging data on salaries and industry trends can significantly enhance your career trajectory.

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Employee relations manager salary by:

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Where can an Employee Relations Manager earn more?

Compare salary by location

124k

104k

84k

64k

44k

Columbus, OH$106,415

Colorado Springs, CO$74,228

Compare salary by company

150k

130k

110k

90k

70k

Meta$136,079

Grant Thornton$99,785

Employee relations manager salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Indeed, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter, SalaryExpert, Comparably and Payscale, the average salary for an employee relations manager typically falls between $79,331 and $126,517.

zippia

$81,465yearly

glassdoor[1]

$113,129yearly

indeed[2]

$79,331yearly

comparably[3]

$108,877yearly

Salary.com[4]

$124,084yearly

ZipRecruiter[5]

$106,250yearly

payscale[6]

$86,875yearly

SalaryExpert[7]

$126,517yearly

Average employee relations manager salary by state

The highest-paying states for employee relations managers are Washington, California, and New York. The lowest average employee relations manager salary states are Wisconsin, Kentucky, and Florida.

State view
County view

Average salary:

Highest paying states for employee relations managers

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Washington	$102,729	$49.39
2	New York	$92,490	$44.47
3	Massachusetts	$91,285	$43.89
4	Arizona	$90,740	$43.63
5	Nevada	$87,768	$42.20
6	California	$96,289	$46.29
7	North Carolina	$85,650	$41.18
8	Minnesota	$89,529	$43.04
9	Rhode Island	$83,194	$40.00
10	Texas	$80,046	$38.48
11	Virginia	$84,970	$40.85
12	Ohio	$79,160	$38.06
13	Connecticut	$81,635	$39.25
14	Pennsylvania	$76,637	$36.84
15	Utah	$78,107	$37.55
16	Alaska	$79,994	$38.46
17	Delaware	$81,030	$38.96
18	Iowa	$79,373	$38.16
19	Illinois	$78,174	$37.58
20	Maryland	$82,202	$39.52
21	Oregon	$77,877	$37.44
22	Missouri	$78,475	$37.73
23	Montana	$79,933	$38.43
24	New Jersey	$78,515	$37.75
25	Maine	$78,337	$37.66
26	West Virginia	$74,401	$35.77
27	Arkansas	$72,352	$34.78
28	Wyoming	$76,122	$36.60
29	Alabama	$75,152	$36.13
30	North Dakota	$75,336	$36.22
31	New Mexico	$76,497	$36.78
32	Colorado	$74,060	$35.61
33	District of Columbia	$71,334	$34.30
34	Georgia	$71,709	$34.48
35	New Hampshire	$73,191	$35.19
36	Tennessee	$70,712	$34.00
37	Indiana	$70,899	$34.09
38	Idaho	$73,698	$35.43
39	Kansas	$71,325	$34.29
40	Oklahoma	$71,553	$34.40
41	South Dakota	$70,579	$33.93
42	Vermont	$70,492	$33.89
43	Michigan	$66,416	$31.93
44	Florida	$63,729	$30.64
45	Wisconsin	$66,038	$31.75
46	Kentucky	$65,619	$31.55
47	Mississippi	$69,140	$33.24
48	Nebraska	$67,294	$32.35
49	South Carolina	$61,625	$29.63
50	Hawaii	$62,676	$30.13
51	Louisiana	$61,382	$29.51

Top employee relations manager jobs near you

Highest paying cities for employee relations managers

The highest-paying cities for employee relations managers are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and New York, NY.

Rank	City	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	San Francisco, CA	$106,415	$51.16
2	Seattle, WA	$103,624	$49.82
3	New York, NY	$92,564	$44.50
4	Boston, MA	$91,383	$43.93
5	Phoenix, AZ	$91,024	$43.76
6	Minneapolis, MN	$89,495	$43.03
7	Raleigh, NC	$86,390	$41.53
8	Arlington, VA	$85,855	$41.28
9	Baltimore, MD	$82,344	$39.59
10	Juneau, AK	$80,958	$38.92
11	Dallas, TX	$80,635	$38.77
12	Cleveland, OH	$79,994	$38.46
13	Columbia, MO	$78,594	$37.79
14	Portland, ME	$78,568	$37.77
15	Chicago, IL	$78,429	$37.71
16	Portland, OR	$77,976	$37.49
17	Salt Lake City, UT	$77,765	$37.39
18	Philadelphia, PA	$76,917	$36.98
19	Huntsville, AL	$76,365	$36.71
20	Colorado Springs, CO	$74,228	$35.69

Employee relations manager salary details

An employee relations manager's salary ranges from $59,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $112,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average employee relations manager salary graph, trends, and summary

What is an employee relations manager's salary?

Percentile	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate
90th Percentile	$112,000	$9,333	$54
75th Percentile	$96,000	$8,000	$46
Average	$81,465	$6,789	$39
25th Percentile	$68,000	$5,667	$33
10th Percentile	$59,000	$4,917	$28

Highest paying employee relations manager jobs

The highest paying types of employee relations managers are human resources vice president, director of talent acquisition, and recruitment director.

Job title	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
Director Of Talent Acquisition	$133,745	$11,145	$64.30	20,124
Recruitment Director	$114,841	$9,570	$55.21	10,574
Human Resources Vice President	$169,647	$14,137	$81.56	74,729
Human Resource Officer	$89,540	$7,462	$43.05	101,221
Human Resource Advisor	$78,852	$6,571	$37.91	84,607
Human Resources Consultant	$71,882	$5,990	$34.56	52,761

Top companies hiring employee relations managers now:

Which companies pay employee relations managers the most?

Employee relations manager salaries at Meta and McKinsey & Company Inc are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average employee relations manager salary at companies like Amazon and Chewy are highly competitive.

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Meta	$136,079	$65.42
2	McKinsey & Company Inc	$122,295	$58.80
3	Amazon	$122,291	$58.79
4	Chewy	$120,568	$57.97
5	The Walt Disney Company	$119,064	$57.24
6	Salesforce	$112,756	$54.21
7	AIG	$112,113	$53.90
8	Bristol-Myers Squibb	$112,019	$53.86
9	Visa	$108,069	$51.96
10	The Free Press	$106,260	$51.09
11	Microsoft	$105,966	$50.95
12	Nike	$103,745	$49.88
13	Vonage	$102,746	$49.40
14	Oriental Trading	$101,894	$48.99
15	Stripe	$101,157	$48.63
16	National Geographic	$100,792	$48.46
17	General Motors	$100,246	$48.20
18	Spirit Airlines	$99,935	$48.05
19	J.P. Morgan	$99,901	$48.03
20	Grant Thornton	$99,785	$47.97

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$85,000$83,800$82,600$81,400$80,200$79,000

MaleFemale

Employee Relations Manager salary by industry

The average employee relations manager salary varies across industries:

The average employee relations manager salary in the retail industry is $87,349, the highest of any industry.
The average employee relations manager salary in the finance industry is $84,636.
Employee relations managers in the non profits industry earn an average salary of $75,214, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for employee relations managers

Rank	Industry	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Retail	$87,349	$41.99
2	Manufacturing	$84,636	$40.69
3	Professional	$80,740	$38.82
4	Technology	$78,975	$37.97
5	Health Care	$76,630	$36.84
6	Hospitality	$76,393	$36.73
7	Non Profits	$75,214	$36.16

High paying employee relations manager jobs

Employee relations manager salary trends

The average employee relations manager salary has risen by $14,845 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average employee relations manager earned $66,620 annually, but today, they earn $81,465 a year. That works out to a 13% change in pay for employee relations managers over the last decade.

Compare employee relations manager salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average employee relations manager salary over time

Compare employee relations manager salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Employee relations manager salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2025	$81,500	$39.17	+3.7%
2024	$78,400	$37.71	+2.9%
2023	$76,100	$36.61	+2.8%
2022	$74,000	$35.58	+2.9%
2021	$71,800	$34.54	+2.3%

Recently added employee relations manager salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date added	Salary
Chanel	Manager, Employee Relations	New York, NY	06/30/2025	$69,000
Charles River Associates	Employee Relations Manager (Contract)	Washington, DC	06/29/2025	$95,000
Uc Health	MGR Employee Relations	Colorado Springs, CO	06/28/2025	$99,279
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research	Government Relations Manager	Washington, DC	06/28/2025	$94,000
Western Nevada College	Employee Relations Manager	Carson City, NV	06/28/2025	$94,881
Amazon.com, Inc.	Employee Relations Manager, Employee Experience and Relations	Albany, NY	06/27/2025	$114,600
Uchealth	MGR Employee Relations	Colorado Springs, CO	06/27/2025	$99,279
Amazon	Employee Relations Manager, Amzl	Cicero, IL	06/26/2025	$114,600
Renaissance	Employee Relations Manager	Burlington, VT	06/26/2025	$109,500
Renaissance	Employee Relations Manager	Louisville, KY	06/26/2025	$109,500

Employee relations manager salary FAQs

What state pays Employee Relations Managers the most?

How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as an employee relations manager?

Have more questions? See all answers to common executive management questions.

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Updated December 15, 2025

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