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Updated April 6, 2023

Human Resource Specialist Salary Estimate

$53,143

$25.55 hourly

Entry level Salary
$36,000 yearly

How much does a Human Resource Specialist make?

The average salary for a human resource specialist in the United States is $53,143. Human resource specialist salaries typically range between $36,000 and $77,000 a year. The average hourly rate for human resource specialists is $25.55 per hour.

Location, education, and experience impacts how much a human resource specialist can expect to make. Human resource specialists make the most in New Jersey, Washington, New York, Maryland, and Virginia.

Research Summary.
  • The average salary for a human resource specialist is $53,143 in the US.
  • The average human resource specialist salary ranges between $36,000 and $77,000 in the US.
  • Hourly rates for human resource specialists in the US typically range between $17 and $37 an hour.
  • The average human resource specialist salary is $68,216 in New Jersey, $66,202 in Washington, and $62,852 in New York. These are the three highest-paying states for human resource specialists in the US.
  • Meta has the highest average salary for human resource specialists.
  • Government is the highest-paying industry for human resource specialists in the US.

Highest Paying States For Human Resource Specialists

While a human resource specialist can average a salary of $53,143 per year, or $25.55 per hour, there are many opportunities for human resource specialists to make more. For example, in Washington, DC you might make $84,544 per year. Other high-paying locations include Edison, NJ, Seattle, WA and Arlington, VA. If you're in an entry-level position, your best bet is to move to Washington, DC where the average starting salary is $55,000. The highest paying states for human resource specialists include New Jersey, Washington and New York. Meanwhile, Montana, Florida, and Tennessee offer the lowest salaries.
  • State View
  • County View
Average Salary:

Human Resource Specialist average salary by State

RankStateAvg. SalaryHourly RateJob Count
1District of Columbia$84,465$40.61255
2Delaware$62,490$30.04173
3Alaska$60,073$28.88125
4Washington$66,202$31.83809
5New York$62,852$30.221,590
6Virginia$62,795$30.191,046
7Rhode Island$61,827$29.72132
8Wyoming$51,512$24.77107
9Pennsylvania$58,792$28.271,265
10Maryland$62,849$30.22699
11Connecticut$62,447$30.02350
12Massachusetts$59,320$28.521,033
13Vermont$52,352$25.17111
14New Jersey$68,216$32.80737
15Oregon$53,657$25.80519
16Michigan$53,277$25.61821
17California$58,827$28.283,092
18North Carolina$49,363$23.731,096
19Illinois$51,815$24.911,304
20North Dakota$51,218$24.6296
21Ohio$50,713$24.381,038
22West Virginia$47,934$23.05164
23Maine$46,911$22.55152
24New Hampshire$46,915$22.56204
25Texas$49,582$23.842,038
26Minnesota$49,855$23.97681
27Colorado$51,656$24.83595
28Nevada$45,566$21.91298
29Kansas$46,963$22.58322
30Indiana$48,178$23.16606
31Idaho$47,271$22.73173
32Arizona$44,566$21.43736
33Hawaii$43,975$21.14145
34New Mexico$48,208$23.18185
35Wisconsin$45,737$21.99574
36Iowa$43,637$20.98421
37Georgia$45,707$21.971,094
38South Dakota$42,287$20.33123
39Nebraska$42,202$20.29274
40Louisiana$45,705$21.97304
41Montana$41,838$20.11164
42Kentucky$44,547$21.42352
43Utah$44,210$21.25335
44South Carolina$43,397$20.86447
45Florida$41,767$20.081,646
46Missouri$43,548$20.94559
47Alabama$42,930$20.64365
48Tennessee$41,272$19.84588
49Oklahoma$39,209$18.85288
50Arkansas$36,692$17.64252
51Mississippi$39,172$18.83198

Highest Paying Cities For Human Resource Specialists

RankCityAvg. SalaryHourly RateJob Count
1Washington, DC$84,544$40.65110
2Edison, NJ$68,299$32.841
3Seattle, WA$66,862$32.159
4Arlington, VA$65,316$31.408
5San Francisco, CA$64,796$31.159
6Baltimore, MD$63,209$30.399
7New York, NY$63,137$30.3541
8Philadelphia, PA$59,238$28.4811
9Boston, MA$59,132$28.4316
10Chicago, IL$52,078$25.0421
11Denver, CO$51,697$24.8517
12Columbus, OH$50,081$24.089
13Saint Paul, MN$49,927$24.007
14Fort Worth, TX$49,798$23.948
15Charlotte, NC$48,332$23.2411

Here Are The Five Most In Demand Cities Right Now:

  1. Washington, DC
  2. Edison, NJ
  3. Seattle, WA
  4. Arlington, VA
  5. San Francisco, CA

Human Resource Specialist Salary by Years of Experience

The salary for a human resource specialist can vary depending on the years of experience that a person has, from entry level to senior level. An accountant with 0-2 years of experience earns an average salary of $31,445, a mid-career professional with 3-6 years of experience makes $53,143 a year on average, and a senior level accountant with 7-12 years of experience enjoys an average annual salary of $89,413. Data on how experience level affects total compensation is provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) as part of their National Compensation Survey, which is based on factors such as knowledge, complexity, contacts, and environment.

Human Resource Specialists Salary Details

Average Human Resource Specialist Salary Graph
Average Human Resource Specialist Salary Graph, Trends, and Summary

What is a Human Resource Specialist's Salary?

PercentileAnnual SalaryMonthly SalaryHourly Rate
90th Percentile$77,000$6,417$37
75th Percentile$64,000$5,333$31
Average$53,143$4,429$26
25th Percentile$43,000$3,583$21
10th Percentile$36,000$3,000$17

Highest Paying Types of Human Resource Specialists

Job TitleAnnual SalaryMonthly SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
Employment Coordinator$40,810$3,401$19.6236,231
Recruiting Coordinator$45,459$3,788$21.8656,602
Staffing Recruiter$44,207$3,684$21.2533,547
Human Resources Coordinator$44,074$3,673$21.1953,322
Human Resources Clerk$35,149$2,929$16.90107,374
Human Resources Technician$40,933$3,411$19.6839,846

How Would You Rate The Starting Salaries For Human Resource Specialists, As Well As The Prospects For Salary Advancement?

Sarah DeArmond Ph.D.

Management and Human Resources Department Chair, Professor of Human Resource Management, University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh

Before the pandemic, starting salary prospects were quite positive in human resource management. I expect to see salaries down a bit. Generally, companies have a slight edge now in salary negotiations, as there is more available talent than may have been the case before the pandemic. However, there have not been as significant of job losses in human resource management as has been the case in some other fields (e.g., hospitality management).Show more

Here are the five companies hiring the most now:

  1. JPMorgan Chase & Co. Jobs (94)
  2. Amazon Jobs (129)
  3. Citi Jobs (122)
  4. Ernst & Young Jobs (79)
  5. Fluor Corporation Jobs (118)

Which Companies Pay Human Resource Specialists The Most?

According to our most recent salary estimates, Meta and Google are the highest paying companies for human resource specialists.
RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Meta$116,569$56.04
2Google$116,102$55.82
3Microsoft$109,458$52.62
4NVIDIA$103,595$49.81
5Abiomed$98,507$47.361
6Jacob Realty Boston$97,796$47.02
7Southern California Edison$97,293$46.789
8Adobe$96,600$46.443
9MongoDB$96,346$46.326
10Intuitive Surgical$95,792$46.055
11UBS$95,182$45.76
12Shenzhen Capital Group$94,360$45.37
13Deutsche Bank$93,151$44.781
14CF Industries$92,465$44.451
15Skillshare$92,281$44.37
16Novartis$92,115$44.291
17Bloomberg$91,635$44.066
18Banco Itaú$91,238$43.86
19GFI Group$91,222$43.86
20Visa$90,857$43.68

How Much Do Human Resource Specialists Make In Different Industries?

Here are some examples of how much a human resource specialist salaries can based on different industries:

  1. The government industry pays human resource specialists an average salary of $67,295

  2. The technology industry pay $63,091

  3. The lowest paying industry for human resource specialists is the health care industry. Human resource specialists in this industry earn an average salary of $53,507

Highest Paying Industries For Human Resource Specialists

RankIndustryAverage SalaryHourly Rate
1Government$67,295$32.35
2Technology$63,091$30.33
3Telecommunication$61,876$29.75
4Finance$57,236$27.52
5Manufacturing$55,597$26.73
6Professional$53,898$25.91
7Health Care$53,507$25.72

High Paying Human Resource Specialist Jobs

Human Resource Specialist Pay Trends

Average Human Resource Specialist Salary Over Time

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

    Human Resource Specialist Salary By Year

    YearAvg. SalaryHourly Rate% Change
    2023$53,100$25.55+2.5%
    2022$51,800$24.92+1.7%
    2021$51,000$24.50+0.9%
    2020$50,500$24.29+1.9%
    2019$49,500$23.81+1.4%

    Recently Added Human Resource Specialist Salaries

    CompanyJobLocationDate AddedSalary
    University of ColoradoHR Leave SpecialistAurora, CO05/04/2023$53,121
    Brightspring Health ServicesHR Specialist (Beaumont Area)Beaumont, TX05/03/2023$41,740
    FPI ManagementHr/Payroll Specialist (Hrpay008111)Folsom, CA05/02/2023$52,175
    WWC GlobalHuman Resources SpecialistTampa, FL05/02/2023$68,000
    IronroadHuman Resources/Benefits SpecialistCincinnati, OH05/02/2023$65,000
    KantolaPayables/Hr SpecialistSan Francisco, CA05/02/2023$85,000
    Aston Carter/HR Member Support Specialist IIScottsdale, AZ05/01/2023$40,175
    Swoon Staffing (A Fortune 500 Client of Ours)HR Operations Specialist-Fully RemoteLos Angeles, CA05/01/2023$49,691
    Contemporary Staffing SolutionsHR Benefits SpecialistTallahassee, FL05/01/2023$55,000
    Northpoint Search GroupHybrid-Human Resources SpecialistChicago, IL05/01/2023$100,000

    Human Resource Specialist Salaries FAQs

    What State Pays Human Resource Specialists The Most?

    New Jersey pays Human Resource Specialists the most in the United States, with an average salary of $84,465 per year, or $40.61 per hour.

    How Do I Know If I'm Being Paid Fairly As A Human Resource Specialist?

    You know if you are being paid fairly as a Human Resource Specialist if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in New Jersey you should be paid close to $68,216 per year.

    What Is A Good Starting Salary For A Human Resource Specialist?

    A good starting salary for a human resource specialist is $35,000 in the United States. That puts you in the 10th percentile of annual income for a human resource specialist in the U.S., which is about what you would expect if you were new to the field. The average salary for human resource specialists is $51,511, but that normally requires some level of experience to achieve. Furthermore, a good starting salary for a human resource specialist can vary by state.

    Do Hr Jobs Pay Well?

    Yes, HR jobs pay well. While entry-level jobs in HR may pay salaries as low as $40,000 per year, more senior positions can easily earn salaries exceeding $100,000 per year.

    An entry-level job in human resources may provide a salary on the lower end of this salary range. Such a position, however, may provide opportunities to advance one's career in human resources. With a few years of experience in human resources, it may become possible to enter into a management position.

    How Much Does An Hr Specialist Make?

    An HR specialist typically makes between $40,000 per year and $80,000 per year. This salary can vary, though, based on a number of factors.

    As with so many other careers, one of the main factors in determining a human resource specialist's starting salary is experience. More experienced candidates tend to earn higher salaries.

    Search For Human Resource Specialist Jobs