How much does a human resources associate make?

The average human resources associate salary in the United States is $56,636. Human resources associate salaries typically range between $39,000 and $80,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for human resources associates is $27.23 per hour. Human resources associate salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Human resources associates earn the highest average salary in New York.

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.

Human resources associate salary

Q: What state pays Human Resources Associates the most?

New York pays Human Resources Associates the most in the United States, with an average salary of $83,769 per year, or $40.27 per hour.

Q: How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a human resources associate?

You know if you are being paid fairly as a human resources associate if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in New York you should be paid close to $72,651 per year.

Q: How much does an HR associate make?

An HR associate can make about $53,000 yearly or $25.54 hourly. As most jobs go, factors like location, industry, and experience can determine your exact salary. On the lower end of the salary range, they can make around $34,000, typically for entry-level positions or for low-paying states like Montana and Wyoming. On the higher end, they can earn around $82,000 or more.

Q: Is HR a high-paying job?

Yes, HR can be a high-paying job, typically when you get into mid-level and senior-level positions. Entry-level positions can be paid well, too, depending on factors like location, industry, and experience.

Quoted expert

Sarah DeArmond Ph.D.

Average human resources associate salary

$56,636

$27.23 hourly rate

Entry-level human resources associate salary

$39,000 yearly salary

Updated January 8, 2025

The Human Resources Associate position is an entry-level role that serves as a foundation for a career in HR. With an average salary of $56,636 annually, the earning potential can vary based on several factors, including geographic location and level of experience. For example, states like California and New York tend to offer higher salaries due to their higher cost of living and demand for HR professionals.

Experience plays a significant role in salary progression. Entry-level associates typically earn less than those with several years of experience, who may handle more responsibilities such as recruitment and employee relations. Additionally, HR associates in specialized sectors, such as tech or finance, often see higher compensation than those in non-profit or public sectors.

For job seekers considering a career as an HR Associate, understanding the local job market and salary ranges is essential. Resources like Zippia provide valuable insights into average salaries by state and industry, allowing candidates to make informed decisions about their career paths. With ongoing professional development and networking opportunities, HR associates can advance to higher-paying roles, including HR managers and directors.

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Human resources associate salary by:

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Where can a Human Resources Associate earn more?

Compare salary by location

97k

77k

57k

37k

17k

Columbus, OH$83,676

Columbia, SC$47,369

Compare salary by company

131k

111k

91k

71k

51k

Citi$110,020

Brookhaven National Laboratory$81,217

Human resources associate salaries by experience level

Human resources associate salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Indeed, Glassdoor, SalaryExpert and Comparably, the average salary for a human resources associate typically falls between $53,501 and $69,877.

zippia

$56,636yearly

glassdoor[1]

$55,931yearly

indeed[2]

$69,877yearly

comparably[3]

$61,592yearly

Salary.com[4]

$53,501yearly

SalaryExpert[5]

$53,768yearly

Average human resources associate salary by state

The highest-paying states for human resources associates are New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. The lowest average human resources associate salary states are Nebraska, Utah, and Oklahoma.

State view
County view

Average salary:

Highest paying states for human resources associates

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	District of Columbia	$83,769	$40.27
2	New York	$72,651	$34.93
3	Delaware	$63,529	$30.54
4	North Carolina	$64,413	$30.97
5	Washington	$63,908	$30.73
6	Connecticut	$67,094	$32.26
7	Virginia	$65,637	$31.56
8	New Jersey	$70,582	$33.93
9	Massachusetts	$58,750	$28.25
10	Michigan	$59,070	$28.40
11	California	$61,682	$29.65
12	Pennsylvania	$57,912	$27.84
13	Wisconsin	$57,013	$27.41
14	Illinois	$53,410	$25.68
15	Alaska	$56,623	$27.22
16	Rhode Island	$57,259	$27.53
17	Maryland	$63,481	$30.52
18	Oregon	$53,124	$25.54
19	North Dakota	$54,331	$26.12
20	Ohio	$51,808	$24.91
21	Nevada	$50,506	$24.28
22	Minnesota	$51,311	$24.67
23	West Virginia	$51,735	$24.87
24	Alabama	$52,685	$25.33
25	New Hampshire	$48,819	$23.47
26	Colorado	$50,613	$24.33
27	Texas	$49,921	$24.00
28	Kentucky	$48,614	$23.37
29	Georgia	$48,358	$23.25
30	Vermont	$46,856	$22.53
31	Indiana	$49,808	$23.95
32	Hawaii	$47,085	$22.64
33	South Dakota	$48,048	$23.10
34	Kansas	$46,643	$22.42
35	Mississippi	$47,740	$22.95
36	Maine	$45,835	$22.04
37	Arizona	$44,582	$21.43
38	South Carolina	$47,267	$22.72
39	Iowa	$47,598	$22.88
40	New Mexico	$49,022	$23.57
41	Tennessee	$44,557	$21.42
42	Arkansas	$46,090	$22.16
43	Wyoming	$42,461	$20.41
44	Montana	$37,938	$18.24
45	Nebraska	$44,078	$21.19
46	Utah	$43,732	$21.02
47	Louisiana	$45,484	$21.87
48	Florida	$45,913	$22.07
49	Missouri	$44,210	$21.25
50	Oklahoma	$43,090	$20.72
51	Idaho	$41,424	$19.92

Top human resources associate jobs near you

Highest paying cities for human resources associates

The highest-paying cities for human resources associates are Washington, DC, New York, NY, and Piscataway, NJ.

Rank	City	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Washington, DC	$83,676	$40.23
2	New York, NY	$73,449	$35.31
3	Piscataway, NJ	$70,788	$34.03
4	Raleigh, NC	$66,376	$31.91
5	San Francisco, CA	$66,252	$31.85
6	Charlottesville, VA	$65,360	$31.42
7	Seattle, WA	$64,501	$31.01
8	Baltimore, MD	$63,520	$30.54
9	Boston, MA	$58,432	$28.09
10	Philadelphia, PA	$58,260	$28.01
11	Chicago, IL	$53,639	$25.79
12	Portland, OR	$52,684	$25.33
13	Columbus, OH	$51,948	$24.98
14	Saint Paul, MN	$51,397	$24.71
15	Denver, CO	$50,638	$24.35
16	Austin, TX	$50,147	$24.11
17	Indianapolis, IN	$49,814	$23.95
18	Lawrenceville, GA	$48,560	$23.35
19	Iowa City, IA	$48,141	$23.14
20	Columbia, SC	$47,369	$22.77

Human resources associate salary details

A human resources associate's salary ranges from $39,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $80,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average human resources associate salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a human resources associate's salary?

Percentile	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate
90th Percentile	$80,000	$6,667	$38
75th Percentile	$68,000	$5,667	$33
Average	$56,636	$4,720	$27
25th Percentile	$47,000	$3,917	$23
10th Percentile	$39,000	$3,250	$19

Highest paying human resources associate jobs

The highest paying types of human resources associates are human resources lead, senior human resources consultant, and human resources manager.

Job title	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
Recruiting Coordinator	$45,459	$3,788	$21.86	56,602
Human Resources Generalist/Manager	$77,353	$6,446	$37.19	46,682
Human Resources Administration Manager	$76,637	$6,386	$36.84	47,008
Human Resources Recruiter/Manager	$78,339	$6,528	$37.66	75,365
Human Resources Generalist	$56,159	$4,680	$27.00	44,365
Human Resources Internship	$32,702	$2,725	$15.72	88,826

How would you rate the starting salaries for human resources associates, 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).

Top companies hiring human resources associates now:

Which companies pay human resources associates the most?

Human resources associate salaries at Citi and Pacific Investment Management Company LLC are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average human resources associate salary at companies like Morgan Stanley and Amazon are highly competitive.

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Citi	$110,020	$52.89
2	Pacific Investment Management Company LLC	$108,711	$52.26
3	Morgan Stanley	$102,093	$49.08
4	Amazon	$101,988	$49.03
5	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$99,327	$47.75
6	Sprinklr	$98,892	$47.54
7	J.P. Morgan	$91,198	$43.85
8	Amgen	$89,361	$42.96
9	Ross Stores	$89,087	$42.83
10	DTCC	$88,951	$42.76
11	Ford Motor	$88,500	$42.55
12	Trianz	$87,658	$42.14
13	RSM US	$87,226	$41.94
14	Sephora	$86,051	$41.37
15	Zoetis	$85,883	$41.29
16	Thomas H. Lee Partners	$85,291	$41.01
17	CyberCoders	$84,518	$40.63
18	Praxair	$82,853	$39.83
19	Gilead Sciences	$82,215	$39.53
20	Brookhaven National Laboratory	$81,217	$39.05

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$60,000$59,000$58,000$57,000$56,000$55,000

MaleFemale

Human Resources Associate salary by industry

The average human resources associate salary varies across industries:

The average human resources associate salary in the finance industry is $72,184, the highest of any industry.
The average human resources associate salary in the finance industry is $66,443.
Human resources associates in the hospitality industry earn an average salary of $48,117, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for human resources associates

Rank	Industry	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Finance	$72,184	$34.70
2	Automotive	$66,443	$31.94
3	Technology	$65,655	$31.56
4	Manufacturing	$63,871	$30.71
5	Professional	$59,243	$28.48
6	Health Care	$57,060	$27.43
7	Retail	$51,116	$24.57
8	Hospitality	$48,117	$23.13

High paying human resources associate jobs

Human resources associate salary trends

The average human resources associate salary has risen by $7,497 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average human resources associate earned $49,139 annually, but today, they earn $56,636 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for human resources associates over the last decade.

Compare human resources associate salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average human resources associate salary over time

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

Human resources associate salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2025	$56,600	$27.23	+2.5%
2024	$55,200	$26.56	+1.7%
2023	$54,300	$26.11	+0.9%
2022	$53,800	$25.88	+1.9%
2021	$52,800	$25.38	+1.4%

Recently added human resources associate salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date added	Salary
Capital One	HR Associate-Talent Acquisition Issue & Event Management	Richmond, VA	06/30/2025	$64,700
Spencer Stuart	Associate, Human Resources Practice	Chicago, IL	06/30/2025	$100,000
Marin General Hospital	HR Associate, Human Resources, Days	San Rafael, CA	06/29/2025	$88,823
BBR Partners	HR Senior Associate	New York, NY	06/29/2025	$95,000
Armada Consulting	Human Resources Associate	Timonium, MD	06/29/2025	$55,180
The Granite YMCA	HR Associate	Manchester, NH	06/29/2025	$41,740
Ali Forney Center	HR Associate	New York, NY	06/28/2025	$50,000
Greater Washington Community Foundation	HR & Operations Associate	Ione, WA	06/26/2025	$60,300
Washington University In St. Louis	Payroll/Hr Associate (Remote)-Arts and Sciences	Noel, MO	06/26/2025	$44,182
Bloomfield & Company	Associate, HR & Administration	Washington, DC	06/25/2025	$45,000

Human resources associate salary FAQs

What state pays Human Resources Associates the most?

How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a human resources associate?

Do HR jobs pay well?

How much does an HR associate make?

Is HR a high-paying job?

Have more questions? See all answers to common business and financial questions.

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Updated January 8, 2025

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