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Best states for a human resources generalist
Quoted expert
Jamie Belinne
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Are you wondering which place in the United States is the best state for human resources generalists? Knowing how challenging it is to figure out where to start your career or where to move to advance your career, we decided to bring you a list of best states for human resources generalist jobs.Turns out, the median salary for the highest 10% of human resources generalists in America is $76,000.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for human resources generalists. District of Columbia is the best state for human resources generalists, where the median salary is $70,551.District of Columbia is the best state, and Long Beach is the city with the highest pay for human resources generalists.
10 best states for human resources generalists in 2026
1. District of Columbia
Total human resources generalist jobs: 203 Average annual salary: $70,551 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $98,000 Location Quotient: 1.78
2. Washington
Total human resources generalist jobs: 588 Average annual salary: $63,461 Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $87,000 Location Quotient: 1.18
3. New York
Total human resources generalist jobs: 1,062 Average annual salary: $64,053 Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $87,000 Location Quotient: 1.22
4. Massachusetts
Total human resources generalist jobs: 699 Average annual salary: $60,476 Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $81,000 Location Quotient: 1.12
5. Delaware
Total human resources generalist jobs: 108 Average annual salary: $57,698 Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $79,000 Location Quotient: 1.27
6. Connecticut
Total human resources generalist jobs: 231 Average annual salary: $60,695 Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $82,000 Location Quotient: 1.02
7. Virginia
Total human resources generalist jobs: 660 Average annual salary: $60,742 Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $85,000 Location Quotient: 1.03
8. Pennsylvania
Total human resources generalist jobs: 812 Average annual salary: $55,408 Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $76,000 Location Quotient: 1.03
9. Minnesota
Total human resources generalist jobs: 497 Average annual salary: $56,349 Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $76,000 Location Quotient: 1.1
10. California
Total human resources generalist jobs: 2,229 Average annual salary: $61,413 Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $88,000 Location Quotient: 1.12
Human resources generalist jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a human resources generalist
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a human resources generalist
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $70,551 | $50,000 | 693,972 | 203 |
| 2 | Washington | $63,461 | $46,000 | 7,405,743 | 588 |
| 3 | New York | $64,053 | $46,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,062 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $60,476 | $44,000 | 6,859,819 | 699 |
| 5 | Delaware | $57,698 | $41,000 | 961,939 | 108 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $60,695 | $44,000 | 3,588,184 | 231 |
| 7 | Virginia | $60,742 | $43,000 | 8,470,020 | 660 |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | $55,408 | $40,000 | 12,805,537 | 812 |
| 9 | Minnesota | $56,349 | $41,000 | 5,576,606 | 497 |
| 10 | California | $61,413 | $42,000 | 39,536,653 | 2,229 |
| 11 | Oregon | $56,786 | $40,000 | 4,142,776 | 317 |
| 12 | Rhode Island | $56,153 | $41,000 | 1,059,639 | 77 |
| 13 | Alaska | $57,783 | $49,000 | 739,795 | 62 |
| 14 | New Jersey | $61,805 | $44,000 | 9,005,644 | 463 |
| 15 | Illinois | $53,907 | $39,000 | 12,802,023 | 913 |
| 16 | North Dakota | $53,617 | $39,000 | 755,393 | 58 |
| 17 | Ohio | $51,893 | $37,000 | 11,658,609 | 662 |
| 18 | Colorado | $56,296 | $40,000 | 5,607,154 | 397 |
| 19 | New Hampshire | $52,498 | $39,000 | 1,342,795 | 131 |
| 20 | Maryland | $59,648 | $42,000 | 6,052,177 | 370 |
| 21 | Wisconsin | $51,580 | $37,000 | 5,795,483 | 381 |
| 22 | North Carolina | $51,495 | $36,000 | 10,273,419 | 660 |
| 23 | Alabama | $53,138 | $37,000 | 4,874,747 | 200 |
| 24 | Michigan | $51,039 | $37,000 | 9,962,311 | 517 |
| 25 | Indiana | $51,686 | $37,000 | 6,666,818 | 371 |
| 26 | West Virginia | $51,492 | $36,000 | 1,815,857 | 83 |
| 27 | Texas | $52,407 | $36,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,241 |
| 28 | Kentucky | $51,140 | $36,000 | 4,454,189 | 222 |
| 29 | Vermont | $49,242 | $37,000 | 623,657 | 64 |
| 30 | Maine | $49,863 | $37,000 | 1,335,907 | 91 |
| 31 | Tennessee | $49,439 | $35,000 | 6,715,984 | 365 |
| 32 | Kansas | $49,016 | $35,000 | 2,913,123 | 207 |
| 33 | Arizona | $48,598 | $34,000 | 7,016,270 | 439 |
| 34 | Idaho | $51,066 | $36,000 | 1,716,943 | 93 |
| 35 | Wyoming | $47,315 | $34,000 | 579,315 | 48 |
| 36 | Montana | $47,025 | $34,000 | 1,050,493 | 118 |
| 37 | Hawaii | $46,737 | $36,000 | 1,427,538 | 72 |
| 38 | Nevada | $47,209 | $32,000 | 2,998,039 | 160 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $48,254 | $35,000 | 1,920,076 | 143 |
| 40 | Iowa | $47,750 | $34,000 | 3,145,711 | 228 |
| 41 | South Carolina | $48,373 | $34,000 | 5,024,369 | 272 |
| 42 | Utah | $47,750 | $34,000 | 3,101,833 | 211 |
| 43 | Missouri | $49,057 | $35,000 | 6,113,532 | 348 |
| 44 | Georgia | $47,790 | $33,000 | 10,429,379 | 708 |
| 45 | Mississippi | $46,315 | $32,000 | 2,984,100 | 133 |
| 46 | New Mexico | $48,270 | $33,000 | 2,088,070 | 98 |
| 47 | Florida | $46,781 | $32,000 | 20,984,400 | 883 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $41,779 | $30,000 | 869,666 | 65 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $42,669 | $30,000 | 3,004,279 | 146 |
| 50 | Louisiana | $44,985 | $31,000 | 4,684,333 | 156 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $40,746 | $29,000 | 3,930,864 | 161 |
Highest paying states for human resources generalists
| Rank | State | Avg. Human Resources Generalist Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $70,551 |
| 2 | Washington | $63,461 |
| 3 | New York | $64,053 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $60,476 |
| 5 | Delaware | $57,698 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $60,695 |
| 7 | Virginia | $60,742 |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | $55,408 |
| 9 | Minnesota | $56,349 |
| 10 | California | $61,413 |
| 11 | Oregon | $56,786 |
| 12 | Rhode Island | $56,153 |
| 13 | Alaska | $57,783 |
| 14 | New Jersey | $61,805 |
| 15 | Illinois | $53,907 |
| 16 | North Dakota | $53,617 |
| 17 | Ohio | $51,893 |
| 18 | Colorado | $56,296 |
| 19 | New Hampshire | $52,498 |
| 20 | Maryland | $59,648 |
| 21 | Wisconsin | $51,580 |
| 22 | North Carolina | $51,495 |
| 23 | Alabama | $53,138 |
| 24 | Michigan | $51,039 |
| 25 | Indiana | $51,686 |
| 26 | West Virginia | $51,492 |
| 27 | Texas | $52,407 |
| 28 | Kentucky | $51,140 |
| 29 | Vermont | $49,242 |
| 30 | Maine | $49,863 |
| 31 | Tennessee | $49,439 |
| 32 | Kansas | $49,016 |
| 33 | Arizona | $48,598 |
| 34 | Idaho | $51,066 |
| 35 | Wyoming | $47,315 |
| 36 | Montana | $47,025 |
| 37 | Hawaii | $46,737 |
| 38 | Nevada | $47,209 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $48,254 |
| 40 | Iowa | $47,750 |
| 41 | South Carolina | $48,373 |
| 42 | Utah | $47,750 |
| 43 | Missouri | $49,057 |
| 44 | Georgia | $47,790 |
| 45 | Mississippi | $46,315 |
| 46 | New Mexico | $48,270 |
| 47 | Florida | $46,781 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $41,779 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $42,669 |
| 50 | Louisiana | $44,985 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $40,746 |
Expert opinions on the best states for human resources generalists
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for human resources generalists to find work opportunities?
Jamie Belinne
Assistant Dean, University of Houston
In the field of business communications? If anything, this experience has made jobs less location-dependent. In the past, there were geographic hotbeds for different areas, but that won't be as true in the future, as virtual workers are given more opportunities to prioritize the quality of life over physical presence in an office.
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Updated January 8, 2025