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The average salary for a recruiting intern in the United States is $35,951 per year, translating to around $17 per hour. This compensation varies based on factors such as geographic location, industry, and company size. For instance, internships in major metropolitan areas typically offer higher salaries due to increased living costs and demand for skilled interns.
To maximize your earning potential, consider seeking internships in states known for higher compensation, such as California, New York, and Massachusetts. Additionally, urban centers like San Francisco, New York City, and Boston consistently rank as the highest paying cities for recruiting interns. This trend reflects the higher operational costs and competitive job markets in these regions.
Industries such as technology, finance, and healthcare tend to offer the most lucrative internship opportunities. Companies in these sectors recognize the importance of effective recruitment strategies, often providing interns with comprehensive training and development programs. By targeting internships in these high-paying industries, you can gain invaluable experience while securing a competitive salary.
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The average recruiting internship salary in Washington, Hawaii, and California are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average recruiting internship salary states are Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Louisiana.
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | $53,761 | $25.85 |
| 2 | Washington | $54,860 | $26.38 |
| 3 | Alaska | $47,363 | $22.77 |
| 4 | North Dakota | $42,183 | $20.28 |
| 5 | Oregon | $47,379 | $22.78 |
| 6 | California | $50,458 | $24.26 |
| 7 | Colorado | $48,095 | $23.12 |
| 8 | Rhode Island | $38,207 | $18.37 |
| 9 | Minnesota | $45,365 | $21.81 |
| 10 | South Dakota | $36,557 | $17.58 |
| 11 | Illinois | $42,713 | $20.54 |
| 12 | Nevada | $38,417 | $18.47 |
| 13 | District of Columbia | $43,500 | $20.91 |
| 14 | Utah | $36,186 | $17.40 |
| 15 | New Mexico | $36,515 | $17.56 |
| 16 | Wyoming | $34,740 | $16.70 |
| 17 | Maryland | $40,970 | $19.70 |
| 18 | Idaho | $34,964 | $16.81 |
| 19 | North Carolina | $37,018 | $17.80 |
| 20 | Missouri | $39,173 | $18.83 |
| 21 | Wisconsin | $37,173 | $17.87 |
| 22 | Vermont | $35,357 | $17.00 |
| 23 | Maine | $34,691 | $16.68 |
| 24 | Alabama | $36,480 | $17.54 |
| 25 | Ohio | $36,222 | $17.41 |
| 26 | Pennsylvania | $36,139 | $17.37 |
| 27 | Nebraska | $33,964 | $16.33 |
| 28 | Michigan | $34,466 | $16.57 |
| 29 | Georgia | $36,044 | $17.33 |
| 30 | Iowa | $34,070 | $16.38 |
| 31 | Delaware | $33,831 | $16.26 |
| 32 | Texas | $35,903 | $17.26 |
| 33 | Virginia | $36,259 | $17.43 |
| 34 | Arkansas | $32,542 | $15.65 |
| 35 | New York | $35,505 | $17.07 |
| 36 | Connecticut | $34,525 | $16.60 |
| 37 | Arizona | $35,090 | $16.87 |
| 38 | New Hampshire | $32,626 | $15.69 |
| 39 | Massachusetts | $34,507 | $16.59 |
| 40 | Mississippi | $31,915 | $15.34 |
| 41 | Montana | $31,911 | $15.34 |
| 42 | Kansas | $32,525 | $15.64 |
| 43 | New Jersey | $33,859 | $16.28 |
| 44 | Indiana | $32,830 | $15.78 |
| 45 | West Virginia | $30,437 | $14.63 |
| 46 | Kentucky | $30,651 | $14.74 |
| 47 | Tennessee | $31,061 | $14.93 |
| 48 | Oklahoma | $31,116 | $14.96 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $30,677 | $14.75 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $31,445 | $15.12 |
| 51 | Florida | $30,102 | $14.47 |
The highest-paying cities for recruiting interns are Seattle, WA, Los Angeles, CA, and Westminster, CO.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seattle, WA | $55,249 | $26.56 |
| 2 | Los Angeles, CA | $49,792 | $23.94 |
| 3 | Westminster, CO | $48,218 | $23.18 |
| 4 | Portland, OR | $47,186 | $22.69 |
| 5 | Saint Paul, MN | $45,454 | $21.85 |
| 6 | Chicago, IL | $42,808 | $20.58 |
| 7 | Baltimore, MD | $41,150 | $19.78 |
| 8 | El Paso, TX | $39,239 | $18.86 |
| 9 | Huntsville, AL | $37,165 | $17.87 |
| 10 | Cary, NC | $37,071 | $17.82 |
| 11 | Cleveland, OH | $36,947 | $17.76 |
| 12 | Albuquerque, NM | $36,763 | $17.67 |
| 13 | Fredericksburg, VA | $36,739 | $17.66 |
| 14 | Atlanta, GA | $36,377 | $17.49 |
| 15 | Salt Lake City, UT | $36,164 | $17.39 |
| 16 | Philadelphia, PA | $36,063 | $17.34 |
| 17 | Buffalo, NY | $36,043 | $17.33 |
| 18 | Phoenix, AZ | $35,240 | $16.94 |
| 19 | Windsor, CT | $34,362 | $16.52 |
| 20 | Detroit, MI | $34,356 | $16.52 |
A recruiting internship's salary ranges from $25,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $51,000 at the 90th percentile.

| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $51,000 | $4,250 | $25 |
| 75th Percentile | $43,000 | $3,583 | $21 |
| Average | $35,951 | $2,996 | $17 |
| 25th Percentile | $29,000 | $2,417 | $14 |
| 10th Percentile | $25,000 | $2,083 | $12 |
The highest paying types of recruiting interns are wealth management internship, recruiting lead, and summer analyst.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer Analyst | $66,837 | $5,570 | $32.13 | 44,912 |
| Business Development Internship | $33,146 | $2,762 | $15.94 | 147,302 |
| Marketing And Event Planning Internship | $28,412 | $2,368 | $13.66 | 131,730 |
| Business Analyst Internship | $45,560 | $3,797 | $21.90 | 157,977 |
| Data Science Internship | $42,841 | $3,570 | $20.60 | 124,258 |
| Data Analyst Internship | $38,752 | $3,229 | $18.63 | 135,614 |
Top companies hiring recruiting interns now:
Recruiting internship salaries at Sandia National Labs and McKinsey & Company Inc are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average recruiting internship salary at companies like Bain & Company and SAP are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sandia National Labs | $60,051 | $28.87 |
| 2 | McKinsey & Company Inc | $58,799 | $28.27 |
| 3 | Bain & Company | $58,690 | $28.22 |
| 4 | SAP | $57,727 | $27.75 |
| 5 | Oracle | $50,143 | $24.11 |
| 6 | Transamerica Corporation | $48,278 | $23.21 |
| 7 | Stantec | $46,851 | $22.52 |
| 8 | Simmons Bank | $44,577 | $21.43 |
| 9 | Accounting Services Limited | $44,400 | $21.35 |
| 10 | Idaho Central Credit Union | $44,226 | $21.26 |
| 11 | Oxford Global Resources | $43,226 | $20.78 |
| 12 | PSEA | $43,166 | $20.75 |
| 13 | Joby Aviation | $42,648 | $20.50 |
| 14 | University of Iowa Center for Advancement | $42,646 | $20.50 |
| 15 | Northrop Grumman | $41,610 | $20.00 |
| 16 | IDEA Public Schools | $41,166 | $19.79 |
| 17 | Pediatric Associates, Inc. | $41,054 | $19.74 |
| 18 | SpaceX | $40,897 | $19.66 |
| 19 | Source2 | $40,759 | $19.60 |
| 20 | Management Recruiters International(MRI) | $39,760 | $19.12 |
The average recruiting internship salary varies across industries:
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Professional | $41,293 | $19.85 |
| 2 | Technology | $38,786 | $18.65 |
| 3 | Finance | $38,287 | $18.41 |
| 4 | Health Care | $37,622 | $18.09 |
| 5 | Education | $37,241 | $17.90 |
| 6 | Automotive | $37,034 | $17.80 |
| 7 | Manufacturing | $34,769 | $16.72 |
| 8 | Hospitality | $34,331 | $16.51 |
The average recruiting internship salary has risen by $4,759 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average recruiting internship earned $31,192 annually, but today, they earn $35,951 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for recruiting interns over the last decade.
Compare recruiting internship salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Compare recruiting internship salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $36,000 | $17.28 | +2.5% |
| 2024 | $35,100 | $16.86 | +1.7% |
| 2023 | $34,500 | $16.57 | +0.9% |
| 2022 | $34,200 | $16.43 | +1.9% |
| 2021 | $33,500 | $16.11 | +1.4% |
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compass Group USA Inc. | Recruiting Intern/Crothall Healthcare, Bassett Healthcare | Cooperstown, NY | 06/25/2025 | $52,175 |
| Think Academy Us | Recruiting Intern | San Jose, CA | 06/21/2025 | $41,740 |
| Foundation Academy | Talent and Recruitment Intern | Trenton, NJ | 06/16/2025 | $32,328 |
| Brett Fisher Group | Recruiting Intern | Thousand Oaks, CA | 06/10/2025 | $25,044 |
| Global Elite Group | Recruiting Intern | Fort Lauderdale, FL | 06/09/2025 | $35,479 |
| Global Elite Group | Recruiting Intern | Garden City, NY | 06/09/2025 | $41,740 |
| Gotion, Inc. | Recruiting Intern | Fremont, CA | 06/09/2025 | $41,740 |
| Uplift Education | Bilingual Scholar Recruitment Intern: Dallas Campuses | Nome, TX | 06/07/2025 | $41,740 |
| Global Elite Group | Recruiting Intern | Fort Lauderdale, FL | 05/30/2025 | $35,479 |
| Global Elite Group | Recruiting Intern-HDQ (46278) | Garden City, NY | 05/29/2025 | $41,740 |
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