How much does a director of human resources make?

The average director of human resources salary in the United States is $100,601. Director of human resources salaries typically range between $68,000 and $147,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for directors of human resources is $48.37 per hour. Director of human resources salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Directors of human resources earn the highest average salary in California.

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.

Director of human resources salary

Q: What state pays Directors Of Human Resources the most?

California pays Directors Of Human Resources the most in the United States, with an average salary of $120,592 per year, or $57.98 per hour.

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

You know if you are being paid fairly as a director of human resources 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 $120,477 per year.

Q: What is a good starting salary for a Director Of Human Resources?

A good starting salary for a director of human resources is $67,000 in the United States. That puts you in the 10th percentile of annual income for a director of human resources in the U.S., which is about what you would expect if you were new to the field. The average salary for directors of human resources is $102,468, but that normally requires some level of experience to achieve. Furthermore, a good starting salary for a director of human resources can vary by state.

Q: Is HR a stressful job?

Yes, HR is a stressful job. Working in human resources (HR) can be very stressful, especially for management level professionals, due to their efforts to comply with company policies and governmental laws.

Average director of human resources salary

$100,601

$48.37 hourly rate

Entry-level director of human resources salary

$68,000 yearly salary

Updated January 8, 2025

Understanding the Director of Human Resources Salary

The salary for a Director of Human Resources typically averages around $100,601 annually. Factors influencing this figure include experience, industry, and geographic location. For instance, professionals in metropolitan areas often earn more due to higher living costs and demand for HR expertise.

Highest Paying Industries

Directors of Human Resources find lucrative opportunities in sectors such as technology, healthcare, and finance. These industries value HR leaders for their ability to drive employee engagement and talent retention.

Salary by State

Understanding regional salary variances is crucial. States like California and New York often boast higher salaries, reflecting their competitive job markets. In contrast, positions in less populated states may offer lower salaries but can provide a lower cost of living.

Salary Estimates

Online resources and salary surveys can provide additional insights into HR salary trends. Websites like Zippia can help job seekers find specific salary estimates based on their location and experience, aiding in more informed career decisions.

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Where can a Director Of Human Resources earn more?

Compare salary by location

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56k

Columbus, OH$133,765

Phoenix, AZ$85,558

Compare salary by company

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McKinsey & Company Inc$205,439

Presbyterian$149,987

Director of human resources salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Indeed, Glassdoor and Comparably, the average salary for a director of human resources typically falls between $100,601 and $204,966.

zippia

$100,601yearly

glassdoor[1]

$183,243yearly

indeed[2]

$102,980yearly

comparably[3]

$204,966yearly

Salary.com[4]

$180,060yearly

Average director of human resources salary by state

The average director of human resources salary in California, New York, and New Jersey are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average director of human resources salary states are Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Alabama.

State view
County view

Average salary:

Highest paying states for directors of human resources

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Vermont	$116,592	$56.05
2	New York	$120,477	$57.92
3	California	$120,592	$57.98
4	Connecticut	$117,406	$56.45
5	Massachusetts	$113,994	$54.80
6	Nevada	$112,683	$54.17
7	New Hampshire	$109,379	$52.59
8	New Jersey	$119,895	$57.64
9	District of Columbia	$111,659	$53.68
10	Pennsylvania	$108,175	$52.01
11	Delaware	$106,717	$51.31
12	Alaska	$108,697	$52.26
13	West Virginia	$92,155	$44.31
14	Washington	$104,001	$50.00
15	Rhode Island	$110,617	$53.18
16	Oregon	$99,387	$47.78
17	Michigan	$100,315	$48.23
18	Maine	$104,119	$50.06
19	Virginia	$100,275	$48.21
20	Illinois	$91,713	$44.09
21	South Dakota	$84,597	$40.67
22	South Carolina	$85,010	$40.87
23	Kentucky	$87,600	$42.12
24	Wisconsin	$86,337	$41.51
25	Ohio	$90,453	$43.49
26	North Carolina	$88,207	$42.41
27	Texas	$89,968	$43.25
28	Arizona	$85,194	$40.96
29	North Dakota	$88,320	$42.46
30	Montana	$85,968	$41.33
31	Louisiana	$79,849	$38.39
32	Minnesota	$85,773	$41.24
33	Maryland	$95,511	$45.92
34	Idaho	$89,281	$42.92
35	Hawaii	$86,538	$41.60
36	Georgia	$81,621	$39.24
37	Alabama	$76,675	$36.86
38	Oklahoma	$76,785	$36.92
39	Colorado	$82,648	$39.73
40	Utah	$84,422	$40.59
41	Mississippi	$75,610	$36.35
42	Tennessee	$80,430	$38.67
43	Wyoming	$80,171	$38.54
44	Missouri	$83,514	$40.15
45	Iowa	$77,398	$37.21
46	Indiana	$79,487	$38.21
47	Kansas	$71,909	$34.57
48	Arkansas	$73,620	$35.39
49	Florida	$77,783	$37.40
50	Nebraska	$76,733	$36.89
51	New Mexico	$78,131	$37.56

Top director of human resources jobs near you

Highest paying cities for directors of human resources

The highest-paying cities for directors of human resources are San Francisco, CA, Albany, NY, and Hartford, CT.

Rank	City	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	San Francisco, CA	$133,765	$64.31
2	Albany, NY	$122,115	$58.71
3	Hartford, CT	$118,144	$56.80
4	Boston, MA	$114,191	$54.90
5	Las Vegas, NV	$111,838	$53.77
6	Washington, DC	$111,681	$53.69
7	Philadelphia, PA	$109,054	$52.43
8	Seattle, WA	$104,785	$50.38
9	Portland, ME	$104,372	$50.18
10	Alexandria, VA	$102,527	$49.29
11	Detroit, MI	$101,082	$48.60
12	Albany, OR	$99,560	$47.87
13	Baltimore, MD	$95,924	$46.12
14	Chicago, IL	$92,350	$44.40
15	San Antonio, TX	$91,432	$43.96
16	Raleigh, NC	$90,439	$43.48
17	Columbus, OH	$88,993	$42.79
18	Milwaukee, WI	$86,697	$41.68
19	Saint Paul, MN	$85,874	$41.29
20	Phoenix, AZ	$85,558	$41.13

Directors Of Human Resources are the most in-demand in these five cities:

Director of human resources salary details

A director of human resources's salary ranges from $68,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $147,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average director of human resources salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a director of human resources's salary?

Percentile	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate
90th Percentile	$147,000	$12,250	$71
75th Percentile	$122,000	$10,167	$59
Average	$100,601	$8,383	$48
25th Percentile	$82,000	$6,833	$39
10th Percentile	$68,000	$5,667	$33

Highest paying director of human resources jobs

The highest paying types of directors of human resources are human resources vice president, director, and senior human resources manager.

Job title	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
Director	$113,489	$9,457	$54.56	230,711
Human Resources Administration Manager	$76,637	$6,386	$36.84	47,008
Human Resources Generalist/Manager	$77,353	$6,446	$37.19	46,682
Human Resources Recruiter/Manager	$78,339	$6,528	$37.66	75,365
Human Resources Business Partner	$86,363	$7,197	$41.52	103,520
Human Resources Vice President	$169,647	$14,137	$81.56	74,729

Top companies hiring directors of human resources now:

Which companies pay directors of human resources the most?

Director of human resources salaries at McKinsey & Company Inc and Meta are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average director of human resources salary at companies like School of Visual Concepts and Maine Health/maine Mental Health Partners are highly competitive.

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	McKinsey & Company Inc	$205,439	$98.77
2	Meta	$179,194	$86.15
3	School of Visual Concepts	$175,318	$84.29
4	Maine Health/maine Mental Health Partners	$173,445	$83.39
5	Etsy	$170,269	$81.86
6	SLCH President	$169,230	$81.36
7	Square Enix	$164,271	$78.98
8	Cohesity	$160,883	$77.35
9	Valley Medical Center	$159,980	$76.91
10	Barclays	$159,898	$76.87
11	Payoneer	$157,571	$75.76
12	BD	$157,082	$75.52
13	KLA	$155,455	$74.74
14	Acadia Pharmaceuticals	$153,281	$73.69
15	Ormat Technologies	$153,262	$73.68
16	Regal Beloit	$152,602	$73.37
17	Sherpa	$152,199	$73.17
18	Baltimore City Community College	$151,928	$73.04
19	Capgemini	$150,667	$72.44
20	Presbyterian	$149,987	$72.11

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$105,000$103,400$101,800$100,200$98,600$97,000

MaleFemale

Director Of Human Resources salary by industry

The average director of human resources salary varies across industries:

The average director of human resources salary in the technology industry is $105,626, the highest of any industry.
The average director of human resources salary in the finance industry is $104,619.
Directors of human resources in the hospitality industry earn an average salary of $87,736, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for directors of human resources

Rank	Industry	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Technology	$105,626	$50.78
2	Manufacturing	$104,619	$50.30
3	Government	$98,444	$47.33
4	Professional	$98,180	$47.20
5	Health Care	$95,720	$46.02
6	Retail	$89,668	$43.11
7	Hospitality	$87,736	$42.18

High paying director of human resources jobs

Director of human resources salary trends

The average director of human resources salary has risen by $18,333 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average director of human resources earned $82,268 annually, but today, they earn $100,601 a year. That works out to a 13% change in pay for directors of human resources over the last decade.

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

Average director of human resources salary over time

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

Director of human resources salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2025	$101,000	$48.37	+3.7%
2024	$96,900	$46.57	+2.9%
2023	$94,000	$45.21	+2.8%
2022	$91,400	$43.94	+2.9%
2021	$88,700	$42.66	+2.3%

Recently added director of human resources salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date added	Salary
Sonesta Hotels	Director of Human Resources	Royal City, WA	06/30/2025	$125,000
Vizient	Organizational Effectiveness Design & Change Director-Human Resources	Chicago, IL	06/30/2025	$102,400
Hilton	Human Resource Director	Albany, NY	06/29/2025	$95,000
Slalom	Director, HR Technology Strategy & Architecture (Remote)	Seattle, WA	06/29/2025	$150,000
South Dakota Board of Regents	Associate Professor and Assistant Director of Counseling and Human Resource Development	Brookings, SD	06/29/2025	$100,000
The Coca-Cola Company	Director, Brand/Category Human Insights	Atlanta, GA	06/28/2025	$160,000
Cliftonlarsonallen	HR Director	Sacramento, CA	06/28/2025	$129,785
Mains'l	Human Resources Director	Chico, CA	06/28/2025	$72,000
Novartis AG	Director, Human Insights Enablement	East Hanover, NJ	06/28/2025	$185,500
Hofstra University	Assistant Director, Human Resources Information Systems	Hempstead, NY	06/28/2025	$90,000