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Employee benefits manager salary
Average employee benefits manager salary
$85,621
Understanding the Salary of an Employee Benefits Manager
The average salary for an Employee Benefits Manager is approximately $85,621 annually, translating to around $41 per hour. Salaries can vary significantly based on factors such as geographic location, years of experience, and the industry in which one works. For instance, states like California and New York tend to offer higher salaries due to the cost of living and demand for skilled professionals.
Key Factors Influencing Salary
- Experience: More experienced managers often command higher salaries.
- Industry: Industries such as finance and technology typically offer more competitive compensation.
- Location: Urban areas generally provide higher salaries compared to rural regions.
Additionally, as businesses increasingly recognize the importance of robust benefits packages to attract and retain talent, opportunities for growth in this field are expanding. Professionals aiming to enhance their careers can focus on obtaining certifications or specializing in areas like compliance or benefits technology. These steps can lead to improved job prospects and higher earning potential.
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Where can an Employee Benefits Manager earn more?
Employee benefits manager salary estimates from across the web
Average employee benefits manager salary by state
The average employee benefits manager salary in New Jersey, New York, and Massachusetts are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average employee benefits manager salary states are Alaska, Oklahoma, and Montana.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for employee benefits managers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $119,332 | $57.37 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $112,947 | $54.30 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $119,512 | $57.46 |
| 4 | District of Columbia | $109,979 | $52.87 |
| 5 | Delaware | $110,995 | $53.36 |
| 6 | Rhode Island | $111,635 | $53.67 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $100,896 | $48.51 |
| 8 | Maryland | $100,268 | $48.21 |
| 9 | Virginia | $98,664 | $47.43 |
| 10 | Michigan | $101,138 | $48.62 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | $94,426 | $45.40 |
| 12 | New Hampshire | $108,112 | $51.98 |
| 13 | Illinois | $93,307 | $44.86 |
| 14 | Ohio | $93,283 | $44.85 |
| 15 | Nevada | $99,257 | $47.72 |
| 16 | Arizona | $93,927 | $45.16 |
| 17 | Tennessee | $91,203 | $43.85 |
| 18 | Maine | $102,073 | $49.07 |
| 19 | California | $95,874 | $46.09 |
| 20 | North Carolina | $86,298 | $41.49 |
| 21 | Idaho | $93,468 | $44.94 |
| 22 | West Virginia | $95,342 | $45.84 |
| 23 | Texas | $85,943 | $41.32 |
| 24 | Mississippi | $92,680 | $44.56 |
| 25 | Vermont | $92,744 | $44.59 |
| 26 | Oregon | $83,736 | $40.26 |
| 27 | Nebraska | $80,998 | $38.94 |
| 28 | Missouri | $84,777 | $40.76 |
| 29 | Georgia | $84,215 | $40.49 |
| 30 | Kentucky | $83,562 | $40.17 |
| 31 | Minnesota | $81,138 | $39.01 |
| 32 | North Dakota | $84,659 | $40.70 |
| 33 | Alaska | $68,538 | $32.95 |
| 34 | Utah | $75,035 | $36.07 |
| 35 | South Carolina | $78,255 | $37.62 |
| 36 | Hawaii | $87,614 | $42.12 |
| 37 | Washington | $74,557 | $35.84 |
| 38 | New Mexico | $80,553 | $38.73 |
| 39 | Kansas | $79,975 | $38.45 |
| 40 | Arkansas | $75,700 | $36.39 |
| 41 | Louisiana | $77,087 | $37.06 |
| 42 | Wisconsin | $71,307 | $34.28 |
| 43 | Colorado | $77,359 | $37.19 |
| 44 | Indiana | $72,051 | $34.64 |
| 45 | Florida | $71,736 | $34.49 |
| 46 | Alabama | $74,538 | $35.84 |
| 47 | Iowa | $64,250 | $30.89 |
| 48 | Oklahoma | $68,389 | $32.88 |
| 49 | Wyoming | $65,623 | $31.55 |
| 50 | Montana | $67,687 | $32.54 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $65,155 | $31.32 |
Highest paying cities for employee benefits managers
The highest-paying cities for employee benefits managers are New York, NY, Washington, DC, and Pleasant Hill, CA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York, NY | $120,185 | $57.78 |
| 2 | Washington, DC | $110,296 | $53.03 |
| 3 | Pleasant Hill, CA | $102,700 | $49.38 |
| 4 | Detroit, MI | $102,396 | $49.23 |
| 5 | Baltimore, MD | $100,608 | $48.37 |
| 6 | Las Vegas, NV | $98,531 | $47.37 |
| 7 | Cleveland, OH | $96,774 | $46.53 |
| 8 | Reading, PA | $94,784 | $45.57 |
| 9 | Chicago, IL | $94,252 | $45.31 |
| 10 | Phoenix, AZ | $94,120 | $45.25 |
| 11 | Jackson, MS | $94,104 | $45.24 |
| 12 | Raleigh, NC | $89,288 | $42.93 |
| 13 | Weslaco, TX | $87,241 | $41.94 |
| 14 | Saint Louis, MO | $87,194 | $41.92 |
| 15 | Atlanta, GA | $83,635 | $40.21 |
| 16 | Portland, OR | $82,723 | $39.77 |
| 17 | Minneapolis, MN | $81,087 | $38.98 |
| 18 | Columbia, SC | $78,440 | $37.71 |
| 19 | Baton Rouge, LA | $77,270 | $37.15 |
| 20 | Denver, CO | $76,940 | $36.99 |
Employee benefits manager salary details
An employee benefits manager's salary ranges from $53,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $137,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is an employee benefits manager's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $137,000 | $11,417 | $66 |
| 75th Percentile | $109,000 | $9,083 | $52 |
| Average | $85,621 | $7,135 | $41 |
| 25th Percentile | $66,000 | $5,500 | $32 |
| 10th Percentile | $53,000 | $4,417 | $25 |
Highest paying employee benefits manager jobs
The highest paying types of employee benefits managers are compensation director, benefit director, and hris manager.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plan Administrator | $68,435 | $5,703 | $32.90 | 51,856 |
| Compensation Director | $117,485 | $9,790 | $56.48 | 18,492 |
| Compensation Consultant | $90,436 | $7,536 | $43.48 | 11,745 |
| Benefit Director | $110,567 | $9,214 | $53.16 | 9,650 |
| Benefits Consultant | $79,068 | $6,589 | $38.01 | 19,308 |
| Benefits Analyst | $50,944 | $4,245 | $24.49 | 20,211 |
Top companies hiring employee benefits managers now:
Which companies pay employee benefits managers the most?
Employee benefits manager salaries at DLA Piper and Cadence Design Systems are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average employee benefits manager salary at companies like Accenture and Grant Thornton are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DLA Piper | $160,531 | $77.18 |
| 2 | Cadence Design Systems | $127,677 | $61.38 |
| 3 | Accenture | $110,938 | $53.34 |
| 4 | Grant Thornton | $110,493 | $53.12 |
| 5 | AIG | $106,237 | $51.08 |
| 6 | Deloitte | $104,566 | $50.27 |
| 7 | Monster Products | $97,611 | $46.93 |
| 8 | Quest Diagnostics | $92,218 | $44.34 |
| 9 | CBIZ | $91,029 | $43.76 |
| 10 | Marsh & McLennan Companies | $85,410 | $41.06 |
| 11 | STANDARD HOLDING INC. | $85,257 | $40.99 |
| 12 | Alera Group | $85,257 | $40.99 |
| 13 | CPS | $85,257 | $40.99 |
| 14 | Consolidated Insurance + Risk Management | $85,162 | $40.94 |
| 15 | Baldwin Risk Partners | $84,973 | $40.85 |
| 16 | HNI | $84,926 | $40.83 |
| 17 | Salesforce | $84,885 | $40.81 |
| 18 | M3 Insurance | $84,835 | $40.79 |
| 19 | GPAC | $84,325 | $40.54 |
| 20 | Savoy Associates | $83,865 | $40.32 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Employee Benefits Manager salary by industry
The average employee benefits manager salary varies across industries:
- The average employee benefits manager salary in the finance industry is $88,368, the highest of any industry.
- The average employee benefits manager salary in the finance industry is $87,117.
- Employee benefits managers in the construction industry earn an average salary of $67,632, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for employee benefits managers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finance | $88,368 | $42.48 |
| 2 | Professional | $87,117 | $41.88 |
| 3 | Start-up | $82,031 | $39.44 |
| 4 | Media | $70,406 | $33.85 |
| 5 | Insurance | $68,793 | $33.07 |
| 6 | Construction | $67,632 | $32.52 |
High paying employee benefits manager jobs
Employee benefits manager salary trends
The average employee benefits manager salary has risen by $22,471 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average employee benefits manager earned $63,150 annually, but today, they earn $85,621 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for employee benefits managers over the last decade.
Compare employee benefits manager salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average employee benefits manager salary over time
Compare employee benefits manager salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Employee benefits manager salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $85,600 | $41.16 | +2.3% |
| 2024 | $83,700 | $40.22 | +1.0% |
| 2023 | $82,800 | $39.81 | +1.6% |
| 2022 | $81,500 | $39.19 | +2.4% |
| 2021 | $79,500 | $38.24 | +4.1% |
Recently added employee benefits manager salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marsh McLennan Agency-Michigan | Employee Benefits Producer | Madison, NY | 06/30/2025 | $105,000 |
| Relation Insurance, Inc. | Manager, Wellness Program-Employee Benefits | Peachtree City, GA | 06/29/2025 | $80,000 |
| Foundation Risk Partners | SR Employee Benefits Account Manager | Orange, CA | 06/29/2025 | $90,000 |
| Accession Risk Management Group | Employee Benefits Account Manager | Burlingame, CA | 06/29/2025 | $64,800 |
| Avis Budget Group | Car Rental Associate | Great Pay | Health Benefits | Employee Perks | Portland, OR | 06/27/2025 | $38,610 |
| Hub International | Employee Benefits Account Manager | Denver, CO | 06/27/2025 | $55,000 |
| LP Insurance Services | Experienced Employee Benefits Insurance Account Manager | Reno, NV | 06/27/2025 | $60,000 |
| Avis Budget Group | Loyalty Agent | High-Energy Role | Commission + Employee Benefits | Holualoa, HI | 06/26/2025 | $36,523 |
| Brown & Brown, Inc. | Employee Benefits Producer | Denver, CO | 06/25/2025 | $70,000 |
| Risk Strategies | Employee Benefits Account Manager | Irvine, CA | 06/25/2025 | $64,800 |
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