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Human Resources Generalist salary

Quoted Experts
Sarah DeArmond Ph.D.,
Roger Adkins Ph.D. (DSO, ARO)

Average human resources generalist salary

$56,159

$27 hourly rate

Entry-level human resources generalist salary
$41,000 yearly salary
Updated June 25, 2024

How much does a human resources generalist make?

The average human resources generalist salary in the United States is $56,159. Human resources generalist salaries typically range between $41,000 and $76,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for human resources generalists is $27.0 per hour.

Human resources generalist salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Human resources generalists earn the highest average salary in New York.

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Human resources generalist salary by: 

Where can a Human Resources Generalist earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
99k
79k
59k
39k
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Ashburn, VA$70,619
Memphis, TN$49,119
Compare salary by company
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132k
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Microsoft$102,997
Earthjustice$81,968

Human Resources Generalist

A human resources generalist with 0-2 years of experience earns an average entry-level salary of $33,230. A mid-career human resources generalist with 3-6 years of experience makes $56,159 a year on average. A senior level human resources generalist with 7-12 years of experience enjoys an average annual salary of $94,488.

According to Roger Adkins Ph.D. (DSO, ARO), Executive Director | Global Education at Earlham College, "Negotiate salary offers to set a higher earning potential for future career growth. Consider indirect compensation options for negotiation, such as educational benefits, remote work flexibility, and professional development funding."

Human Resources Generalist salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Indeed, Glassdoor and Ziprecruiter, the average salary for a human resources generalist typically falls between $56,159 and $71,965.
zippia
$56,159yearly
glassdoor[1]
$71,965yearly
indeed[2]
$66,328yearly
Salary.com[3]
$63,900yearly
ZipRecruiter[4]
$65,839yearly

Average human resources generalist salary by state

The average human resources generalist salary in New York, Washington, and New Jersey are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average human resources generalist salary states are Hawaii, Mississippi, and Louisiana.

  • State View
  • County View
Average Salary:

Highest paying states for human resources generalists

RankStateAvg. SalaryHourly Rate
1District of Columbia$70,551$33.92
2Washington$63,461$30.51
3New York$64,053$30.79
4Massachusetts$60,476$29.07
5Delaware$57,698$27.74
6Connecticut$60,695$29.18
7Virginia$60,742$29.20
8Pennsylvania$55,408$26.64
9Minnesota$56,349$27.09
10California$61,413$29.53
11Oregon$56,786$27.30
12Rhode Island$56,153$27.00
13Alaska$57,783$27.78
14New Jersey$61,805$29.71
15Illinois$53,907$25.92
16North Dakota$53,617$25.78
17Ohio$51,893$24.95
18Colorado$56,296$27.07
19New Hampshire$52,498$25.24
20Maryland$59,648$28.68
21Wisconsin$51,580$24.80
22North Carolina$51,495$24.76
23Alabama$53,138$25.55
24Michigan$51,039$24.54
25Indiana$51,686$24.85
26West Virginia$51,492$24.76
27Texas$52,407$25.20
28Kentucky$51,140$24.59
29Vermont$49,242$23.67
30Maine$49,863$23.97
31Tennessee$49,439$23.77
32Kansas$49,016$23.57
33Arizona$48,598$23.36
34Idaho$51,066$24.55
35Wyoming$47,315$22.75
36Montana$47,025$22.61
37Hawaii$46,737$22.47
38Nevada$47,209$22.70
39Nebraska$48,254$23.20
40Iowa$47,750$22.96
41South Carolina$48,373$23.26
42Utah$47,750$22.96
43Missouri$49,057$23.59
44Georgia$47,790$22.98
45Mississippi$46,315$22.27
46New Mexico$48,270$23.21
47Florida$46,781$22.49
48South Dakota$41,779$20.09
49Arkansas$42,669$20.51
50Louisiana$44,985$21.63
51Oklahoma$40,746$19.59

Highest paying cities for human resources generalists

The highest-paying cities for human resources generalists are Washington, DC, Richmond, CA, and New York, NY.

RankCityAvg. SalaryHourly Rate
1Washington, DC$70,619$33.95
2Richmond, CA$65,618$31.55
3New York, NY$64,404$30.96
4Seattle, WA$63,856$30.70
5Richmond, VA$60,685$29.18
6Boston, MA$60,293$28.99
7Baltimore, MD$59,804$28.75
8Portland, OR$56,672$27.25
9Rochester, MN$56,430$27.13
10Denver, CO$56,322$27.08
11Philadelphia, PA$55,669$26.76
12Chicago, IL$54,159$26.04
13Cleveland, OH$52,870$25.42
14Fort Worth, TX$52,435$25.21
15Milwaukee, WI$51,753$24.88
16Indianapolis, IN$51,505$24.76
17Charlotte, NC$50,688$24.37
18Grand Rapids, MI$50,505$24.28
19Portland, ME$50,264$24.17
20Memphis, TN$49,119$23.61

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

  1. Washington, DC
  2. Richmond, CA
  3. New York, NY
  4. Seattle, WA
  5. Richmond, VA

Human Resources Generalist salary details

A human resources generalist's salary ranges from $41,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $76,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average Human Resources Generalist Salary Graph
Average Human Resources Generalist Salary Graph, Trends, and Summary

What is a human resources generalist's salary?

PercentileAnnual SalaryMonthly SalaryHourly Rate
90th Percentile$76,000$6,333$37
75th Percentile$66,000$5,500$32
Average$56,159$4,680$27
25th Percentile$47,000$3,917$23
10th Percentile$41,000$3,417$20

Highest paying human resources generalist jobs

The highest paying types of human resources generalists are senior human resources manager, human resources lead, and regional human resources manager.

Job TitleAnnual SalaryMonthly SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
Human Resources Administration Manager$76,637$6,386$36.8447,008
Regional Human Resources Manager$88,466$7,372$42.5363,987
Human Resources Recruiter/Manager$78,339$6,528$37.6675,365
Human Resources Coordinator$44,074$3,673$21.1953,322
Human Resources Business Partner$86,363$7,197$41.52103,520
Human Resources Consultant$71,882$5,990$34.5652,761

How would you rate the starting salaries for Human Resources Generalists, 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 generalists now:

  1. Citi Jobs (110)
  2. Dell Jobs (67)
  3. FedEx Jobs (68)
  4. Cummins Jobs (67)
  5. The Home Depot Jobs (107)

Which companies pay human resources generalists the most?

Human resources generalist salaries at Microsoft and Amazon are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average human resources generalist salary at companies like Abiomed and Entegris are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly Rate
1Microsoft$102,997$49.52
2Amazon$98,528$47.37
3Abiomed$96,395$46.34
4Entegris$94,671$45.51
5Invesco$93,741$45.07
6Yahoo$93,009$44.72
7Adobe$92,836$44.63
8Citi$91,650$44.06
9General Atlantic$89,762$43.15
108x8$89,139$42.86
11Avid$87,712$42.17
12Visa$86,566$41.62
13Yelp$84,441$40.60
14Amphenol$84,184$40.47
15HSBC Bank$83,746$40.26
16Activision Blizzard$83,002$39.90
17MSCI$82,935$39.87
18HP$82,488$39.66
19Fortinet$82,418$39.62
20Earthjustice$81,968$39.41

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$59,000$58,200$57,400$56,600$55,800$55,000
MaleFemale

Human Resources Generalist salary by industry

The average human resources generalist salary varies across industries:

  • The average human resources generalist salary in the technology industry is $61,994, the highest of any industry.
  • The average human resources generalist salary in the finance industry is $60,767.
  • Human resources generalists in the hospitality industry earn an average salary of $55,832, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for human resources generalists

RankIndustryAverage SalaryHourly Rate
1Technology$61,994$29.80
2Finance$60,767$29.21
3Manufacturing$60,161$28.92
4Retail$59,004$28.37
5Health Care$58,856$28.30
6Professional$58,627$28.19
7Hospitality$55,832$26.84

High Paying Human Resources Generalist Jobs

Human Resources Generalist salary trends

The average human resources generalist salary has risen by $7,434 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average human resources generalist earned $48,725 annually, but today, they earn $56,159 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for human resources generalists over the last decade.

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

Average human resources generalist salary over time

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

    Human Resources Generalist salary by year

    YearAvg. SalaryHourly Rate% Change
    2024$56,200$27.00+2.5%
    2023$54,800$26.33+1.7%
    2022$53,900$25.89+0.9%
    2021$53,400$25.66+1.9%
    2020$52,300$25.17+1.4%

    Recently added human resources generalist salaries

    CompanyJobLocationDate AddedSalary
    The Finished Basement Company, Inc.Human Resources GeneralistDenver, CO11/01/2023$55,000
    Cregger CompanyHR GeneralistIrmo, SC07/04/2023$45,000
    SupernalHR GeneralistAlexandria, VA07/04/2023$95,680
    SupernalHR GeneralistWashington, DC07/04/2023$95,680
    SupernalHR GeneralistBeltsville, MD07/04/2023$95,680
    Campbell SoupHuman Resource GeneralistMaxton, NC07/03/2023$47,600
    Insignia Living of Pr Inc.Human Resources Generalist/RecruiterSan Juan, PR07/03/2023$30,000
    Bootbarn, Inc.Human Resources Generalist-KCIKansas City, MO07/02/2023$48,001
    Breakthru Beverage Group Breakthru Beverage GroupHuman Resources GeneralistRichmond, CA07/02/2023$65,000
    Global Medical ResponseHuman Resources GeneralistAustin, TX07/02/2023$58,000

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