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Payroll manager salary
Average payroll manager salary
$86,147
Average Payroll Manager Salary
The average payroll manager salary in the United States is approximately $86,147 per year or about $41 per hour. Payroll managers play a vital role in ensuring employees are paid accurately and on time, making their expertise highly valued in various industries.
Factors Affecting Salaries
Salaries for payroll managers can differ significantly based on factors such as:
- Experience Level: Entry-level managers might earn less, while those with extensive experience can command higher salaries.
- Location: States with a higher cost of living, like California and New York, often offer better compensation.
- Industry: Payroll managers in finance or tech sectors typically earn more than those in non-profit organizations.
Highest Paying States
Some of the highest paying states for payroll managers include:
- California
- New York
- Washington
- Massachusetts
These states reflect a combination of high demand for payroll professionals and a higher cost of living.
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Where can a Payroll Manager earn more?
Payroll manager salaries by experience level
Payroll manager salary estimates from across the web
Average payroll manager salary by state
The highest-paying states for payroll managers are California, Utah, and Washington. The lowest average payroll manager salary states are Tennessee, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for payroll managers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $113,050 | $54.35 |
| 2 | Utah | $95,193 | $45.77 |
| 3 | Nevada | $92,035 | $44.25 |
| 4 | Washington | $94,470 | $45.42 |
| 5 | Arizona | $85,181 | $40.95 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $87,183 | $41.91 |
| 7 | District of Columbia | $94,875 | $45.61 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $89,268 | $42.92 |
| 9 | Wyoming | $94,068 | $45.23 |
| 10 | West Virginia | $87,835 | $42.23 |
| 11 | Alaska | $88,107 | $42.36 |
| 12 | Texas | $84,343 | $40.55 |
| 13 | Wisconsin | $81,346 | $39.11 |
| 14 | Illinois | $84,874 | $40.80 |
| 15 | Oregon | $83,474 | $40.13 |
| 16 | New York | $86,915 | $41.79 |
| 17 | North Carolina | $81,910 | $39.38 |
| 18 | Kansas | $84,240 | $40.50 |
| 19 | North Dakota | $78,869 | $37.92 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $83,317 | $40.06 |
| 21 | Colorado | $86,891 | $41.77 |
| 22 | Hawaii | $89,560 | $43.06 |
| 23 | New Hampshire | $83,689 | $40.24 |
| 24 | Virginia | $81,010 | $38.95 |
| 25 | Michigan | $79,772 | $38.35 |
| 26 | Indiana | $77,667 | $37.34 |
| 27 | Idaho | $78,821 | $37.89 |
| 28 | Ohio | $75,613 | $36.35 |
| 29 | Georgia | $80,197 | $38.56 |
| 30 | Rhode Island | $75,640 | $36.37 |
| 31 | Mississippi | $79,604 | $38.27 |
| 32 | Vermont | $79,035 | $38.00 |
| 33 | New Jersey | $78,552 | $37.77 |
| 34 | Maryland | $76,175 | $36.62 |
| 35 | Oklahoma | $77,749 | $37.38 |
| 36 | Iowa | $76,209 | $36.64 |
| 37 | Tennessee | $69,838 | $33.58 |
| 38 | Montana | $75,563 | $36.33 |
| 39 | New Mexico | $75,895 | $36.49 |
| 40 | Florida | $71,380 | $34.32 |
| 41 | Delaware | $75,638 | $36.36 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $69,785 | $33.55 |
| 43 | Pennsylvania | $67,052 | $32.24 |
| 44 | Kentucky | $70,862 | $34.07 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $71,738 | $34.49 |
| 46 | Missouri | $70,711 | $34.00 |
| 47 | Maine | $70,631 | $33.96 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $65,440 | $31.46 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $70,792 | $34.03 |
| 50 | Alabama | $61,579 | $29.61 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $61,583 | $29.61 |
Highest paying cities for payroll managers
The highest-paying cities for payroll managers are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and Washington, DC.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $120,152 | $57.77 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $94,985 | $45.67 |
| 3 | Washington, DC | $94,961 | $45.65 |
| 4 | Salt Lake City, UT | $94,702 | $45.53 |
| 5 | Boston, MA | $89,325 | $42.94 |
| 6 | Stamford, CT | $87,255 | $41.95 |
| 7 | New York, NY | $87,101 | $41.88 |
| 8 | Denver, CO | $86,731 | $41.70 |
| 9 | Phoenix, AZ | $85,321 | $41.02 |
| 10 | San Antonio, TX | $85,067 | $40.90 |
| 11 | Chicago, IL | $85,059 | $40.89 |
| 12 | Manchester, NH | $83,690 | $40.24 |
| 13 | Saint Paul, MN | $83,398 | $40.10 |
| 14 | Portland, OR | $83,090 | $39.95 |
| 15 | Raleigh, NC | $82,604 | $39.71 |
| 16 | Arlington, VA | $81,005 | $38.94 |
| 17 | Atlanta, GA | $80,191 | $38.55 |
| 18 | Detroit, MI | $79,954 | $38.44 |
| 19 | Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ | $78,454 | $37.72 |
| 20 | Indianapolis, IN | $77,537 | $37.28 |
Payroll manager salary details
A payroll manager's salary ranges from $63,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $117,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a payroll manager's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $117,000 | $9,750 | $56 |
| 75th Percentile | $101,000 | $8,417 | $49 |
| Average | $86,147 | $7,179 | $41 |
| 25th Percentile | $73,000 | $6,083 | $35 |
| 10th Percentile | $63,000 | $5,250 | $30 |
Highest paying payroll manager jobs
The highest paying types of payroll managers are accounting manager, payroll/human resource manager, and paymaster.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Timekeeper | $46,290 | $3,858 | $22.26 | 754 |
| Payroll Representative | $45,054 | $3,755 | $21.66 | 6,076 |
| Accounting Manager | $84,451 | $7,038 | $40.60 | 92,089 |
| Payroll Administrator | $46,596 | $3,883 | $22.40 | 55,490 |
| Payroll Supervisor | $64,422 | $5,368 | $30.97 | 6,668 |
| Payroll Technician | $44,971 | $3,748 | $21.62 | 11,297 |
Top companies hiring payroll managers now:
Which companies pay payroll managers the most?
Payroll manager salaries at Ep Energy and ORIX USA are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average payroll manager salary at companies like Autodesk and Fanatics are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ep Energy | $119,333 | $57.37 |
| 2 | ORIX USA | $111,784 | $53.74 |
| 3 | Autodesk | $110,499 | $53.12 |
| 4 | Fanatics | $107,848 | $51.85 |
| 5 | Fortinet | $104,442 | $50.21 |
| 6 | G2 Crowd | $103,249 | $49.64 |
| 7 | BGC Partners | $101,150 | $48.63 |
| 8 | Trailer Park | $100,888 | $48.50 |
| 9 | Burlington | $100,631 | $48.38 |
| 10 | Ross Stores | $99,369 | $47.77 |
| 11 | Allbirds | $97,163 | $46.71 |
| 12 | SimilarWeb | $96,161 | $46.23 |
| 13 | Roku | $95,358 | $45.85 |
| 14 | Koch Industries | $94,264 | $45.32 |
| 15 | Snagajob | $94,224 | $45.30 |
| 16 | Semtech | $93,567 | $44.98 |
| 17 | Hireology | $93,512 | $44.96 |
| 18 | Chan Zuckerberg Initiative | $92,821 | $44.63 |
| 19 | Airbus | $92,675 | $44.56 |
| 20 | Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals | $91,727 | $44.10 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Payroll Manager salary by industry
The average payroll manager salary varies across industries:
- The average payroll manager salary in the finance industry is $85,783, the highest of any industry.
- The average payroll manager salary in the finance industry is $85,586.
- Payroll managers in the hospitality industry earn an average salary of $78,013, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for payroll managers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finance | $85,783 | $41.24 |
| 2 | Technology | $85,586 | $41.15 |
| 3 | Manufacturing | $82,829 | $39.82 |
| 4 | Construction | $80,174 | $38.55 |
| 5 | Health Care | $79,526 | $38.23 |
| 6 | Professional | $78,639 | $37.81 |
| 7 | Retail | $78,383 | $37.68 |
| 8 | Hospitality | $78,013 | $37.51 |
High paying payroll manager jobs
Payroll manager salary trends
The average payroll manager salary has risen by $18,065 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average payroll manager earned $68,082 annually, but today, they earn $86,147 a year. That works out to a 11% change in pay for payroll managers over the last decade.
Compare payroll manager salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average payroll manager salary over time
Compare payroll manager salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Payroll manager salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $86,100 | $41.42 | +1.8% |
| 2025 | $84,600 | $40.68 | +2.4% |
| 2024 | $82,500 | $39.68 | +2.6% |
| 2023 | $80,400 | $38.66 | +3.4% |
| 2022 | $77,700 | $37.34 | +3.3% |
Recently added payroll manager salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sutterhealth | Manager, Payroll | Sacramento, CA | 06/30/2025 | $101,658 |
| Carle Foundation Hospital | Manager of Payroll | Champaign, IL | 06/29/2025 | $89,741 |
| Dealer Tire | Manager, Enterprise Payroll & Tax Compliance (Remote) | Cleveland, OH | 06/28/2025 | $125,000 |
| Astrion | Payroll Manager | Toone, TN | 06/28/2025 | $70,709 |
| Soapy Joe's Group | Payroll Manager | San Diego, CA | 06/28/2025 | $90,000 |
| LHH | Payroll Manager | Philadelphia, PA | 06/27/2025 | $125,000 |
| Newport Restaurant Group | Payroll and Retirement Manager at Newport Restaurant Group | Warwick, RI | 06/27/2025 | $90,000 |
| Related Companies | Payroll Manager | New York, NY | 06/27/2025 | $100,000 |
| The Planet Group | Payroll Manager (635358) | Saint Louis, MO | 06/27/2025 | $115,000 |
| Maxim Healthcare | Manager-Payroll | Columbia, MD | 06/26/2025 | $80,000 |
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