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Senior payroll specialist salary
Average senior payroll specialist salary
$59,503
Understanding Senior Payroll Specialist Salaries
The average Senior Payroll Specialist salary stands at about $59,503 annually. This figure can be influenced by various factors, including geographic location, years of experience, and the specific industry. In states like California and New York, salaries are generally higher due to the cost of living and demand for payroll expertise.
Key Factors Affecting Salary:
- Location: Salaries tend to be higher in urban areas compared to rural regions.
- Experience Level: Professionals with more experience typically command higher wages.
- Industry: Certain sectors like finance and IT often offer better compensation.
For those aiming to increase their salary potential, exploring opportunities in the highest paying industries and regions can be beneficial. Additionally, continuously upgrading skills through certifications can further enhance earning potential and career advancement.
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Where can a Senior Payroll Specialist earn more?
Senior payroll specialist salary estimates from across the web
Average senior payroll specialist salary by state
The highest-paying states for senior payroll specialists are New Jersey, Connecticut, and Washington. The lowest average senior payroll specialist salary states are Tennessee, Florida, and Arkansas.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for senior payroll specialists
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wyoming | $62,151 | $29.88 |
| 2 | Nebraska | $60,865 | $29.26 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $71,919 | $34.58 |
| 4 | Nevada | $59,631 | $28.67 |
| 5 | Minnesota | $64,331 | $30.93 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $68,054 | $32.72 |
| 7 | West Virginia | $64,073 | $30.80 |
| 8 | New Jersey | $69,833 | $33.57 |
| 9 | New Hampshire | $62,409 | $30.00 |
| 10 | Illinois | $65,483 | $31.48 |
| 11 | New York | $62,705 | $30.15 |
| 12 | Alaska | $59,628 | $28.67 |
| 13 | Wisconsin | $60,189 | $28.94 |
| 14 | Maryland | $63,289 | $30.43 |
| 15 | Oregon | $58,736 | $28.24 |
| 16 | Washington | $65,650 | $31.56 |
| 17 | Vermont | $59,017 | $28.37 |
| 18 | Rhode Island | $57,765 | $27.77 |
| 19 | Massachusetts | $61,140 | $29.39 |
| 20 | Kansas | $55,962 | $26.90 |
| 21 | Delaware | $57,577 | $27.68 |
| 22 | North Dakota | $53,365 | $25.66 |
| 23 | California | $65,256 | $31.37 |
| 24 | Virginia | $61,142 | $29.40 |
| 25 | Iowa | $51,995 | $25.00 |
| 26 | Pennsylvania | $53,938 | $25.93 |
| 27 | Ohio | $54,146 | $26.03 |
| 28 | Arizona | $53,692 | $25.81 |
| 29 | Michigan | $54,362 | $26.14 |
| 30 | Utah | $53,663 | $25.80 |
| 31 | Indiana | $53,965 | $25.94 |
| 32 | North Carolina | $50,720 | $24.38 |
| 33 | Colorado | $57,785 | $27.78 |
| 34 | Texas | $53,000 | $25.48 |
| 35 | Kentucky | $53,813 | $25.87 |
| 36 | Idaho | $51,233 | $24.63 |
| 37 | Hawaii | $50,036 | $24.06 |
| 38 | Montana | $48,939 | $23.53 |
| 39 | Florida | $44,878 | $21.58 |
| 40 | Louisiana | $47,924 | $23.04 |
| 41 | Maine | $52,343 | $25.16 |
| 42 | Georgia | $46,502 | $22.36 |
| 43 | Mississippi | $50,514 | $24.29 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $49,503 | $23.80 |
| 45 | Tennessee | $45,114 | $21.69 |
| 46 | Arkansas | $41,869 | $20.13 |
| 47 | South Dakota | $41,837 | $20.11 |
| 48 | Missouri | $46,280 | $22.25 |
| 49 | New Mexico | $46,509 | $22.36 |
| 50 | Alabama | $39,106 | $18.80 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $40,515 | $19.48 |
Highest paying cities for senior payroll specialists
The highest-paying cities for senior payroll specialists are San Francisco, CA, Chicago, IL, and Minneapolis, MN.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $69,658 | $33.49 |
| 2 | Chicago, IL | $65,951 | $31.71 |
| 3 | Minneapolis, MN | $64,357 | $30.94 |
| 4 | Bethesda, MD | $63,144 | $30.36 |
| 5 | New York, NY | $62,827 | $30.21 |
| 6 | Norfolk, VA | $61,238 | $29.44 |
| 7 | Boston, MA | $61,033 | $29.34 |
| 8 | Omaha, NE | $60,981 | $29.32 |
| 9 | Madison, WI | $59,303 | $28.51 |
| 10 | Las Vegas, NV | $59,222 | $28.47 |
| 11 | Portland, OR | $58,556 | $28.15 |
| 12 | Longmont, CO | $57,982 | $27.88 |
| 13 | Overland Park, KS | $56,218 | $27.03 |
| 14 | Philadelphia, PA | $54,215 | $26.06 |
| 15 | Ann Arbor, MI | $54,178 | $26.05 |
| 16 | Dublin, OH | $53,709 | $25.82 |
| 17 | Gilbert, AZ | $53,687 | $25.81 |
| 18 | Salt Lake City, UT | $53,611 | $25.77 |
| 19 | Austin, TX | $53,180 | $25.57 |
| 20 | Portland, ME | $52,813 | $25.39 |
Senior payroll specialist salary details
A senior payroll specialist's salary ranges from $42,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $82,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a senior payroll specialist's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $82,000 | $6,833 | $39 |
| 75th Percentile | $70,000 | $5,833 | $34 |
| Average | $59,503 | $4,959 | $29 |
| 25th Percentile | $49,000 | $4,083 | $24 |
| 10th Percentile | $42,000 | $3,500 | $20 |
Highest paying senior payroll specialist jobs
The highest paying types of senior payroll specialists are payroll manager, paymaster, and senior account specialist.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Timekeeper | $46,290 | $3,858 | $22.26 | 754 |
| Payroll Manager | $86,147 | $7,179 | $41.42 | 6,972 |
| Payroll Representative | $45,054 | $3,755 | $21.66 | 6,076 |
| Payroll Clerk | $41,602 | $3,467 | $20.00 | 71,944 |
| Payroll Processor | $44,307 | $3,692 | $21.30 | 11,795 |
| Payroll Administrator | $46,596 | $3,883 | $22.40 | 55,490 |
Top companies hiring senior payroll specialists now:
Which companies pay senior payroll specialists the most?
Senior payroll specialist salaries at MongoDB and Electronic Arts are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average senior payroll specialist salary at companies like The Washington Post and Dignity Health are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MongoDB | $103,266 | $49.65 |
| 2 | Electronic Arts | $100,181 | $48.16 |
| 3 | The Washington Post | $86,910 | $41.78 |
| 4 | Dignity Health | $82,714 | $39.77 |
| 5 | Point B | $78,588 | $37.78 |
| 6 | STV Group | $74,372 | $35.76 |
| 7 | Satellite Healthcare | $71,218 | $34.24 |
| 8 | Rosendin Electric | $70,620 | $33.95 |
| 9 | Clark Construction Group | $70,235 | $33.77 |
| 10 | Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical | $69,449 | $33.39 |
| 11 | Connors Group | $69,309 | $33.32 |
| 12 | SC Johnson | $68,633 | $33.00 |
| 13 | Bird | $65,624 | $31.55 |
| 14 | Deloitte | $65,484 | $31.48 |
| 15 | Liberty Diversified International | $64,910 | $31.21 |
| 16 | Johnson County Community College | $64,468 | $30.99 |
| 17 | Alameda Alliance for Health | $64,461 | $30.99 |
| 18 | TridentUSA Health | $64,375 | $30.95 |
| 19 | MiTek | $63,705 | $30.63 |
| 20 | Universal Engineering Sciences | $62,719 | $30.15 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Senior Payroll Specialist salary by industry
The average senior payroll specialist salary varies across industries:
- The average senior payroll specialist salary in the technology industry is $67,284, the highest of any industry.
- The average senior payroll specialist salary in the finance industry is $63,980.
- Senior payroll specialists in the professional industry earn an average salary of $51,282, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for senior payroll specialists
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $67,284 | $32.35 |
| 2 | Manufacturing | $63,980 | $30.76 |
| 3 | Retail | $58,285 | $28.02 |
| 4 | Hospitality | $54,019 | $25.97 |
| 5 | Professional | $51,282 | $24.65 |
High paying senior payroll specialist jobs
Senior payroll specialist salary trends
The average senior payroll specialist salary has risen by $12,478 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average senior payroll specialist earned $47,025 annually, but today, they earn $59,503 a year. That works out to a 11% change in pay for senior payroll specialists over the last decade.
Compare senior payroll specialist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average senior payroll specialist salary over time
Compare senior payroll specialist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Senior payroll specialist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $59,500 | $28.61 | +1.8% |
| 2025 | $58,400 | $28.10 | +2.4% |
| 2024 | $57,000 | $27.41 | +2.6% |
| 2023 | $55,500 | $26.70 | +3.4% |
| 2022 | $53,600 | $25.79 | +3.3% |
Recently added senior payroll specialist salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bay Systems Consulting Inc. | Senior Payroll Specialist | Palo Alto, CA | 06/29/2025 | $93,915 |
| Treasure Island Casino | Senior Payroll Specialist | Welch, MN | 06/28/2025 | $52,000 |
| Kizuki Ramen | Senior Payroll Specialist | Redmond, WA | 06/28/2025 | $50,088 |
| Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical | Senior Payroll Specialist | Salt Lake City, UT | 06/26/2025 | $87,100 |
| Tak Broadband | SR Payroll Specialist (California Focused) | Sacramento, CA | 06/26/2025 | $68,871 |
| Arthur J Gallagher & Co | Senior Payroll & Hris Technology Specialist | Houston, TX | 06/25/2025 | $72,127 |
| Bill.com | Senior Payroll Specialist | San Jose, CA | 06/22/2025 | $90,500 |
| North Idaho College | Senior Payroll Specialist | Hope, ID | 06/20/2025 | $45,559 |
| Teamwass | Senior Analyst, Payroll N.A. | Los Angeles, CA | 06/20/2025 | $70,000 |
| Bill | Senior Payroll Specialist | Salt Lake City, UT | 06/19/2025 | $76,900 |
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