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Staff specialist salary

Quoted expert
Kim Chatani

Average staff specialist salary

$84,247

$40.5 hourly rate

Entry-level staff specialist salary
$52,000 yearly salary
Updated January 8, 2025

Average Staff Specialist Salary

The average salary for a Staff Specialist in the United States is approximately $84,247 per year, equating to around $41 per hour. This figure can vary depending on various factors such as state, industry, and years of experience. For instance, experienced staff specialists in high-demand areas may earn significantly more.

Salary by State

States like California and New York typically offer higher salaries for this role. Understanding salary trends in your state can help you make informed career decisions. Additionally, cities such as San Francisco and New York City often rank among the highest paying locations for staff specialists.

Salary Trends Over Time

Over the years, the salary for staff specialists has shown steady growth, reflecting the increasing demand for skilled professionals in various sectors. Monitoring these trends can help job seekers gauge potential earnings and career trajectories.

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Where can a Staff Specialist earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
109k
89k
69k
49k
29k
Columbus, OH$98,740
Salt Lake City, UT$59,189
Compare salary by company
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133k
113k
93k
73k
53k
Brookhaven National Laboratory$119,814
The University of Texas at San Antonio$82,658

Average staff specialist salary by state

The average staff specialist salary in Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average staff specialist salary states are South Dakota, Alabama, and Utah.

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  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for staff specialists

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Rhode Island$98,772$47.49
2Hawaii$103,971$49.99
3District of Columbia$98,261$47.24
4Massachusetts$94,468$45.42
5Pennsylvania$86,224$41.45
6California$93,853$45.12
7Nevada$85,996$41.34
8Delaware$92,267$44.36
9New Jersey$92,671$44.55
10Maine$81,691$39.27
11Oregon$85,863$41.28
12New York$89,793$43.17
13Texas$85,944$41.32
14Connecticut$92,659$44.55
15Michigan$92,348$44.40
16Virginia$85,121$40.92
17Arizona$78,984$37.97
18Vermont$78,339$37.66
19Alaska$82,415$39.62
20Louisiana$81,879$39.36
21Ohio$79,117$38.04
22West Virginia$77,638$37.33
23New Hampshire$74,679$35.90
24Washington$74,868$35.99
25Maryland$75,519$36.31
26Idaho$67,277$32.34
27Wisconsin$76,316$36.69
28Kansas$72,044$34.64
29Iowa$69,412$33.37
30Illinois$68,909$33.13
31Georgia$72,746$34.97
32North Carolina$67,976$32.68
33Tennessee$67,232$32.32
34Colorado$69,134$33.24
35Mississippi$68,861$33.11
36Kentucky$68,045$32.71
37North Dakota$62,053$29.83
38New Mexico$66,201$31.83
39Indiana$64,931$31.22
40Florida$63,860$30.70
41Arkansas$62,266$29.94
42Minnesota$64,552$31.03
43Utah$59,964$28.83
44Wyoming$53,899$25.91
45Montana$56,233$27.04
46Oklahoma$64,171$30.85
47Nebraska$58,264$28.01
48South Carolina$63,989$30.76
49Missouri$62,095$29.85
50Alabama$60,617$29.14
51South Dakota$60,805$29.23

Highest paying cities for staff specialists

The highest-paying cities for staff specialists are San Francisco, CA, Washington, DC, and Framingham, MA.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1San Francisco, CA$98,740$47.47
2Washington, DC$98,346$47.28
3Framingham, MA$94,590$45.48
4Sterling Heights, MI$93,625$45.01
5New York, NY$90,109$43.32
6Ashburn, VA$87,229$41.94
7Galveston, TX$87,227$41.94
8Philadelphia, PA$87,100$41.88
9Portland, OR$84,993$40.86
10Portland, ME$82,636$39.73
11Juneau, AK$81,949$39.40
12Kirkland, WA$75,863$36.47
13Baltimore, MD$75,831$36.46
14Durham, NC$69,674$33.50
15Denver, CO$68,815$33.08
16Gainesville, FL$63,558$30.56
17Salt Lake City, UT$59,189$28.46

Staff specialist salary details

A staff specialist's salary ranges from $52,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $135,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average staff specialist salary graph
Average staff specialist salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a staff specialist's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$135,000$11,250$65
75th Percentile$108,000$9,000$52
Average$84,247$7,021$41
25th Percentile$65,000$5,417$31
10th Percentile$52,000$4,333$25

How would you rate the starting salaries for staff specialists, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?

Kim Chatani

Assistant Professor, Concordia University Irvine

Starting salaries will continue to increase but will be more dictated by supply and demand for the skill sets that graduates will provide. The current COVID 19 pandemic has put traditional thinking on its head. Employers will be evaluating employee skills in a multi-dimensional plane, competency, mobility, and transferability.

Which companies pay staff specialists the most?

Staff specialist salaries at Brookhaven National Laboratory and Brigham and Women's Hospital are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average staff specialist salary at companies like BASF and BMC Software are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Brookhaven National Laboratory$119,814$57.60
2Brigham and Women's Hospital$114,900$55.24
3BASF$114,600$55.10
4BMC Software$105,013$50.49
5ERM$104,377$50.18
6Infineon Technologies$103,961$49.98
7Rady Children's Hospital And Health Center$102,040$49.06
8Tesla$101,759$48.92
9Technip USA Corporation$101,329$48.72
10Alliance HealthCare Services$100,172$48.16
11Northrop Grumman$98,255$47.24
12Harvard University$97,325$46.79
13Emdeon Business Services LLC$97,237$46.75
14General Dynamics$88,052$42.33
15TalentBurst$86,928$41.79
16Cypress Semiconductor$86,035$41.36
17University of Michigan$84,643$40.69
18Burns & McDonnell$84,310$40.53
19New York University$83,483$40.14
20The University of Texas at San Antonio$82,658$39.74

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$87,000$84,800$82,600$80,400$78,200$76,000
MaleFemale

Staff specialist salary trends

The average staff specialist salary has risen by $12,399 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average staff specialist earned $71,848 annually, but today, they earn $84,247 a year. That works out to a 9% change in pay for staff specialists over the last decade.

Compare staff specialist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average staff specialist salary over time

Compare staff specialist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Staff specialist salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$84,200$40.50+3.8%
2024$81,000$38.96+2.3%
2023$79,100$38.05+0.7%
2022$78,600$37.77+1.4%
2021$77,500$37.24+1.3%

Recently added staff specialist salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
SunrunVendor Staff SpecialistPierre, SD06/30/2025$71,229
SunrunVendor Staff SpecialistMontgomery, AL06/30/2025$71,229
SunrunVendor Staff SpecialistSan Juan, PR06/30/2025$71,229
SunrunVendor Staff SpecialistCharleston, WV06/30/2025$71,229
SunrunVendor Staff SpecialistCheyenne, WY06/30/2025$71,229
SunrunVendor Staff SpecialistDenver, CO06/30/2025$71,229
SunrunVendor Staff SpecialistJuneau, AK06/30/2025$71,229
SunrunVendor Staff SpecialistWashington, DC06/30/2025$71,229
SunrunVendor Staff SpecialistPhoenix, AZ06/30/2025$71,229
SunrunVendor Staff SpecialistHartford, CT06/30/2025$71,229

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