Human Resources Specialists salary in the US
A data-first look at human resources specialists' pay: the median, the thresholds for the top 25% and top 10%, and how earnings vary across the country.
How much do human resources specialists earn?
Half of all human resources specialists in the United States earned more than $71,594 a year, and half earned less — 36% more than the $52,508 median for all US earners aged 25 and older. That is good for 53rd place out of 171: better than most, yet well below the highest-paid fields. 44,951 respondents aged 25+ reported this occupation, which is what the median is calculated from.
| Position | Annual earnings |
|---|---|
| Top 10% start at | $152,752 |
| Top 25% start at | $104,947 |
| Median (top 50%) | $71,594 |
| Bottom 25% earn below | $48,923 |
How wide is the pay range?
There is meaningful room above the median: $104,947 marks the top quarter and $152,752 the top tenth (2.1× the median). The bottom quarter earned under $48,923; that group includes people who worked part of the year or reduced hours, since every earner is counted. Put differently, the middle earner makes 1.5× what someone at the 25th percentile does.
Earnings by age
The age curve is gentle: $62,968 for workers aged 25–34, peaking at $81,859 for those aged 45–54. After the peak, the 65+ group's median falls to $53,696 (34% lower), largely because more older workers cut back their hours.
Men and women
By sex, the medians are $82,235 (men) and $69,037 (women) — a 16% difference. About 75% of the sampled workers are women, going by raw survey counts. Because these are annual totals, more part-time work in one group widens the gap; the survey doesn't adjust for that.
| Group | Median earnings | Survey records |
|---|---|---|
| Men | $82,235 | 11,117 |
| Women | $69,037 | 33,834 |
Does education change the pay?
The education premium is steep: $101,525 at the median for workers with a doctorate against $55,839 for those with a high school education or less. Most workers surveyed in this job have a bachelor's degree (19,959 records); any level under 100 records is blank in the table.
| Education | Median earnings | Survey records |
|---|---|---|
| High school or less | $55,839 | 4,799 |
| Some college / associate | $60,915 | 10,941 |
| Bachelor's | $77,661 | 19,959 |
| Master's | $89,375 | 8,248 |
| Professional degree | $93,432 | 688 |
| Doctorate | $101,525 | 316 |
Where the most work, and what they earn there
The five states with the most human resources specialists in the survey are California, Texas, Florida, New York, and Illinois. Among them, California has the highest median at $81,220 and Florida the lowest at $65,888, a 23% spread. No cost-of-living adjustment is applied. In all, 46 states clear the 100-record bar for a state-level median.
| State | Median earnings | Survey records |
|---|---|---|
| California | $81,220 | 5,553 |
| Texas | $67,211 | 3,648 |
| Florida | $65,888 | 2,732 |
| New York | $79,431 | 2,601 |
| Illinois | $73,463 | 1,961 |
Occupations with similar pay
Nearby on the pay scale are college professors and instructors ($71,594), first-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers ($73,981), executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants ($68,433), and computer support specialists ($68,216). Similar pay doesn't mean similar work — training, hours and risk differ — but it's a useful reference when weighing a move.
| Occupation | Median earnings | vs. this job |
|---|---|---|
| College Professors and Instructors | $71,594 | 0% |
| First-Line Supervisors Of Mechanics, Installers, And Repairers | $73,981 | +3% |
| Executive Secretaries And Executive Administrative Assistants | $68,433 | −4% |
| Computer Support Specialists | $68,216 | −5% |
| First-Line Supervisors Of Construction Trades And Extraction Workers | $68,216 | −5% |
About these figures
A note on definitions: figures cover everyone 25+ with earnings in this occupation over 2020–2024, inflation-adjusted to 2024, full-time or not. Medians are weighted to the US population; suppressed cells are those under 100 records. The occupation total is 44,951 records.
See where your pay ranks among human resources specialists
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Open the calculatorSource: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-Year Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) — personal earnings (PERNP) in 2024 dollars, person-weighted
Reference statistics only — not financial advice.