Human Resources Specialists Salary
Business and Financial Operations Occupations · 912K employed in the U.S.
Median annual
$75,940
Median hourly
$37
Average annual
$81,990
Typical range
$47,180–$128,720
Pay distribution
10th to 90th percentile, with the median marked.
What this role pays
The median annual salary for Human Resources Specialists is $75,940 as of May 2025, based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. That works out to about $37 an hour at a full-time schedule.
Recruit, screen, interview, or place individuals within an organization. May perform other activities in multiple human resources areas..
Most earn between $47,180 and $128,720 a year. There are roughly 912K people employed as human resources specialists in the United States. Use the state and metro pages below to see how pay changes by location, and the calculator to convert any hourly or annual figure.
Salary calculator
Convert your pay and see where it lands for Human Resources Specialists.
- Hourly
- $36.51
- Daily
- $292
- Weekly
- $1,460
- Bi-weekly
- $2,921
- Monthly
- $6,328
- Annual
- $75,940
$75,940 a year is around the 50th percentile for Human Resources Specialistss. The median is $75,940.
Highest-paying states
Median annual wage by state.
- 1District of Columbia$110,970
- 2Massachusetts$85,630
- 3Washington$84,550
- 4New York$84,380
- 5Maryland$83,910
- 6California$83,500
- 7Connecticut$82,890
- 8Virginia$82,090
- 9Colorado$80,840
- 10New Jersey$80,690
- 11Minnesota$78,760
- 12Oregon$78,060
Top-paying metro areas
Median annual wage by metro area.
- 1San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$112,140
- 2San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$103,140
- 3Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV$100,830
- 4Lexington Park, MD$98,170
- 5Parkersburg-Vienna, WV$94,520
- 6Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$92,770
- 7Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA$90,290
- 8Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$90,270
- 9New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$89,780
- 10Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA$86,700
- 11Boulder, CO$86,200
- 12Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT$85,550
Related job titles
Employers advertise Human Resources Specialists roles under these titles.
- Business Intelligence Engineer
- Career Development Specialist
- Career Development Technician
- Career Specialist
- Certification Specialist
- Contract Recruiter
- Corporate Recruiter
- Credentialing Coordinator
- Credentialing Specialist
- Credentials Specialist
- Employee Advisor
- Employee Counselor
- Employee Health Maintenance Program Specialist
- Employee Placement Specialist
- Employee Service Officer
- Employment Advisor
Related occupations
- Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping$50,610
- Human Resources Managers$149,280
- Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs$54,210
- Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists$78,210
- First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers$69,500
- Training and Development Managers$133,000
- Compensation and Benefits Managers$149,230
- Industrial-Organizational Psychologists$193,950
What a Human Resources Specialists does
- Address employee relations issues, such as harassment allegations, work complaints, or other employee concerns.
- Hire employees and process hiring-related paperwork.
- Maintain current knowledge of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and affirmative action guidelines and laws, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
- Prepare or maintain employment records related to events, such as hiring, termination, leaves, transfers, or promotions, using human resources management system software.
- Review employment applications and job orders to match applicants with job requirements.
- Interpret and explain human resources policies, procedures, laws, standards, or regulations.
- Inform job applicants of details such as duties and responsibilities, compensation, benefits, schedules, working conditions, or promotion opportunities.
- Select qualified job applicants or refer them to managers, making hiring recommendations when appropriate.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a Human Resources Specialists make?
- The median annual wage for Human Resources Specialists is $75,940 ($37 per hour). Pay ranges from about $47,180 at the 10th percentile to $128,720 at the 90th percentile.
- What is the average salary for a Human Resources Specialists?
- The average (mean) annual salary is $81,990, which is higher than the median because a small number of high earners pull the average up.
- Which state pays Human Resources Specialistss the most?
- District of Columbia has the highest median annual wage for this occupation at $110,970.
- Is Human Resources Specialists a growing occupation?
- BLS employment data for May 2025 counts about 912K people in this occupation. Projected growth is published separately in the BLS Employment Projections program.
- What does a Human Resources Specialists do?
- Address employee relations issues, such as harassment allegations, work complaints, or other employee concerns.; Hire employees and process hiring-related paperwork.; Maintain current knowledge of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and affirmative action guidelines and laws, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)..