Human Resources Managers Salaries by State

Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for human resources managerss across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).

National mean salary $164,230 ≈ $79/hr
National median salary $149,280
Total employment 220,660 nationwide

Job Outlook, 2024–2034

Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.

Projected growth +5% Faster than average
Annual openings 17,900 per year (avg)
Employment 2024→2034 221,900 → 233,000 (+11,100)
Typical entry education Bachelor's degree

Salary Map

Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.

💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States

  1. New York$197,390
  2. Massachusetts$195,110
  3. California$191,920
  4. District of Columbia$187,830
  5. New Jersey$186,360

📉 5 Lowest-Paying States

  1. Louisiana$120,470
  2. Mississippi$122,450
  3. Alabama$125,490
  4. South Dakota$127,430
  5. Montana$128,480
#StateMeanMedian Hourlyvs. U.S.Employment
1 New York $197,390 $176,650 $95 +20.2% 17,920
2 Massachusetts $195,110 $181,780 $94 +18.8% 7,540
3 California $191,920 $170,080 $92 +16.9% 27,450
4 District of Columbia $187,830 $184,350 $90 +14.4% 2,250
5 New Jersey $186,360 $172,440 $90 +13.5% 6,400
6 Connecticut $180,480 $165,930 $87 +9.9% 3,020
7 Rhode Island $179,520 $167,110 $86 +9.3% 530
8 Washington $178,830 $165,530 $86 +8.9% 4,560
9 Colorado $178,670 $166,400 $86 +8.8% 3,620
10 Virginia $175,780 $165,980 $85 +7% 5,770
11 Georgia $167,270 $150,700 $80 +1.9% 7,270
12 Delaware $166,100 $153,890 $80 +1.1% 580
13 Minnesota $163,990 $153,770 $79 -0.1% 4,370
14 Illinois $162,450 $151,370 $78 -1.1% 13,520
15 North Carolina $161,060 $142,990 $77 -1.9% 6,480

Top-Paying Metro Areas

Highest median pay among 480 metro areas.

#Metro areaMedianMeanEmployment
1 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $220,460 $257,750 2,800
2 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $209,340 $219,270 4,960
3 Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT $191,190 $209,710 990
4 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $185,100 $204,790 18,480
5 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH $184,990 $197,730 6,480
6 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV $177,960 $186,760 6,280
7 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA $171,360 $186,920 3,200
8 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO $170,940 $183,090 2,540
9 Midland, MI $170,710 $181,210 80
10 Boulder, CO $169,000 $192,760 260

Pay by Industry

Highest-paying industries employing human resources managerss (BLS OEWS, by median).

#IndustryMedianMeanEmployment
1 Inland Water Transportation $298,050 $247,780 60
2 Sound Recording Industries $240,720 $233,820 40
3 Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing $229,560 $226,430 380
4 Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services $225,920 $243,340 770
5 Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services $225,920 $243,340 770
6 Newspaper Publishers $223,330 $222,860 120
7 Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities $212,410 $227,830 3,110
8 Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, & Other Media Networks & Content Providers $212,060 $233,950 1,000
9 Broadcasting and Content Providers $211,990 $230,830 1,140
10 Monetary Authorities-Central Bank $211,880 $211,440 90
11 Monetary Authorities-Central Bank $211,880 $211,440 90
12 Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences $211,110 $224,750 3,540

Workforce Deep-Dive

Distribution and demographics from Census ACS (2023, self-reported). Wage figures here are ACS averages and run lower than the authoritative BLS wages above; use them for shape, not exact pay.

Annual wage distribution

< $10K
40,481
$10-20k
7,542
$20-30k
5,513
$30-40k
10,051
$40-50k
17,600
$50-60k
19,437
$60-70k
26,692
$70-80k
22,279
$80-90k
21,240
$90-100k
24,107
$100-110k
24,587
$110-120k
13,096
$120-130k
20,862
$130-140k
13,610
$140-150k
9,475
$150-160k
10,862
$160-170k
7,360
$170-180k
5,173
$180-190k
5,574
$190-200k
3,921
$200k+
30,361

Pay by age band

16-24
$40,906
25-34
$78,124
35-44
$116,608
45-54
$128,107
55-64
$109,963
65+
$44,609

Education level

Bachelors Degree
$108,173
Masters Degree
$117,888
1 or more years of college credit, no degree
$71,567
Associates Degree
$82,786
Regular high school diploma
$84,563
Some college, but less than 1 year
$75,196
Professional degree
$138,519
Doctorate degree
$132,682
GED or alternative credential
$116,118
12th grade - no diploma
$35,907
No schooling completed
$66,193
Grade 11
$61,601
Grade 6
Grade 9
$3,059
Grade 3
$101,952
Grade 8

Full-time vs part-time

Full-time
279,387 · $117,705
Part-time
14,340 · $50,163

Race / ethnicity

White
$107,097
Black
$96,430
Two or More Races
$92,353
Asian
$112,458
Other
$81,129
American Indian
$68,704
American Indian and Alaska Native tribes specified; or American Indian or Alaska Native, not specified and no other races
$73,890
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
$62,606
Alaska Native
$101,952

Top fields of study

Business Management And Administration
$114,559
Human Resources And Personnel Management
$109,995
Psychology
$122,614
General Business
$118,075
Communications
$121,417
Marketing And Marketing Research
$140,869
Political Science And Government
$121,263
Accounting
$88,311

Top Skills

Most important skills for this role (O*NET importance, 1–5 scale).

Active Listening
4.4
Management of Personnel Resources
4.3
Reading Comprehension
4.3
Speaking
4.3
Writing
4.1
Coordination
4.1
Critical Thinking
4.0
Judgment and Decision Making
4.0
Active Learning
4.0
Monitoring
4.0
Social Perceptiveness
4.0
Time Management
4.0

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do human resources managers make in the U.S.?

The median human resources managers salary in the United States is $149,280 per year (mean $164,230), and about 80% earn between $88,200 and $267,810.

How much do human resources managers make per hour?

Roughly $79 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $164,230 and 2,080 work hours per year.

Which state pays human resources managers the most?

New York has the highest average pay for human resources managers at $197,390 per year (median $176,650).

What is the job outlook for human resources managers?

Employment is projected to change +5% from 2024 to 2034 (Faster than average), with about 17,900 openings per year.

What People Search

Common U.S. search queries related to this occupation.

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