Human Resources Specialists: salary, outlook & degrees
Recruit, screen, interview, or place individuals within an organization. May perform other activities in multiple human resources areas.
Middle half $58,610–$99,380. 912,430 jobs.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers with at least a high school diploma; EducationGuide calculation
About 73,700 openings a year, including replacements.
BLS Employment Projections 2025-35
Considerable preparation (usually a bachelor's).
BLS; O*NET 31.0 job zone
Education workers say the job requires
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers (“required level of education”); small samples, so treat shares as approximate.
Pay by state and metro
| State | Median wage |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $110,970 |
| Massachusetts | $85,630 |
| Washington | $84,550 |
| New York | $84,380 |
| Maryland | $83,910 |
| California | $83,500 |
| Connecticut | $82,890 |
| Virginia | $82,090 |
| Colorado | $80,840 |
| New Jersey | $80,690 |
| Minnesota | $78,760 |
| Oregon | $78,060 |
| Vermont | $77,800 |
| Delaware | $77,700 |
| Rhode Island | $77,560 |
| Alaska | $76,990 |
| Illinois | $76,820 |
| North Dakota | $75,630 |
| Hawaii | $73,750 |
| North Carolina | $73,070 |
| Utah | $71,750 |
| Maine | $71,630 |
| Nevada | $71,610 |
| Arizona | $71,390 |
| Kansas | $70,870 |
| New Hampshire | $70,840 |
| Georgia | $70,570 |
| Wisconsin | $70,540 |
| Pennsylvania | $70,450 |
| Ohio | $70,180 |
| Michigan | $69,520 |
| Kentucky | $69,010 |
| Texas | $68,920 |
| New Mexico | $68,050 |
| South Dakota | $67,590 |
| Tennessee | $67,370 |
| Missouri | $66,990 |
| Wyoming | $66,970 |
| West Virginia | $66,860 |
| Iowa | $66,710 |
| Florida | $66,410 |
| Indiana | $65,600 |
| South Carolina | $65,370 |
| Idaho | $64,990 |
| Alabama | $64,940 |
| Montana | $63,790 |
| Nebraska | $61,930 |
| Oklahoma | $61,630 |
| Louisiana | $61,300 |
| Mississippi | $60,300 |
| VI | $60,210 |
| GU | $59,900 |
| Arkansas | $55,010 |
| PR | $40,900 |
Largest metro areas for this job
- New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ$89,780
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA$80,220
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX$70,700
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN$78,210
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV$100,830
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH$90,270
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA$75,410
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX$72,550
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach FL$67,580
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA$103,140
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD$76,700
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler AZ$74,640
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: median annual wage, all workers in the job. Metro areas: the largest by employment.
What the work takes
Top skills
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Writing
- Critical Thinking
Knowledge used
- Personnel and Human Resources
- Administrative
- Administration and Management
- English Language
- Customer and Personal Service
Work styles
- Dependability
- Integrity
- Cooperation
- Attention to Detail
- Social Orientation
People in this job tend to have Enterprising (leading), Conventional (organizing), Social (helping) interests.
O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0): skills and knowledge by importance; work styles; interest high points.
Human Resources Specialists: questions
How much do human Resources Specialists make?
Human Resources Specialists earn a U.S. median $75,940 a year; the middle half earn $58,610 to $99,380 (BLS, May 2025).
Is human Resources Specialists a growing field?
BLS projects growth of 6.4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 73,700 openings a year, including replacements.
What degree do you need to be a human Resources Specialist?
BLS lists the typical entry education as bachelor's degree. In O*NET's survey, 73% of workers say a bachelor's or higher is required.
How much do human Resources Specialists make in Florida?
The median in Florida is $66,410 a year (BLS, May 2025), compared with $75,940 nationally.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35); O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0); U.S. Census Bureau ACS microdata. SOC 13-1071. Method
Data: JSON · Markdown · all careers
Cite this: “Human Resources Specialists: salary, outlook and degrees,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/careers/human-resources-specialists.