Personal or work email, both work. No account needed. Unsubscribe anytime.
The national median salary for HR Managers is $136,032 per year ($65.40/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024. The middle 50% of earners make between $100,984 and $183,851 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $242,258 per year. There are approximately 165,300 hr managers employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Plan, direct, or coordinate human resources activities and staff of an organization.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+5.0%
Faster than average
Annual openings
18K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
222K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
6% from new growth94% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Bachelor's degree
Experience
5 years or more
On-the-job training
None
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Management of Companies and Enterprises
NAICS 551100
32K
$163,180
Employment Services
NAICS 561300
11K
$103,600
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999300
10K
$127,870
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services
NAICS 541600
9K
$138,380
Computer Systems Design and Related Services
NAICS 541500
8K
$172,270
Wage range across top 5 industries: $103,600 to $172,270 (66% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$35.22
$73,258
P25
$48.55
$100,984
P50MEDIAN
$65.40
$136,032
P75
$88.39
$183,851
P90
$116.47
$242,258
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · professional sector
Cooling
Openings Rate
4.2%
Quits Rate
2.0%
Professional & Business Services openings tumbled 318K in March -- the largest single-sector drop in this release. Openings rate fell from 5.5% to 4.2%. Layoffs jumped to 527K (+99K). White-collar demand has cooled abruptly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average hr managers salary?
The national median salary for HR Managers is $136,032 per year ($65.40/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2024 data. The middle 50% earn between $100,984 and $183,851 annually.
How much do top-earning hr managers make?
The 90th percentile salary for HR Managers is $242,258 per year ($116.47/hr). The 75th percentile is $183,851 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for hr managers?
Entry-level HR Managers (10th percentile) earn approximately $73,258 per year ($35.22/hr). The 25th percentile is $100,984 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.