Human Resources Managers Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 11-3121 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$149,282
$71.77/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
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The national median salary for Human Resources Managers is $149,282 per year ($71.77/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $111,114 and $199,285 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $267,821 per year. There are approximately 220,660 human resources 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
33K
$166,200
Employment Services
NAICS 561300
12K
$108,990
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999300
10K
$132,050
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services
NAICS 541600
9K
$162,150
Computer Systems Design and Related Services
NAICS 541500
8K
$176,970
Wage range across top 5 industries: $108,990 to $176,970 (62% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$42.40
$88,192
P25
$53.42
$111,114
P50MEDIAN
$71.77
$149,282
P75
$95.81
$199,285
P90
$128.76
$267,821
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · other sector
Active
Openings Rate
4.6%
Quits Rate
1.9%
The labor market cooled on the flows side in April: hires fell to 5.1M (-419K) and separations dropped to 5.0M (-399K). Job openings jumped to 7.6M (+731K, rate 4.6%). Quits held at 3.0M with the rate at 1.9%.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average human resources managers salary?
The national median salary for Human Resources Managers is $149,282 per year ($71.77/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $111,114 and $199,285 annually.
How much do top-earning human resources managers make?
The 90th percentile salary for Human Resources Managers is $267,821 per year ($128.76/hr). The 75th percentile is $199,285 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for human resources managers?
Entry-level Human Resources Managers (10th percentile) earn approximately $88,192 per year ($42.40/hr). The 25th percentile is $111,114 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 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.
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