Human Resources Specialists Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 13-1071 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$75,941
$36.51/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 Specialists is $75,941 per year ($36.51/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $58,614 and $99,382 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $128,731 per year. There are approximately 912,430 human resources specialists employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Recruit, screen, interview, or place individuals within an organization. May perform other activities in multiple human resources areas.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+6.2%
Faster than average
Annual openings
82K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
944K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
7% from new growth93% 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
None
On-the-job training
None
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Employment Services
NAICS 561300
125K
$60,550
Management of Companies and Enterprises
NAICS 551100
73K
$79,920
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999100
38K
$108,180
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services
NAICS 541600
36K
$79,530
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999300
34K
$77,340
Wage range across top 5 industries: $60,550 to $108,180 (79% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$22.69
$47,195
P25
$28.18
$58,614
P50MEDIAN
$36.51
$75,941
P75
$47.78
$99,382
P90
$61.89
$128,731
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · finance sector
Cooling
Openings Rate
4.3%
Quits Rate
1.1%
Finance and Insurance openings fell 135K to 300K in April, pulling the openings rate down from 6.1% to 4.3%. Quits eased to 1.1%. March's spike has unwound; demand for finance talent has cooled back toward trend.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average human resources specialists salary?
The national median salary for Human Resources Specialists is $75,941 per year ($36.51/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $58,614 and $99,382 annually.
How much do top-earning human resources specialists make?
The 90th percentile salary for Human Resources Specialists is $128,731 per year ($61.89/hr). The 75th percentile is $99,382 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for human resources specialists?
Entry-level Human Resources Specialists (10th percentile) earn approximately $47,195 per year ($22.69/hr). The 25th percentile is $58,614 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.
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