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The national median salary for HR Specialists is $73,320 per year ($35.25/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024. The middle 50% of earners make between $56,451 and $96,075 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $126,422 per year. There are approximately 837,600 hr 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
138K
$58,650
Management of Companies and Enterprises
NAICS 551100
71K
$79,110
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services
NAICS 541600
38K
$78,400
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999100
38K
$104,330
Computer Systems Design and Related Services
NAICS 541500
36K
$92,590
Wage range across top 5 industries: $58,650 to $104,330 (78% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$20.55
$42,744
P25
$27.14
$56,451
P50MEDIAN
$35.25
$73,320
P75
$46.19
$96,075
P90
$60.78
$126,422
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 specialists salary?
The national median salary for HR Specialists is $73,320 per year ($35.25/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2024 data. The middle 50% earn between $56,451 and $96,075 annually.
How much do top-earning hr specialists make?
The 90th percentile salary for HR Specialists is $126,422 per year ($60.78/hr). The 75th percentile is $96,075 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for hr specialists?
Entry-level HR Specialists (10th percentile) earn approximately $42,744 per year ($20.55/hr). The 25th percentile is $56,451 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.