Pay by state · 54 areas
Human Resources Manager Salary by State (2026)
Human Resources Managers earn the most in District of Columbia at $184,350 a year and the least in Mississippi at $106,100 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $149,280. The table below covers all 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $184,350District of Columbia
- National median
- $149,280BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $106,100Mississippi
- Areas reporting
- 54of 54 OEWS areas
Top and bottom
Highest- and lowest-paying states for human resources managers
Ranked on the state median among the 50 states and DC. After cost of living, Massachusetts comes out ahead instead. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.
Highest median pay
- 1District of Columbia$184,350
- 2Massachusetts$181,780
- 3New York$176,650
- 4New Jersey$172,440
- 5California$170,080
Lowest median pay
- 1Mississippi$106,100
- 2Louisiana$107,880
- 3Arkansas$108,580
- 4Alabama$113,210
- 5Montana$115,280
All states
Human Resources Manager salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of human resources managers OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $184,350 | $141,420 | $211,580 | 2,250 | $167,742 |
| 2 | MAMassachusetts | $181,780 | $136,600 | $229,510 | 7,540 | $171,885 |
| 3 | NYNew York | $176,650 | $133,180 | $231,380 | 17,920 | $163,685 |
| 4 | NJNew Jersey | $172,440 | $135,940 | $218,050 | 6,400 | $158,485 |
| 5 | CACalifornia | $170,080 | $129,210 | $224,990 | 27,450 | $153,613 |
| 6 | RIRhode Island | $167,110 | $125,040 | $218,530 | 530 | $163,385 |
| 7 | COColorado | $166,400 | $133,100 | $208,030 | 3,620 | $161,472 |
| 8 | VAVirginia | $165,980 | $129,800 | $209,960 | 5,770 | $164,168 |
| 9 | CTConnecticut | $165,930 | $127,940 | $213,770 | 3,020 | $160,149 |
| 10 | WAWashington | $165,530 | $131,210 | $211,210 | 4,560 | $154,682 |
| 11 | DEDelaware | $153,890 | $104,150 | $209,040 | 580 | $154,186 |
| 12 | MNMinnesota | $153,770 | $121,580 | $195,190 | 4,370 | $155,920 |
| 13 | MDMaryland | $152,770 | $115,570 | $192,990 | 3,820 | $145,552 |
| 14 | ILIllinois | $151,370 | $114,940 | $196,630 | 13,520 | $151,434 |
| 15 | GAGeorgia | $150,700 | $114,400 | $195,770 | 7,270 | $156,502 |
| 16 | NCNorth Carolina | $142,990 | $115,850 | $187,520 | 6,480 | $151,591 |
| 17 | OROregon | $140,570 | $112,850 | $174,020 | 2,810 | $135,999 |
| 18 | AZArizona | $139,820 | $110,240 | $177,010 | 3,950 | $138,880 |
| 19 | NDNorth Dakota | $139,050 | $110,020 | $164,770 | 290 | $156,308 |
| 20 | MIMichigan | $138,930 | $110,820 | $174,740 | 5,890 | $144,392 |
| 21 | FLFlorida | $137,790 | $103,090 | $176,820 | 11,570 | $133,241 |
| 22 | TXTexas | $136,500 | $105,090 | $176,830 | 23,220 | $140,639 |
| 23 | NHNew Hampshire | $135,000 | $97,880 | $180,170 | 1,150 | $129,602 |
| 24 | KSKansas | $134,470 | $109,540 | $172,830 | 1,290 | $149,298 |
| 25 | WIWisconsin | $133,490 | $107,290 | $168,250 | 3,730 | $141,867 |
| 26 | PAPennsylvania | $133,060 | $101,240 | $174,320 | 8,230 | $136,371 |
| 27 | VTVermont | $132,050 | $105,770 | $166,990 | 360 | $134,803 |
| 28 | TNTennessee | $131,760 | $103,560 | $168,970 | 4,310 | $143,420 |
| 29 | UTUtah | $131,380 | $102,540 | $170,560 | 2,240 | $132,890 |
| 30 | MOMissouri | $130,680 | $98,810 | $169,220 | 3,510 | $143,894 |
| 31 | OHOhio | $130,480 | $99,470 | $170,770 | 8,040 | $140,643 |
| 32 | INIndiana | $130,340 | $104,990 | $167,540 | 3,030 | $139,656 |
| 33 | MEMaine | $129,720 | $97,350 | $168,560 | 700 | $133,663 |
| 34 | AKAlaska | $129,570 | $102,260 | $160,670 | 610 | $126,584 |
| 35 | NENebraska | $129,460 | $102,740 | $161,420 | 1,660 | $143,680 |
| 36 | HIHawaii | $128,910 | $101,400 | $159,470 | 710 | $117,243 |
| 37 | NVNevada | $128,550 | $95,340 | $169,300 | 1,520 | $128,577 |
| 38 | WYWyoming | $127,520 | $101,910 | $155,460 | 140 | $137,575 |
| 39 | IAIowa | $126,370 | $104,010 | $159,160 | 1,620 | $143,992 |
| 40 | SCSouth Carolina | $124,290 | $93,940 | $163,830 | 2,400 | $132,577 |
| 41 | KYKentucky | $121,460 | $96,070 | $155,170 | 1,960 | $134,718 |
| 42 | WVWest Virginia | $120,020 | $93,640 | $158,900 | 510 | $134,105 |
| 43 | IDIdaho | $119,990 | $97,980 | $146,620 | 1,040 | $125,652 |
| 44 | NMNew Mexico | $118,070 | $93,580 | $157,730 | 820 | $128,042 |
| 45 | SDSouth Dakota | $117,930 | $100,040 | $150,020 | 420 | $133,125 |
| 46 | OKOklahoma | $116,080 | $88,030 | $153,990 | 1,750 | $132,145 |
| 47 | MTMontana | $115,280 | $96,920 | $143,150 | 530 | $121,803 |
| 48 | ALAlabama | $113,210 | $85,640 | $153,650 | 2,160 | $127,456 |
| 49 | ARArkansas | $108,580 | $83,240 | $154,390 | 1,290 | $124,895 |
| 50 | LALouisiana | $107,880 | $91,550 | $137,260 | 1,390 | $122,303 |
| 51 | MSMississippi | $106,100 | $85,960 | $145,010 | 720 | $122,020 |
| 52 | PRPuerto Rico | $78,370 | $60,170 | $106,650 | 860 | N/A |
| 53 | VIU.S. Virgin Islands | $77,490 | $73,880 | $94,990 | 70 | N/A |
| 54 | GUGuam | $77,180 | $62,360 | $95,300 | 80 | N/A |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For human resources managers, that changes the ranking: District of Columbia leads on raw pay at $184,350, while Massachusetts leads once prices are taken into account at $171,885.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Human Resources Manager pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays human resources managers the most?
District of Columbia reports the highest median wage for human resources managers at $184,350 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Massachusetts ($181,780) and New York ($176,650).
Which state pays human resources managers the least?
Among the 50 states and DC, Mississippi reports the lowest median for human resources managers at $106,100 a year, $78,250 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Among the territories, Puerto Rico reports $78,370, U.S. Virgin Islands reports $77,490 and Guam reports $77,180.
In which states do human resources managers earn over $100,000?
All 50 states and DC: even the lowest, Mississippi, has a median of $106,100 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Is the highest-paying state the best for human resources managers after cost of living?
Not on this data. District of Columbia pays the most on paper ($184,350) but ranks 2nd of 51 once each median is divided by the state's BEA Regional Price Parity ($167,742). Massachusetts leads after that adjustment at $171,885, from a raw median of $181,780. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.