State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
Human Resources Specialist Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
The median pay for Human Resources Specialists is $75,940 a year ($36.51/hr), according to BLS OEWS, May 2025. Employment is projected to grow 6.2% through 2034, with about 81,800 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
SOC 13-1071Business and Financial OperationsLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $75,940
- Projected growth
- +6.2%
- Openings a year
- 81,800
- Typical education
- Bachelor's
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Corporate Recruiter, Employment Representative, HR Analyst (Human Resources Analyst), HR Coordinator (Human Resources Coordinator), HR Generalist (Human Resources Generalist), Human Resources Representative (HR Rep).
How much do Human Resources Specialists make?
10th percentile$47,180
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$58,610
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$75,940
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$99,380
Upper quartile
90th percentile$128,720
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $75,940 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $36.51/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $81,990 |
| People employed | 912,430 |
Versus all US occupations
At $75,940, Human Resources Specialists earn 49% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $24,960 a year.
Versus business and financial operations occupations
Inside the Business and Financial Operations group, where the middle occupation pays $80,730, this is 6% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $128,720 or more while the bottom 10% earn $47,180, a gap of 2.7×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 60% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
District of Columbia pays the most at $110,970, and still leads at $100,973 once local prices are taken into account.
Which states pay Human Resources Specialists the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $110,970 | $100,973 | 6,910 |
| Massachusetts | $85,630 | $80,969 | 27,300 |
| Washington | $84,550 | $79,009 | 22,770 |
| New York | $84,380 | $78,187 | 54,610 |
| Maryland | $83,910 | $79,946 | 15,530 |
| California | $83,500 | $75,415 | 104,000 |
| Connecticut | $82,890 | $80,002 | 9,010 |
| Virginia | $82,090 | $81,194 | 28,540 |
| Colorado | $80,840 | $78,446 | 19,450 |
| New Jersey | $80,690 | $74,160 | 21,690 |
Is Human Resources Specialist a growing career?
Human Resources Specialists6.2%
All US occupations3.1%
+6.2% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
Much faster than average
BLS projects employment of Human Resources Specialists to change 6.2% over 2024–2034, roughly 2.0× the 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 58,400 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 81,800 openings are projected each year, 8.7% of the 944,300 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Demand for human resources specialists is expected to be strong over the projections decade as more of these workers are needed to help meet strategic organizational priorities.
Some companies may outsource human resources functions to organizations that provide these services, rather than directly employing human resources specialists.
How to become a Human Resources Specialist
Human resources specialists typically need a bachelor’s degree to enter the occupation.
| Typical entry-level education | Bachelor's degree |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Medium preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | None |
| Typical on-the-job training | None |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as human resources specialists.
- Bachelor's Degree46.6%
- Master's Degree24.9%
- High School Diploma13.5%
- Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)7.2%
- Some College Courses4.8%
What does a Human Resources Specialist do?
Recruit, screen, interview, or place individuals within an organization. May perform other activities in multiple human resources areas.
Human resources specialists recruit, screen, and interview job applicants and place newly hired workers in jobs. They also may handle compensation and benefits, training, and employee relations.
Day-to-day tasks
- Maintain current knowledge of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and affirmative action guidelines and laws, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
- Select qualified job applicants or refer them to managers, making hiring recommendations when appropriate.
- Review employment applications and job orders to match applicants with job requirements.
- Interpret and explain human resources policies, procedures, laws, standards, or regulations.
- Advise management on organizing, preparing, or implementing recruiting or retention programs.
- Inform job applicants of details such as duties and responsibilities, compensation, benefits, schedules, working conditions, or promotion opportunities.
- Provide management with information or training related to interviewing, performance appraisals, counseling techniques, or documentation of performance issues.
- Hire employees and process hiring-related paperwork.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Where human resources specialists work
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | 14% |
|---|---|
| Employment services | 14% |
| Healthcare and social assistance | 11% |
| Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals | 10% |
| Manufacturing | 7% |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition.
Core skills
- Speaking4.1/5
- Reading Comprehension4.0/5
- Active Listening4.0/5
- Writing3.9/5
- Critical Thinking3.9/5
- Active Learning3.3/5
- Learning Strategies3.0/5
- Monitoring3.0/5
Transferable skills
- Social Perceptiveness3.4/5
- Service Orientation3.4/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.3/5
- Instructing3.1/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.1/5
- Coordination3.0/5
- Negotiation3.0/5
- Time Management3.0/5
Tools and software
- Accounting software · in demand
- Analytical or scientific software · in demand
- Application server software · in demand
- Business intelligence and data analysis software · in demand
- Cloud-based data access and sharing software · in demand
- Customer relationship management CRM software · in demand
- Data base management system software · in demand
- Data base reporting software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Data mining software · in demand
- Desktop publishing software · in demand
- Development environment software · in demand
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits a Human Resources Specialist?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realistic1.0
Investigative2.5
Artistic1.4
Socialprimary3.8
Enterprisingprimary5.7
Conventionalprimary5.5
Day to day this is work built around leading, persuading, selling and making decisions, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Human Resources Specialist: frequently asked questions
How much do Human Resources Specialists make?
Human Resources Specialists earn a median of $75,940 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 49% above the $50,980 US median across all occupations. That works out at $36.51/hr. The middle half earn between $58,610 and $99,380. The top 10% earn $128,720 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Human Resources Specialist?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Human Resources Specialists, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as medium preparation. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 46.6% hold bachelor's degree.
Is Human Resources Specialist a growing career?
Yes, strongly. Employment is projected to grow 6.2% over 2024–2034, more than double the 3.1% projected for all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 81,800 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Human Resources Specialist do?
Human resources specialists recruit, screen, and interview job applicants and place newly hired workers in jobs. A core O*NET task: maintain current knowledge of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and affirmative action guidelines and laws, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Employers most often ask for Accounting software, Analytical or scientific software, Application server software.
Which states pay Human Resources Specialists the most?
The highest state medians for Human Resources Specialists are District of Columbia ($110,970), Massachusetts ($85,630), Washington ($84,550) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Human Resources Specialist?
O*NET scores Human Resources Specialists highest on the Enterprising, Conventional and Social interest areas, so the work mixes leading, persuading, selling and making decisions with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ESFJ, ESTJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.