Sort by any column. Employment is the number of human resources specialists OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
Human Resources Specialist Salary by State (2026)
Human Resources Specialists earn the most in District of Columbia at $110,970 a year and the least in Puerto Rico at $40,900 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $75,940. All 54 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $110,970
- National median
- $75,940
- Lowest median
- $40,900
- States reporting
- 54
District of Columbia
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Puerto Rico
of 54 OEWS areas
Top 5 states for Human Resources Specialists
- 1. District of Columbia$110,970 median · $100,973 adjusted · 6,910 employed
- 2. Massachusetts$85,630 median · $80,969 adjusted · 27,300 employed
- 3. Washington$84,550 median · $79,009 adjusted · 22,770 employed
- 4. New York$84,380 median · $78,187 adjusted · 54,610 employed
- 5. Maryland$83,910 median · $79,946 adjusted · 15,530 employed
Lowest-paying states for Human Resources Specialists
- 54. Puerto Rico$40,900 median · no price parity · 4,270 employed
- 53. Arkansas$55,010 median · $63,276 adjusted · 6,230 employed
- 52. Guam$59,900 median · no price parity · 380 employed
- 51. U.S. Virgin Islands$60,210 median · no price parity · 120 employed
- 50. Mississippi$60,300 median · $69,348 adjusted · 4,850 employed
Human Resources Specialist salary in every state
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $110,970 | $82,270 | $148,700 | 6,910 | $100,973 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $85,630 | $67,050 | $115,060 | 27,300 | $80,969 |
| 3 | Washington | $84,550 | $69,200 | $110,550 | 22,770 | $79,009 |
| 4 | New York | $84,380 | $65,260 | $118,380 | 54,610 | $78,187 |
| 5 | Maryland | $83,910 | $64,760 | $111,530 | 15,530 | $79,946 |
| 6 | California | $83,500 | $66,060 | $117,430 | 104,000 | $75,415 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $82,890 | $63,480 | $107,280 | 9,010 | $80,002 |
| 8 | Virginia | $82,090 | $62,070 | $108,970 | 28,540 | $81,194 |
| 9 | Colorado | $80,840 | $62,400 | $104,750 | 19,450 | $78,446 |
| 10 | New Jersey | $80,690 | $65,890 | $103,160 | 21,690 | $74,160 |
| 11 | Minnesota | $78,760 | $61,860 | $100,930 | 17,240 | $79,861 |
| 12 | Oregon | $78,060 | $62,820 | $99,860 | 10,620 | $75,522 |
| 13 | Vermont | $77,800 | $63,900 | $93,300 | 1,270 | $79,422 |
| 14 | Delaware | $77,700 | $61,700 | $100,840 | 2,720 | $77,849 |
| 15 | Rhode Island | $77,560 | $62,180 | $97,210 | 3,320 | $75,831 |
| 16 | Alaska | $76,990 | $61,840 | $92,320 | 1,420 | $75,216 |
| 17 | Illinois | $76,820 | $60,750 | $98,580 | 35,430 | $76,852 |
| 18 | North Dakota | $75,630 | $60,570 | $90,000 | 1,710 | $85,017 |
| 19 | Hawaii | $73,750 | $59,540 | $92,010 | 2,570 | $67,075 |
| 20 | North Carolina | $73,070 | $56,850 | $96,910 | 31,140 | $77,465 |
| 21 | Utah | $71,750 | $56,450 | $95,090 | 9,900 | $72,574 |
| 22 | Maine | $71,630 | $57,690 | $89,860 | 3,020 | $73,807 |
| 23 | Nevada | $71,610 | $57,680 | $94,990 | 6,520 | $71,625 |
| 24 | Arizona | $71,390 | $56,590 | $93,040 | 20,230 | $70,910 |
| 25 | Kansas | $70,870 | $55,190 | $93,380 | 7,560 | $78,685 |
| 26 | New Hampshire | $70,840 | $57,090 | $93,650 | 4,270 | $68,007 |
| 27 | Georgia | $70,570 | $53,680 | $95,610 | 32,110 | $73,287 |
| 28 | Wisconsin | $70,540 | $57,880 | $85,440 | 17,360 | $74,967 |
| 29 | Pennsylvania | $70,450 | $56,050 | $90,920 | 36,960 | $72,203 |
| 30 | Ohio | $70,180 | $54,570 | $92,460 | 33,500 | $75,646 |
| 31 | Michigan | $69,520 | $55,560 | $89,270 | 25,520 | $72,253 |
| 32 | Kentucky | $69,010 | $52,680 | $84,990 | 10,900 | $76,543 |
| 33 | Texas | $68,920 | $52,900 | $90,790 | 84,930 | $71,010 |
| 34 | New Mexico | $68,050 | $56,220 | $89,560 | 4,090 | $73,797 |
| 35 | South Dakota | $67,590 | $54,910 | $88,100 | 1,340 | $76,299 |
| 36 | Tennessee | $67,370 | $53,890 | $85,200 | 21,460 | $73,332 |
| 37 | Missouri | $66,990 | $51,710 | $89,860 | 17,650 | $73,764 |
| 38 | Wyoming | $66,970 | $53,750 | $94,060 | 1,000 | $72,251 |
| 39 | West Virginia | $66,860 | $52,660 | $91,560 | 3,130 | $74,706 |
| 40 | Iowa | $66,710 | $53,890 | $85,770 | 7,930 | $76,012 |
| 41 | Florida | $66,410 | $51,200 | $90,350 | 62,730 | $64,218 |
| 42 | Indiana | $65,600 | $52,450 | $84,740 | 17,110 | $70,289 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $65,370 | $51,810 | $87,420 | 13,720 | $69,729 |
| 44 | Idaho | $64,990 | $49,460 | $81,050 | 3,930 | $68,057 |
| 45 | Alabama | $64,940 | $50,930 | $85,030 | 11,080 | $73,112 |
| 46 | Montana | $63,790 | $53,390 | $81,280 | 2,340 | $67,399 |
| 47 | Nebraska | $61,930 | $48,890 | $79,470 | 7,220 | $68,732 |
| 48 | Oklahoma | $61,630 | $48,560 | $81,280 | 9,370 | $70,159 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $61,300 | $48,900 | $78,710 | 7,240 | $69,496 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $60,300 | $48,290 | $83,280 | 4,850 | $69,348 |
| 51 | U.S. Virgin Islands | $60,210 | $53,390 | $69,990 | 120 | N/A |
| 52 | Guam | $59,900 | $48,780 | $72,390 | 380 | N/A |
| 53 | Arkansas | $55,010 | $43,730 | $74,600 | 6,230 | $63,276 |
| 54 | Puerto Rico | $40,900 | $32,680 | $55,040 | 4,270 | N/A |
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 Specialists, that changes the ranking: District of Columbia leads on raw pay at $110,970, while District of Columbia leads once prices are taken into account at $100,973.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Human Resources Specialist pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Human Resources Specialists the most?
District of Columbia reports the highest median wage for Human Resources Specialists at $110,970 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Massachusetts ($85,630) and Washington ($84,550).
Which state pays Human Resources Specialists the least?
Puerto Rico reports the lowest median for Human Resources Specialists at $40,900 a year, $70,070 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Human Resources Specialists earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts District of Columbia first at $100,973 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $110,970. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
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