Pay by state · 54 areas
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 Arkansas at $55,010 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $75,940. The table below covers all 50 states, DC, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $110,970District of Columbia
- National median
- $75,940BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $55,010Arkansas
- Areas reporting
- 54of 54 OEWS areas
Top and bottom
Highest- and lowest-paying states for human resources specialists
Ranked on the state median among the 50 states and DC. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.
Highest median pay
- 1District of Columbia$110,970
- 2Massachusetts$85,630
- 3Washington$84,550
- 4New York$84,380
- 5Maryland$83,910
Lowest median pay
- 1Arkansas$55,010
- 2Mississippi$60,300
- 3Louisiana$61,300
- 4Oklahoma$61,630
- 5Nebraska$61,930
All states
Human Resources Specialist salary in every state
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.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $110,970 | $82,270 | $148,700 | 6,910 | $100,973 |
| 2 | MAMassachusetts | $85,630 | $67,050 | $115,060 | 27,300 | $80,969 |
| 3 | WAWashington | $84,550 | $69,200 | $110,550 | 22,770 | $79,009 |
| 4 | NYNew York | $84,380 | $65,260 | $118,380 | 54,610 | $78,187 |
| 5 | MDMaryland | $83,910 | $64,760 | $111,530 | 15,530 | $79,946 |
| 6 | CACalifornia | $83,500 | $66,060 | $117,430 | 104,000 | $75,415 |
| 7 | CTConnecticut | $82,890 | $63,480 | $107,280 | 9,010 | $80,002 |
| 8 | VAVirginia | $82,090 | $62,070 | $108,970 | 28,540 | $81,194 |
| 9 | COColorado | $80,840 | $62,400 | $104,750 | 19,450 | $78,446 |
| 10 | NJNew Jersey | $80,690 | $65,890 | $103,160 | 21,690 | $74,160 |
| 11 | MNMinnesota | $78,760 | $61,860 | $100,930 | 17,240 | $79,861 |
| 12 | OROregon | $78,060 | $62,820 | $99,860 | 10,620 | $75,522 |
| 13 | VTVermont | $77,800 | $63,900 | $93,300 | 1,270 | $79,422 |
| 14 | DEDelaware | $77,700 | $61,700 | $100,840 | 2,720 | $77,849 |
| 15 | RIRhode Island | $77,560 | $62,180 | $97,210 | 3,320 | $75,831 |
| 16 | AKAlaska | $76,990 | $61,840 | $92,320 | 1,420 | $75,216 |
| 17 | ILIllinois | $76,820 | $60,750 | $98,580 | 35,430 | $76,852 |
| 18 | NDNorth Dakota | $75,630 | $60,570 | $90,000 | 1,710 | $85,017 |
| 19 | HIHawaii | $73,750 | $59,540 | $92,010 | 2,570 | $67,075 |
| 20 | NCNorth Carolina | $73,070 | $56,850 | $96,910 | 31,140 | $77,465 |
| 21 | UTUtah | $71,750 | $56,450 | $95,090 | 9,900 | $72,574 |
| 22 | MEMaine | $71,630 | $57,690 | $89,860 | 3,020 | $73,807 |
| 23 | NVNevada | $71,610 | $57,680 | $94,990 | 6,520 | $71,625 |
| 24 | AZArizona | $71,390 | $56,590 | $93,040 | 20,230 | $70,910 |
| 25 | KSKansas | $70,870 | $55,190 | $93,380 | 7,560 | $78,685 |
| 26 | NHNew Hampshire | $70,840 | $57,090 | $93,650 | 4,270 | $68,007 |
| 27 | GAGeorgia | $70,570 | $53,680 | $95,610 | 32,110 | $73,287 |
| 28 | WIWisconsin | $70,540 | $57,880 | $85,440 | 17,360 | $74,967 |
| 29 | PAPennsylvania | $70,450 | $56,050 | $90,920 | 36,960 | $72,203 |
| 30 | OHOhio | $70,180 | $54,570 | $92,460 | 33,500 | $75,646 |
| 31 | MIMichigan | $69,520 | $55,560 | $89,270 | 25,520 | $72,253 |
| 32 | KYKentucky | $69,010 | $52,680 | $84,990 | 10,900 | $76,543 |
| 33 | TXTexas | $68,920 | $52,900 | $90,790 | 84,930 | $71,010 |
| 34 | NMNew Mexico | $68,050 | $56,220 | $89,560 | 4,090 | $73,797 |
| 35 | SDSouth Dakota | $67,590 | $54,910 | $88,100 | 1,340 | $76,299 |
| 36 | TNTennessee | $67,370 | $53,890 | $85,200 | 21,460 | $73,332 |
| 37 | MOMissouri | $66,990 | $51,710 | $89,860 | 17,650 | $73,764 |
| 38 | WYWyoming | $66,970 | $53,750 | $94,060 | 1,000 | $72,251 |
| 39 | WVWest Virginia | $66,860 | $52,660 | $91,560 | 3,130 | $74,706 |
| 40 | IAIowa | $66,710 | $53,890 | $85,770 | 7,930 | $76,012 |
| 41 | FLFlorida | $66,410 | $51,200 | $90,350 | 62,730 | $64,218 |
| 42 | INIndiana | $65,600 | $52,450 | $84,740 | 17,110 | $70,289 |
| 43 | SCSouth Carolina | $65,370 | $51,810 | $87,420 | 13,720 | $69,729 |
| 44 | IDIdaho | $64,990 | $49,460 | $81,050 | 3,930 | $68,057 |
| 45 | ALAlabama | $64,940 | $50,930 | $85,030 | 11,080 | $73,112 |
| 46 | MTMontana | $63,790 | $53,390 | $81,280 | 2,340 | $67,399 |
| 47 | NENebraska | $61,930 | $48,890 | $79,470 | 7,220 | $68,732 |
| 48 | OKOklahoma | $61,630 | $48,560 | $81,280 | 9,370 | $70,159 |
| 49 | LALouisiana | $61,300 | $48,900 | $78,710 | 7,240 | $69,496 |
| 50 | MSMississippi | $60,300 | $48,290 | $83,280 | 4,850 | $69,348 |
| 51 | VIU.S. Virgin Islands | $60,210 | $53,390 | $69,990 | 120 | N/A |
| 52 | GUGuam | $59,900 | $48,780 | $72,390 | 380 | N/A |
| 53 | ARArkansas | $55,010 | $43,730 | $74,600 | 6,230 | $63,276 |
| 54 | PRPuerto Rico | $40,900 | $32,680 | $55,040 | 4,270 | 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 specialists, the adjustment does not change the leader: District of Columbia is first on raw pay and still first 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.
Questions
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?
Among the 50 states and DC, Arkansas reports the lowest median for human resources specialists at $55,010 a year, $55,960 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Among the territories, U.S. Virgin Islands reports $60,210, Guam reports $59,900 and Puerto Rico reports $40,900.
In which states do human resources specialists earn over $100,000?
One of the 50 states and DC has a median of $100,000 or more: District of Columbia ($110,970) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Is the highest-paying state the best for human resources specialists after cost of living?
Yes. District of Columbia stays first after dividing each state median by its BEA Regional Price Parity, at $100,973 in national-average dollars from a raw $110,970. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.