Pay by state · 54 states
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
- $110,970District of Columbia
- National median
- $75,940BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $40,900Puerto Rico
- States reporting
- 54of 54 OEWS areas
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, 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.
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?
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.