Technically speaking, any salary is important. But in HR, understanding what salaries are available is important because human resources is a fairly broad term. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of different job titles in the HR department.
For those of you interested in pursuing a career in HR, this is definitely good news. There’s no shortage of HR jobs, and there’s plenty of money to be made in this department.
The key to a successful HR career is understanding the different paths you can take. Some HR positions have limited growth potential, while others can lead to executive-level roles in a company.
There’s obviously a big difference between a $15 per hour job and a six-figure HR career—most people want to achieve the latter.
The fact that human resources covers so many different areas means that you’ll have tons of opportunities for high-paying jobs throughout your career. You just need to know where to look.
For some of you, you’ll be able to stick with the same organization and increase your salary internally. Others might need to switch companies or industries once or twice to get the highest-paying jobs.
Let’s say you’re still in school or just considering a career change. You might start out as an intern or working an entry-level HR job. But you could quickly advance to a mid-level position if you follow the right path. From there, a six-figure salary and high-level HR role aren’t that far out of reach.
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According to Glassdoor, the average salary for human resources in the United States is $64,349 per year. This will obviously vary based on things like job title, location, company size, and years of experience.
For example, the average base salary for an entry-level HR position with less than one year of experience is $47,581 per year.
The average human resources salary in the US jumps to $79,175 per year with at least ten years of experience and $90,222 with 15+ years of experience. Some of the top-paying HR salaries with 10-15 years of experience get up to $133,000 to $159,000 and higher.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the average HR salaries by role. All of this data is based on the latest research from Indeed.com.
- HR Representative — $36,796 per year
- HR Assistant — $38,955 per year
- Staffing Specialist — $45,356 per year
- Staffing Coordinator — $47,367 per year
- Benefits Administrator — $47,993 per year
- Recruiter — $48,661 per year
- HR Specialist — $49,766 per year
- HR Administrator — $53,029 per year
- HR Associate — $57,330 per year
- HR Generalist — $57,599 per year
- HR Supervisor — $64,599 per year
- HR Manager — $68,533 per year
- HRIS Analyst — $74,093 per year
- HR Director — $91,039 per year
- Chief Human Resources Officer — $94,362 per year
- Vice President of Human Resources — $129,313 per year
Some of these positions come with additional compensation like cash bonuses and profit sharing. For example, HR directors get an average annual cash bonus of $10,000 on top of their base salary. VPs of HR get around $25,000 per year in profit sharing as well, on average.
Educating yourself is the best way to maintain realistic expectations as you’re seeking higher-paying jobs in human resources. Otherwise, you’ll have no idea if you’re being underpaid or overpaid.