Human Resources Specialist Salary by U.S. City

Human Resources Specialist salaries across 50 U.S. cities, from BLS wage data: median and 10th-90th percentiles.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS) & BEA Regional Price Parities · Updated June 2026

Cities tracked
50
National average
$76,060

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How Human Resources Specialist pay varies by city

Across the 50 U.S. metros tracked here, Human Resources Specialist pay ranges from about $49,120 in El Paso, TX to $101,430 in San Jose, CA (median wage). The U.S. national average for this role is about $76,060.

The table below ranks every metro by median wage. “Real pay” adjusts each salary for local cost of living (BEA Regional Price Parity, U.S. = 100) so you can compare what the paycheck is actually worth. See our methodology for sources and formulas.

CityMedian10th %ile90th %ileCost of living
(US = 100)		Real pay
(COL-adjusted)
San Jose, CA$101,430$61,570$177,010110.4$91,875
San Francisco, CA$98,150$61,080$171,800115.6$84,905
Oakland, CA$98,150$61,080$171,800115.6$84,905
Washington, DC$93,080$54,350$150,010108.9$85,473
Seattle, WA$87,090$56,760$143,710111.1$78,389
New York, NY$82,060$51,720$142,460112.6$72,877
Boston, MA$79,876$49,080$101,432108.3$73,754
Denver, CO$79,120$48,940$133,220105.8$74,783
San Diego, CA$78,860$48,570$130,210111.9$70,474
Baltimore, MD$78,370$50,470$132,350104.5$74,995
Sacramento, CA$77,940$47,630$127,390106.7$73,046
Minneapolis, MN$77,580$48,930$128,070104.8$74,027
Long Beach, CA$76,660$47,090$129,590113.6$67,482
Los Angeles, CA$76,660$47,090$129,590113.6$67,482
Portland, OR$75,080$47,810$124,710105.4$71,233
Charlotte, NC$72,890$45,300$121,49097.3$74,913
Colorado Springs, CO$71,030$43,580$114,940100.7$70,536
Fort Worth, TX$69,815$39,632$90,942103.1$67,716
Philadelphia, PA$69,280$45,000$113,110102.6$67,524
Fresno, CA$69,100$45,530$107,330102.2$67,613
Chicago, IL$67,890$46,460$107,070103.6$65,531
Austin, TX$67,740$45,090$124,71098.1$69,052
Detroit, MI$66,990$45,470$105,310100.3$66,790
Atlanta, GA$66,260$40,700$120,100100.1$66,194
Kansas City, MO$66,140$42,850$118,06092.5$71,503
Columbus, OH$65,950$42,450$109,35095.5$69,058
Milwaukee, WI$64,570$45,650$101,99096.9$66,636
Cleveland, OH$64,400$40,950$108,020——
Raleigh, NC$64,370$44,230$125,36098.2$65,550
Albuquerque, NM$63,680$39,590$104,27095.5$66,681
Phoenix, AZ$63,530$42,770$102,420103.3$61,500
Mesa, AZ$63,530$42,770$102,420103.3$61,500
Houston, TX$63,270$40,220$120,31098.6$64,168
Dallas, TX$62,860$39,360$110,140103.1$60,970
Arlington, TX$62,860$39,360$110,140——
New Orleans, LA$62,820$41,910$98,77092.6$67,840
Nashville, TN$62,420$40,040$107,17096.3$64,818
Louisville, KY$62,410$40,780$98,87093.1$67,035
Jacksonville, FL$62,400$39,520$103,74099.5$62,714
San Antonio, TX$62,050$38,290$108,16094.7$65,523
Las Vegas, NV$62,020$39,530$111,760100.2$61,896
Wichita, KS$61,970$37,440$102,03088.9$69,708
Indianapolis, IN$61,320$40,000$101,91095.7$64,075
Miami, FL$61,040$43,010$107,430114.2$53,450
Tucson, AZ$60,310$39,660$98,20096.9$62,239
Oklahoma City, OK$60,090$39,530$100,01090.4$66,471
Omaha, NE$59,640$39,520$98,71091.9$64,897
Memphis, TN$59,400$37,780$100,54092.2$64,425
Tulsa, OK$57,120$37,140$102,55089.2$64,036
El Paso, TX$49,120$34,480$93,69089.9$54,638

“Real pay” = average wage × 100 ÷ the metro’s Regional Price Parity — what the salary is worth in national-average dollars. A high-paying city with high costs can rank below a cheaper one on real pay.

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Frequently Asked Questions

The national average for Human Resources Specialists is $76,060 per year, based on BLS OEWS wage data. Metro-level pay varies widely: across the 50 cities we track, average pay runs from $49,120 in El Paso to $101,430 in San Jose.

San Jose leads after adjusting for the local cost of living: its $101,430 average pay is worth about $91,875 in national-average dollars, ahead of Washington at $85,473.

Real pay divides the metro's average wage by its Regional Price Parity from the BEA, so expensive and cheap cities can be compared directly. San Jose's index is 110.4, so its $101,430 average equals about $91,875 in national buying power.

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