Which state pays human resources managers the most?

District of Columbia, at a median of $184,350. After adjusting for prices, Massachusetts is highest, at $171,885 in US-average prices.

What education do human resources managers need?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists bachelor's degree as the typical education to start, plus 5 years or more of related work experience. The federal crosswalk from fields of study to jobs links one program here to human resources managers: Public Relations and Advertising (Bachelor's).

Human Resources Managers: Pay by State and the Programs That Lead There

220,660 jobs in the US
Typical education to start: bachelor's degree
Occupation code 11-3121

BLS wages May 2025 · BLS projections 2025 to 2035 · BEA price parities 2024

The short answer

Human resources managers earn a median of $149,280 a year in the US, across all experience levels. Pay is highest in District of Columbia ($184,350) and lowest in Puerto Rico ($78,370). After adjusting for prices, Massachusetts is highest ($171,885) and Hawaii lowest ($117,243). Jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 16,800 openings a year across the US.

Median pay$149,280US, all experience levels

Bottom 10% earn under$88,200US

Top 10% earn over$267,810US

Projected job growth6%2025 to 2035, about 16,800 openings a year

Pay for human resources managers by state

Median pay across all experience levels. "After prices" divides it by the state's price level (US average = 100), so states can be compared by what the pay buys.

#	State	Median pay	After prices	Jobs	Bottom 10%	Top 10%
1	District of Columbia	$184,350	$167,742	2,250	$113,300	$275,000
2	Massachusetts	$181,780	$171,885	7,540	$99,990	$315,700
3	New York	$176,650	$163,685	17,920	$105,380	$321,880
4	New Jersey	$172,440	$158,485	6,400	$108,040	$294,570
5	California	$170,080	$153,613	27,450	$96,430	$307,600
6	Rhode Island	$167,110	$163,385	530	$106,480	$268,040
7	Colorado	$166,400	$161,472	3,620	$103,580	$276,380
8	Virginia	$165,980	$164,168	5,770	$105,130	$272,070
9	Connecticut	$165,930	$160,149	3,020	$102,530	$295,480
10	Washington	$165,530	$154,682	4,560	$108,830	$271,380
11	Delaware	$153,890	$154,186	580	$85,760	$273,790
12	Minnesota	$153,770	$155,920	4,370	$97,840	$230,980
13	Maryland	$152,770	$145,552	3,820	$92,630	$236,830
14	Illinois	$151,370	$151,434	13,520	$90,820	$267,520
15	Georgia	$150,700	$156,502	7,270	$89,790	$271,170
16	North Carolina	$142,990	$151,591	6,480	$90,390	$260,610
17	Oregon	$140,570	$135,999	2,810	$92,900	$238,590
18	Arizona	$139,820	$138,880	3,950	$88,410	$225,500
19	North Dakota	$139,050	$156,308	290	$89,990	$223,390
20	Michigan	$138,930	$144,392	5,890	$88,990	$224,880
21	Florida	$137,790	$133,241	11,570	$79,420	$232,760
22	Texas	$136,500	$140,639	23,220	$83,200	$226,050
23	New Hampshire	$135,000	$129,602	1,150	$79,120	$221,970
24	Kansas	$134,470	$149,298	1,290	$91,990	$219,980
25	Wisconsin	$133,490	$141,867	3,730	$91,520	$215,620
26	Pennsylvania	$133,060	$136,371	8,230	$80,940	$222,690
27	Vermont	$132,050	$134,803	360	$91,650	$214,350
28	Tennessee	$131,760	$143,420	4,310	$85,160	$218,300
29	Utah	$131,380	$132,890	2,240	$80,460	$216,880
30	Missouri	$130,680	$143,894	3,510	$81,730	$225,160
31	Ohio	$130,480	$140,643	8,040	$81,940	$218,740
32	Indiana	$130,340	$139,656	3,030	$85,230	$213,640
33	Maine	$129,720	$133,663	700	$74,150	$207,160
34	Alaska	$129,570	$126,584	610	$79,020	$196,700
35	Nebraska	$129,460	$143,680	1,660	$81,990	$205,180
36	Hawaii	$128,910	$117,243	710	$84,030	$200,010
37	Nevada	$128,550	$128,577	1,520	$77,230	$257,400
38	Wyoming	$127,520	$137,575	140	$87,750	$200,070
39	Iowa	$126,370	$143,992	1,620	$86,190	$206,900
40	South Carolina	$124,290	$132,577	2,400	$70,840	$209,380
41	Kentucky	$121,460	$134,718	1,960	$76,520	$194,280
42	West Virginia	$120,020	$134,105	510	$76,720	$214,920
43	Idaho	$119,990	$125,652	1,040	$82,250	$200,480
44	New Mexico	$118,070	$128,042	820	$78,000	$198,230
45	South Dakota	$117,930	$133,125	420	$83,780	$176,930
46	Oklahoma	$116,080	$132,145	1,750	$73,590	$200,250
47	Montana	$115,280	$121,803	530	$81,330	$186,460
48	Alabama	$113,210	$127,456	2,160	$70,520	$195,570
49	Arkansas	$108,580	$124,895	1,290	$62,370	$218,830
50	Louisiana	$107,880	$122,303	1,390	$75,690	$177,870
51	Mississippi	$106,100	$122,020	720	$73,320	$193,370
52	Puerto Rico	$78,370	Not available	860	$49,710	$156,120

State names link to the state's college page. Puerto Rico has no BEA price level, so its pay is not adjusted.

Programs that lead to this job

The federal crosswalk from fields of study to jobs links these programs to human resources managers. Figures are medians across each program type's US programs. Program names link to the national ranking.

Program	Programs	Year 1 pay	Debt
Public Relations and Advertising (Bachelor's)	179	$39,677	$24,693

Program figures are first-year pay for new graduates. The job's median pay covers every experience level.

Common questions

Human resources managers earn a median of $149,280 a year in the US, across all experience levels (May 2025). The bottom 10% earn less than $88,200, and the top 10% more than $267,810.

About this data

Pay is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for May 2025. It covers all experience levels and all industries, and leaves out self-employed workers.
Projections are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections for 2025 to 2035, for the whole US.
Price levels are the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities for 2024.
Program figures are College Scorecard medians across programs, and only include students who received federal financial aid.

Sources

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study files, June 2026 release