Management Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 11-3121

Human Resources Managers

The published band from $88,200 to $267,810 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Computer and Information Systems Managers.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Human Resources Managers: Computer and Information Systems Managers ($175K) , Fundraising Managers ($125K) , Marketing Managers ($167K) , Purchasing Managers ($148K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Human Resources Managers publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 11-3121 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Serve as a link between management and employees by handling questions, interpreting and administering contracts and helping resolve work…
  2. 2. Plan, direct, supervise, and coordinate work activities of subordinates and staff relating to employment, compensation, labor relations…
  3. 3. Perform difficult staffing duties, including dealing with understaffing, refereeing disputes, firing employees, and administering discipl…
  4. 4. Represent organization at personnel-related hearings and investigations
  5. 5. Negotiate bargaining agreements and help interpret labor contracts
  6. 6. Advise managers on organizational policy matters, such as equal employment opportunity and sexual harassment, and recommend needed changes
  7. 7. Plan and conduct new employee orientation to foster positive attitude toward organizational objectives
  8. 8. Analyze and modify compensation and benefits policies to establish competitive programs and ensure compliance with legal requirements
  9. 9. Identify staff vacancies and recruit, interview, and select applicants
  10. 10. Investigate and report on industrial accidents for insurance carriers
  11. 11. Analyze statistical data and reports to identify and determine causes of personnel problems and develop recommendations for improvement o…
  12. 12. Administer compensation, benefits, and performance management systems, and safety and recreation programs

Human Resources Managers: O*NET ranks Active Listening first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 11-3121 - lead skill Active Listening at 4.4 ; lead knowledge Personnel and Human Resources. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Active Listening 4.4
  2. 2. Reading Comprehension 4.3
  3. 3. Speaking 4.3
  4. 4. Management of Personnel Resources 4.3
  5. 5. Writing 4.1
  6. 6. Coordination 4.1
  7. 7. Critical Thinking 4.0
  8. 8. Active Learning 4.0

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Personnel and Human Resources 4.9
  2. 2. English Language 4.3
  3. 3. Administration and Management 4.2
  4. 4. Customer and Personal Service 3.9
  5. 5. Education and Training 3.9
  6. 6. Law and Government 3.6
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$88,200 to $267,810
median $149,280 · ~3.0× spread
$149K
National median
↑ +5%
Growth 2024-2034
17,900
Annual openings
220,660
Estimated US jobs
Computer and Information Systems Managers
Highest-pay peer · $175K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Bachelor's degree
Related experience 5 years or more

Top Paying States for Human Resources Managers

1. Connecticut $165,930
2. Colorado $166,400
3. District of Columbia $184,350
4. Virginia $165,980
5. Massachusetts $181,780
6. New Jersey $172,440
7. Washington $165,530
8. Rhode Island $167,110
9. New York $176,650
10. California $170,080

Other Management Occupations titles

  1. 1. Marketing Managers $166,790
  2. 2. Purchasing Managers $148,080
  3. 3. Fundraising Managers $125,470
  4. 4. Advertising and Promotions Managers $133,660
  5. 5. Compensation and Benefits Managers $149,230
  6. 6. Computer and Information Systems Managers $175,140

The OEWS band for Human Resources Managers runs from $88,200 (10th) to $267,810 (90th), about 3.0× wide, with median $149,280. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +5% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 17,900 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as typical education needed for entry and 5 years or more as the typical related-work-experience category. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Connecticut at $165,930. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Computer and Information Systems Managers at $175,140. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Human Resources Managers pay-rank #7 in Management Occupations

Among 37 detailed Management Occupations with a published OEWS median, Human Resources Managers is pay-rank #7, the upper third of that major group. The order is ROW_NUMBER on national median (title as tiebreak), not a worker-level percentile.

Other upper-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

SOC 11-3121 · national median $149,280 · upper third of Management Occupations (#7/37). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Human Resources Managers salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 11-3121

Connecticut · top state for Human Resources Managers

$166K published median

Colorado · #2 state pay

$166K · behind Connecticut

Computer and Information Systems Managers

Highest-pay peer vs Human Resources Managers · $175K

Fundraising Managers

Lower-pay peer beside Human Resources Managers · $125K

Compare Human Resources Managers

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Human Resources Managers with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Management Occupations titles sit near Human Resources Managers at the top of the pay table? ▼
Human Resources Managers is pay-rank #7 of 37 detailed Management Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Compensation and Benefits Managers ($149K), Sales Managers ($148K), Purchasing Managers ($148K), Public Relations Managers ($147K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do human resources managers do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Human Resources Managers. Leading ones include: Serve as a link between management and employees by handling questions, interpreting and administering contracts and helping resolve work…; Plan, direct, supervise, and coordinate work activities of subordinates and staff relating to employment, compensation, labor relations…; Perform difficult staffing duties, including dealing with understaffing, refereeing disputes, firing employees, and administering discipl…; Represent organization at personnel-related hearings and investigations. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for human resources managers? ▼
For SOC 11-3121, O*NET importance scores lead with Active Listening (4.4), Reading Comprehension (4.3), Speaking (4.3), Management of Personnel Resources (4.3). Knowledge areas emphasize Personnel and Human Resources, English Language, Administration and Management. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Human Resources Managers? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $88,200 and the 90th at $267,810 for Human Resources Managers (3.0× spread). The national median is $149,280. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Human Resources Managers? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Human Resources Managers is +5%. Projected annual openings: about 17,900. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Human Resources Managers? ▼
BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Human Resources Managers. Related-work-experience category: 5 years or more. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Human Resources Managers? ▼
Connecticut ($165,930), Colorado ($166,400), District of Columbia ($184,350) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Human Resources Managers card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 11-3121. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Human Resources Managers. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics