Human Resources Managers
Median $149,280
Occupation · SOC 11-3111
Compensation and Benefits Managers: pay and where the jobs are
What compensation and benefits managers earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$149,230 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $162,640
- Median hourly wage
- $71.75
- Mean hourly wage
- $78.19
- Employment
- 22,940
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 11-3111.
Check your pay
See where your pay falls among compensation and benefits managers nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
Enter your pay to see where it falls.
Use these numbers
How much do compensation and benefits managers make?
The median annual wage for compensation and benefits managers was $149,230 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $89,160 and the highest-paid 10% more than $256,570. As an hourly rate, the median is $71.75. About 22,940 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Washington ($199,190), Connecticut ($197,970) and Massachusetts ($184,070). Washington also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for compensation and benefits managers looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $89,160 | $42.86 | $7,430 | $5,963 |
| 25th percentile | $113,170 | $54.41 | $9,431 | $7,370 |
| Median | $149,230 | $71.75 | $12,436 | $9,439 |
| 75th percentile | $200,610 | $96.45 | $16,718 | $12,365 |
| 90th percentile | $256,570 | $123.35 | $21,381 | $15,295 |
Compensation and Benefits Managers: pay by state
46 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$135,281 take-home in national prices
2
$130,323 take-home in national prices
3
$120,321 take-home in national prices
Where a median compensation and benefits manager paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 460 | $199,190 | $116,830 | $301,180 | $144,768 | $135,281 |
| Connecticut | 480 | $197,970 | $98,380 | $367,460 | $135,028 | $130,323 |
| Massachusetts | 670 | $184,070 | $128,390 | $285,030 | $127,248 | $120,321 |
| New York | 2,260 | $175,620 | $114,990 | $287,490 | $121,538 | $112,617 |
| New Jersey | 950 | $168,370 | $111,720 | $259,690 | $116,914 | $107,453 |
| California | 2,970 | $166,730 | $105,840 | $289,910 | $111,798 | $100,973 |
| Delaware | 50 | $166,070 | $114,950 | $264,990 | $114,491 | $114,711 |
| Colorado | 280 | $165,770 | $92,990 | $227,230 | $117,255 | $113,782 |
| Minnesota | 360 | $163,390 | $102,690 | $231,830 | $112,231 | $113,800 |
| Georgia | 1,010 | $163,060 | $96,540 | $290,070 | $115,329 | $119,769 |
| Oregon | 240 | $161,470 | $100,400 | $226,250 | $106,721 | $103,251 |
| District of Columbia | 130 | $160,990 | $114,410 | $251,490 | $110,587 | $100,624 |
| Virginia | Not published | $153,660 | $110,070 | $281,000 | $108,271 | $107,089 |
| Illinois | 780 | $151,730 | $78,420 | $235,730 | $107,608 | $107,653 |
| Michigan | 580 | $151,620 | $95,800 | $240,790 | $108,705 | $112,979 |
| Rhode Island | 50 | $149,340 | $93,230 | $264,210 | $106,748 | $104,369 |
| Ohio | 460 | $141,920 | $84,580 | $227,440 | $104,802 | $112,965 |
| Maryland | 430 | $139,860 | $91,730 | $244,050 | $100,353 | $95,612 |
| Pennsylvania | 770 | $139,040 | $92,140 | $225,670 | $101,934 | $104,471 |
| New Hampshire | 100 | $136,950 | $90,830 | $200,200 | $104,871 | $100,678 |
| Texas | 2,230 | $136,930 | $86,550 | $216,890 | $104,858 | $108,037 |
| North Carolina | 880 | $135,240 | $63,740 | $227,410 | $98,815 | $104,759 |
| Tennessee | 670 | $132,780 | $83,010 | $258,950 | $102,021 | $111,049 |
| Utah | 200 | $132,620 | $80,990 | $213,870 | $96,010 | $97,113 |
| Arizona | 510 | $129,890 | $80,390 | $210,860 | $97,192 | $96,539 |
| Maine | 50 | $129,690 | $86,600 | $198,930 | $91,598 | $94,383 |
| Florida | 1,670 | $127,960 | $79,310 | $206,170 | $98,727 | $95,467 |
| Wisconsin | Not published | $127,920 | $86,490 | $214,250 | $92,614 | $98,427 |
| New Mexico | 40 | $124,390 | $74,040 | $248,930 | $91,522 | $99,252 |
| Alaska | 30 | $122,490 | $69,150 | $154,560 | $94,717 | $92,534 |
| Nebraska | 140 | $121,630 | $83,200 | $183,490 | $89,742 | $99,599 |
| Alabama | 90 | $118,470 | $84,090 | $205,840 | $87,352 | $98,344 |
| Iowa | 120 | $118,250 | $77,000 | $202,600 | $88,177 | $100,473 |
| Indiana | 170 | $118,180 | $80,620 | $189,560 | $88,513 | $94,840 |
| Nevada | 180 | $115,180 | $62,480 | $202,180 | $89,859 | $89,878 |
| Kentucky | 110 | $114,290 | $80,850 | $194,170 | $85,350 | $94,667 |
| Kansas | 70 | $114,070 | $82,890 | $173,240 | $83,513 | $92,722 |
| Hawaii | 60 | $110,120 | $76,670 | $171,110 | $79,344 | $72,163 |
| Oklahoma | 180 | $107,760 | $74,880 | $197,020 | $80,335 | $91,453 |
| Missouri | 250 | $106,490 | $81,110 | $204,140 | $79,678 | $87,735 |
| Arkansas | 140 | $100,810 | $63,120 | $275,560 | $76,220 | $87,673 |
| Louisiana | 220 | $99,840 | $71,620 | $241,390 | $76,458 | $86,681 |
| South Carolina | 330 | $99,630 | $61,100 | $211,660 | $74,695 | $79,675 |
| Puerto Rico | 30 | $97,500 | $50,670 | $166,580 | — | — |
| Idaho | 100 | $90,020 | $83,710 | $199,990 | $68,496 | $71,728 |
| Mississippi | 70 | $89,250 | $59,030 | $149,990 | $68,779 | $79,099 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 11-3111. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.