Human Resources Specialists
Median $75,940
Occupation · SOC 13-1075
Labor Relations Specialists: pay and where the jobs are
What labor relations specialists earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$95,420 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $98,720
- Median hourly wage
- $45.87
- Mean hourly wage
- $47.46
- Employment
- 64,810
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 13-1075.
Check your pay
See where your pay falls among labor relations specialists 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 labor relations specialists make?
The median annual wage for labor relations specialists was $95,420 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $50,490 and the highest-paid 10% more than $156,180. As an hourly rate, the median is $45.87. About 64,810 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in New Jersey ($118,370), District of Columbia ($115,600) and Massachusetts ($111,260). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in North Dakota.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for labor relations specialists 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 | $50,490 | $24.27 | $4,208 | $3,562 |
| 25th percentile | $71,920 | $34.58 | $5,993 | $4,952 |
| Median | $95,420 | $45.87 | $7,952 | $6,330 |
| 75th percentile | $123,420 | $59.34 | $10,285 | $7,969 |
| 90th percentile | $156,180 | $75.09 | $13,015 | $9,835 |
Labor Relations Specialists: pay by state
52 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
$89,169 take-home in national prices
2
$79,101 take-home in national prices
3
$78,590 take-home in national prices
Where a median labor relations specialist paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | 3,700 | $118,370 | $73,150 | $167,350 | $86,066 | $79,101 |
| District of Columbia | 160 | $115,600 | $81,690 | $160,260 | $83,297 | $75,793 |
| Massachusetts | 1,660 | $111,260 | $61,530 | $161,860 | $81,247 | $76,824 |
| California | 8,830 | $105,810 | $53,350 | $172,110 | $76,296 | $68,909 |
| Illinois | 3,670 | $104,180 | $63,150 | $144,200 | $77,109 | $77,141 |
| Washington | 2,760 | $104,100 | $60,080 | $185,530 | $80,620 | $75,337 |
| North Dakota | 90 | $101,220 | $65,370 | $124,610 | $79,324 | $89,169 |
| Minnesota | 1,710 | $100,760 | $75,950 | $152,530 | $73,943 | $74,977 |
| New York | 6,860 | $100,500 | $59,160 | $170,210 | $74,199 | $68,753 |
| Virginia | 990 | $98,730 | $60,650 | $146,280 | $73,424 | $72,622 |
| Delaware | 280 | $97,390 | $70,810 | $137,870 | $71,868 | $72,006 |
| Arizona | 790 | $97,070 | $60,230 | $126,420 | $75,086 | $74,581 |
| Maine | 210 | $96,680 | $56,660 | $140,350 | $71,470 | $73,642 |
| Wisconsin | 1,690 | $95,750 | $48,440 | $148,030 | $72,015 | $76,534 |
| Maryland | 890 | $94,030 | $63,760 | $145,430 | $70,880 | $67,531 |
| Missouri | 1,190 | $93,840 | $60,650 | $136,560 | $71,373 | $78,590 |
| Idaho | 190 | $93,110 | $46,830 | $118,570 | $70,506 | $73,833 |
| Pennsylvania | 3,470 | $91,320 | $56,400 | $164,880 | $70,206 | $71,953 |
| Rhode Island | 410 | $88,030 | $34,190 | $140,180 | $67,107 | $65,611 |
| West Virginia | 420 | $88,020 | $65,500 | $135,250 | $67,610 | $75,544 |
| Wyoming | 60 | $87,310 | $56,810 | $126,790 | $70,253 | $75,792 |
| Colorado | 470 | $87,150 | $62,240 | $134,520 | $66,630 | $64,657 |
| North Carolina | 690 | $86,270 | $59,280 | $123,590 | $66,587 | $70,593 |
| Vermont | 120 | $85,870 | $62,290 | $140,380 | $66,076 | $67,454 |
| New Hampshire | 150 | $84,780 | $35,820 | $158,300 | $68,473 | $65,735 |
| New Mexico | 120 | $83,770 | $57,850 | $135,810 | $64,988 | $70,477 |
| Kansas | 370 | $82,750 | $60,560 | $128,490 | $63,227 | $70,199 |
| Nebraska | 270 | $81,910 | $55,140 | $121,050 | $63,606 | $70,593 |
| Florida | 1,970 | $81,700 | $50,200 | $133,240 | $66,306 | $64,117 |
| Georgia | 920 | $81,480 | $19,730 | $129,560 | $62,834 | $65,253 |
| Oregon | 1,210 | $80,490 | $51,360 | $152,320 | $59,531 | $57,595 |
| Ohio | 4,100 | $80,150 | $46,660 | $127,010 | $63,448 | $68,390 |
| Texas | 2,590 | $79,640 | $42,040 | $135,340 | $64,857 | $66,823 |
| Connecticut | 1,240 | $79,620 | $46,480 | $177,150 | $60,815 | $58,697 |
| Mississippi | 200 | $79,360 | $45,060 | $120,610 | $62,217 | $71,553 |
| Iowa | 610 | $79,140 | $61,020 | $151,890 | $62,149 | $70,816 |
| Louisiana | 170 | $78,110 | $48,550 | $108,140 | $61,823 | $70,089 |
| South Carolina | 340 | $78,050 | $18,990 | $128,010 | $60,879 | $64,938 |
| Alaska | 380 | $77,870 | $49,870 | $130,200 | $63,341 | $61,881 |
| Hawaii | 510 | $77,310 | $62,740 | $172,590 | $58,759 | $53,441 |
| Nevada | 610 | $77,240 | $59,910 | $140,710 | $63,168 | $63,182 |
| Indiana | 2,600 | $77,190 | $30,550 | $106,450 | $60,886 | $65,238 |
| Tennessee | 560 | $76,930 | $29,570 | $141,290 | $62,950 | $68,521 |
| Michigan | 2,430 | $73,760 | $36,200 | $121,500 | $57,836 | $60,110 |
| Kentucky | 640 | $73,550 | $39,220 | $97,860 | $58,116 | $64,459 |
| Montana | 160 | $70,360 | $55,890 | $123,860 | $55,714 | $58,866 |
| Oklahoma | 250 | $62,400 | $43,070 | $116,230 | $50,056 | $56,983 |
| Arkansas | 180 | $62,070 | $33,500 | $129,800 | $50,244 | $57,794 |
| Utah | 250 | $61,190 | $42,040 | $128,120 | $49,031 | $49,594 |
| Puerto Rico | 120 | $58,830 | $26,210 | $72,940 | — | — |
| South Dakota | 100 | $57,900 | $49,270 | $158,800 | $48,703 | $54,978 |
| Alabama | 590 | $48,120 | $17,880 | $96,990 | $38,858 | $43,748 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 13-1075. *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.