The HR Manager is the head of all human resources field operations within an organization. They act as the bridge between the strategic and the general operations sides of human resource management. An HR manager directly reports to the seniormost HR professional, such as the VP of HR, and handles the implementation of policies and strategies. Since its a major leadership position, the HR manager salary is a significant number. According to popular salary reporting platforms Glassdoor, the HR manager’s salary lies between the $46,000 and $188,000 range.
A great HR Manager has to be an effective operations manager, an efficient project manager, and a talented office manager. Since it is a significantly senior role that involves many essential responsibilities, it is an important stepping stone for venturing into the higher-level planning aspects of human resources.
The HR Manager position is always in demand because every organization’s human resources department needs an individual to overlook, supervise, and guide the department’s functions. Since the role can open the door to many exciting opportunities, you should understand what an HR Manager does in detail.
This article will explain what an HR Manager does, what an organization expects from its HR Managers, and the average salary for HR Managers across different industries.
Let’s jump right in.
Average HR Manager Salary
The average total compensation for an HR manager varies across different pay and compensation reporting platforms within the USA. Therefore, here are some common salary numbers for the position of HR manager reported by major job reporting sources in 2022.
Glassdoor
Glassdoorreports an average base salary (based on self-reported data) of$74,178.
The majority of salaried human resources managers lie within the low to average range. In addition, the average additional cash compensation is $17,719.
Payscale
Payscalereports an average base salary of$69,533.
In addition, around 90% of human resources manager salaries are under $96,000, while the bottom 10% make less than $49,000.
Indeed
Indeedreports an average base salary of$69,948.
Indeed also reports several benefits, along with a cash bonus for managers.
The combined annual average base HR manager salary from statistics across the three sources is $71,219. However, it is essential to note that various factors like job location, organization scale, and size of human resources team affect HR manager salary ranges. Therefore, you should consider these factors that affect the average total compensation before pursuing a certain job alert.
Career Outlook for a Human Resources Manager
The entire HR manager salary range in the US depends on their total years of experience working as either a manager or in the general field of human resources.
HR managers have two distinct promotion paths across different industries. A current HR manager can progress to either a senior manager position or an HR director role. The HR manager can also directly advance to the position of Vice President of Human Resources. However, such a promotion also comes after progressing to a senior HR manager role and then to an HR director role.
The average salaries for more senior positions on the human resources manager career trajectory (as per Glassdoor and reported in March 2022) are given below:
Senior HR Manager
After gaining two to four years of experience as a human resources manager, professionals move up the ladder. This position has an average annual compensation package of$118,618across different industries. According toGlassdoor, more than three thousand jobs are available for this senior human resources role.
Lead HR Manager
An additional few years of experience as a senior human resources manager becomes helpful for advancing to this position. The lead human resources manager is the seniormost amongst a team of managers. They receive an annual total pay of$125,529,and there are nearly thirty thousand vacancies out there for a competent lead HR manager, as perGlassdoor.
Assistant Director of HR
Moving further up the human resources manager career ladder means occupying this significantly senior managerial role. As an assistant director of HR, professionals can expect an average annual pay of$76,609,and there are many openings for this role, according toGlassdoor.
Head HR Manager
This senior role is crucial for the human resources department within bigger organizations with more complex tasks. Hence, it requires significant professional experience, and the average annual compensation is$144,026.
Vice President of HR
This senior role handles the more executive responsibilities of the human resources manager. It requires more than eight years of experience in the HR landscape, and you can expect an average annual pay of$238,987.
Human Resources Manager Salary Across Different Locations
According toIndeed, these cities offer the most attractive opportunities for human resources manager.
US West Coast
Average annual salaries for human resources manager role are as follows:
- San Diego: $75,690
- San Jose: $72,824
- Phoenix: $72,181
U.S. Midwest/Rocky Mountains
Average salary for the human resources manager role is as follows:
- Chicago: $76,370
U.S. East Coast
Average annual HR manager salaries are as follows:
- New York: $81,585
- Tampa: $65,738
U.S. South
Average annual salaries for the human resources manager role are as follows:
- Atlanta: $73,862
If you’re interested in learning more about the human resources field and technically upskilling yourself to get a better HR manager salary, you should check out the top-quality HR certifications by HR University.
Education Level for HR Manager Role
The HR manager role involves managing employees and supervising important business strategies in the field. However, a professional can get significantly better pay if they pursue a higher education qualification. An HR manager should have at least a Bachelor’s degree to get into the industry in an entry-level role. However, they should pursue a Master’s in business administration in human resources to get higher compensation.
There are many certifications that an HR manager should get to showcase their managerial skills and human resources knowledge. Some prominent certifications from leading institutions are given below:
- HR University: You can find high-quality HR management certifications at HR University.
- eCornell: It is the official e-learning portal of Cornell University and offers a certificate program in Human Resources management.
- HRCI: It offers many certifications in human resources management for HR professionals at different levels.
With such certifications in your resume, you become more skilled and competent while attracting an impressive HR manager salary.
HR Manager Salary Across Top Companies
As perGlassdoor, here is what the annual average HR manager salary looks like in some of the top firms across different industries.
- Amazon:$120,464
- Microsoft:$127,979
- Comcast:$82,053
- Cisco Systems:$148,339
- Target:$119,145
Conclusion
HR managers are highly versatile members of the human resources department and have to multitask consistently. They have to communicate with multiple stakeholders simultaneously and ensure the human resources department’s smooth functioning Plus, since it’s not a specialist position, the right individual needs to have a particular set of capabilities, such as collaborating with roles like human resources business partner and talent acquisition manager.
Since they handle so many duties, HR managers get significantly better compensation than average HR personnel in organizations. Therefore, if you have extensive human resources abilities and experience and want to work in a job that handles multiple aspects of HR, the human resource manager position could be perfect for you. However, bear the multiple factors that affect HR manager salaries in mind.
If you are new to Human Resources and are looking to break into an HR manager role, we recommend taking our HR Management Certification Course, where you will learn how to build your skillset in human resources, build your human resources network, craft a great HR resume, and create a successful job search strategy.
Josh Fechter
Josh Fechter is the founder of HR.University. He's a certified HR professional and has managed global teams across 5 different continents including their benefits and payroll. You can connect with him on LinkedIn here.
