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Role hub · Human Resources Managers

HR Manager: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

Maid DizdarevicCareer coach · 8x LinkedIn Top Voice
Updated Oct 24, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
Pay ladder · select a percentile
Median percentile pay

Half of hr managers earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$149,280
Hourly
$71.77
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

HR Managers plan, direct, or coordinate human resources activities and staff of an organization. The median pay is $149,280 a year ($71.77 an hour) (BLS, May 2025). The most commonly reported education requirement is a bachelor's degree (82% of workers surveyed by O*NET).

Median pay
$149,280
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
220,660
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 4 of 5
considerable preparation
Most common education
Bachelor's Degree
82% of workers

Data Government data groups this job as Human Resources Managers (O*NET-SOC 11-3121.00). Figures on this page are for that occupation.

Explore the role

Every page for HR Managers

SalaryHR Manager salary

Pay by percentile, state and metro, with a negotiation script.

Open →How to becomeHR Manager how to become

Education, training and the skills to build first.

Open →ResumeHR Manager resume

Keywords, bullet formulas and the skills to prove.

Open →Interview questionsHR Manager interview questions

Questions with what they test, plus practice mode.

Open →Free toolCheck your resume

Parsed text, evidence per bullet, fixes first.

Open →
The work

What hr managers do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. Serve as a link between management and employees by handling questions, interpreting and administering contracts and helping resolve work-related problems.
  2. Plan, direct, supervise, and coordinate work activities of subordinates and staff relating to employment, compensation, labor relations, and employee relations.
  3. Perform difficult staffing duties, including dealing with understaffing, refereeing disputes, firing employees, and administering disciplinary procedures.
  4. Represent organization at personnel-related hearings and investigations.
  5. Negotiate bargaining agreements and help interpret labor contracts.
  6. Advise managers on organizational policy matters, such as equal employment opportunity and sexual harassment, and recommend needed changes.
  7. Plan and conduct new employee orientation to foster positive attitude toward organizational objectives.
  8. Analyze and modify compensation and benefits policies to establish competitive programs and ensure compliance with legal requirements.
Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

Active ListeningcoreManagement of Personnel ResourcescoreReading ComprehensioncoreSpeakingCoordinationWritingSocial PerceptivenessComplex Problem SolvingJudgment and Decision Making

Knowledge areas: Personnel and Human Resources, English Language, Administration and Management, Customer and Personal Service, Education and Training, Law and Government.

Tools and technology

Software hr managers use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • Applicant tracking softwareHuman resources softwareIn demand
  • Oracle HRISHuman resources softwareIn demand
  • FacebookWeb page creation and editing softwareHot technology
  • IBM SPSS StatisticsAnalytical or scientific softwareHot technology
  • Kronos Workforce TimekeeperTime accounting softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft VisioProcess mapping and design softwareHot technology
  • AASoftTech Web Organization ChartCharting software
  • ADP Enterprise HRHuman resources software
  • ADP HR/Benefits SolutionHuman resources software
  • ADP HR/ProfileHuman resources software
  • ADP Pay eXpertTime accounting software
  • ADP Workforce NowHuman resources software

Also called: Human Resource Manager, Employee Relations Manager, HR Admin Director (Human Resources Administration Director), HR Director (Human Resources Director), HR Manager (Human Resources Manager), HR Ops Manager (Human Resources Operations Manager), HR VP (Human Resources Vice President).

Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the correlation between the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level, subtract the average across all occupations, and correlate the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 or below means unrelated. Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).