What is the Average HR Generalist Salary?
Finding out how much an HR generalist makes every month? We have got everything for you here.
An HR generalist has one of the most versatile jobs in the entire human resources department. They are adept at all essential HR functions and handle diverse responsibilities. Therefore, every HR department needs a talented individual for this role, and the average HR generalist in the United States receives impressive compensation.
This article takes you through all the critical compensation statistics related to the HR generalist role and provides a location-wise breakdown of salaries.
Let’s dive right in.
Average HR Generalist Salary
The base HR generalist salary varies from state to state in the US. The average base salary for your state (or city) depends on various factors, with the cost of living being the most common one. However, it also depends on the years of professional experience and industry. Some compensation statistics from the leading sources of salary figures are given below:
Glassdoor
The average HR generalist salary in the United States is $89,000 per year, as per Glassdoor. In general, the average salary ranges from $69,000 to $115,000. Furthermore, data indicate that HR generalists receive an “additional cash compensation” of between $11,000 and 20,000 along with their base pay.
Indeed
According to Indeed, the national average HR generalist salary figure is $64,211. These estimates are based on around 8,300 salary reports from all across the US, including major hubs such as New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC.
PayScale
According to PayScale, another trustworthy source to get pay estimates, the average HR generalist’s base salary is $60,312 a year in the US.
Additionally, they can get significant additional compensations like bonuses (up to $7,000), commissions (up to $11,000), and profit (up to $6,000), bringing the actual take-home pay to somewhere up to $77,000 a year.
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HR Generalist Salaries Based on Location
According to Glassdoor, the location-wise categorization of cities with the highest-paying HR generalist salaries is as below:
U.S. West Coast
Average annual salaries for HR generalists are as follows:
- Portland: $89,000
U.S. Midwest/Rocky Mountains
Average annual salaries for HR generalists are as follows:
- Chicago: $90,000
U.S. East Coast
Average annual salaries for HR generalists are as follows:
- New York: $109,000
U.S. South
Average annual salaries for HR generalists are as follows:
- Atlanta: $91,000
- Dallas: $91,000
HR Generalist Salary across Top Companies
As per Glassdoor, here is what the annual average HR generalist salary looks like in some of the top firms across different industries.
- Marriott International: $65,000
- Nestle USA: $93,983
- Walgreens: $72,856
- T-Mobile: $91,138
- Comcast: $73,398
Salaries along the Human Resources Generalist Career Path
Since it is an entry-level position, an HR generalist’s career progresses much further after gaining additional years of professional experience. Their knowledge helps them transition to managerial roles easily since they know the ins and outs of all HR functions.
After gaining crucial professional expertise, the professional can move on and become a senior HR generalist. The HR professional can then transition into a principal HR generalist position by handling more significant and diverse duties. Eventually, the years of professional experience and expertise enable the individual to become the Vice President of HR.
The average salaries for more senior positions on the HR generalist career path (as per Glassdoor and reported in June 2024) are given below:
Senior HR Generalist
A senior HR generalist position requires significant technical knowledge of human resources and years of handling different HR functions. The role receives a total annual compensation of $121k and requires two to four years of experience with HR.
Principal HR Generalist
After handling diverse human resources responsibilities for at least more than eight years, an individual can move on to become the principal HR generalist. This role is a senior role within the department, and the average annual compensation for the principal HR generalist reaches $180k.
Vice President of HR
After gaining more expertise and skill, a principal HR generalist can get promoted to the VP of HR and become responsible for the whole HR department. The role receives an annual total pay of $345k and is crucial for organizations if they wish to have a smooth functioning human resources division.
Education
Since an HR generalist’s responsibilities involve handling diverse HR functions, organizations expect their qualifications to be diverse. Therefore, landing a well-paying HR generalist job means pursuing the right academic qualifications and certifications.
An HR generalist should have a Bachelor’s degree in human resources management, business administration, or a related field. A Master’s can help them advance to a more senior professional position like an HR manager.
Certifications
Just like other HR roles, there is a variety of certifications an HR generalist can pursue and add to their resume. Some prominent ones are given below:
- HR University: They offer a top-quality HR generalist certification to allow you to dive deep into the HR generalist skills and expertise. Any HR manager looking to excel in their management career can enroll in the course to benefit from its unique course.
- SHRM: Their certified professional certification intends to prepare HR professionals with solid human resources skills needed for an HR generalist role or any other job title.
- HRCI: It offers many certifications aimed at HR professionals of all scales, such as their ‘Professional in Human Resources certification.
To learn more about the educational requirements for the role, watch below or skip ahead.
Final Remarks
Since it gives you a diverse professional experience, take different routes to move forward after a successful HR generalist career. Unlike roles that require specialization, you have the advantage of gaining knowledge and experience in different areas.
By staying on the HR generalist track, become an HR Business Partner, a role where you work side-by-side with the upper management to create and execute strategies. Afterward, move to more senior positions like HR director.
FAQs
Here are the most frequently asked questions and answers related to HR generalist salary:
What is an HR generalist?
An HR generalist is an HR professional who, in most cases, reports to an HR manager or HR director. These professionals take control of daily important HR functions, including recruitment, employee relations, compensation, and compliance.
What is the next position after HR generalist?
The next position after HR generalist is an HR manager. Based on career development and if one decides to stay on the generalist route, the next step on the ladder is that of an HR manager. Similar to the generalist position, an HR manager is involved in various areas of the department and the organization.
What are the responsibilities of an HR generalist?
The major responsibilities of an HR generalist are selecting candidates, onboarding and offboarding workers, managing employee relations and conflict resolution, handling performance evaluations, designing and delivering training programs, ensuring police compliance, and controlling HR administrative tasks. Another duty is to respond to calls from all managerial posts within the company.
How to be a good HR generalist?
To thrive and contribute to the success of the organization, an HR generalist must have a set of skills. These skills include effective communication and interpersonal skills, knowledge of employment law and compliance, talent acquisition and development, strategic HR planning, HR technology and data analytics, and empathy and cultural awareness.
If you are new to Human Resources and are looking to break into an HR generalist role, we recommend taking our HR Generalist Certification Course, where you will learn how to build your skillset in human resources, build your human resources network, craft an excellent HR generalist resume, and create a successful job search strategy.
