What is the Average HR Administrator Salary?
An HR Administrator has to supervise all the administration-related tasks within the human resources department. In most companies, they are the first point of contact for all administrative inquiries. A human resources administrator can also function as a human resources generalist or specialist because they are well-versed in recruitment, setting up interviews, and handling employment contracts. Since they have so many duties, organizations ensure that their HR administrators have competitive compensation. According to popular salary reporting platforms Glassdoor, the HR administrator’s salary lies between the $22,000 and $163,000 range.
The HR Administrator’s role involves closely working with maintaining employee information. They are responsible for updating personnel records and ensuring they are consistent across databases. Additionally, they take care of any HR-related queries and handle the HR department’s documentation.
An HR Administrator’s responsibilities also include overseeing other HR personnel’s functions, making them versatile from a human resources standpoint. However, considering they handle many foundational duties, the average administrator salary must be attractive enough to popularize the position with professionals looking to advance their careers.
This article will explain the role of the HR administrator, take you through what duties they have to fulfill, how to become one, and their average compensation statistics.
Let’s get into it.
Average HR Administrator Salary by The Numbers
Like the salary of other HR professionals, the average salary of an HR administrator varies across different job reporting platforms.
Some reports from some major salary and compensation reporting platforms are given below.
Glassdoor
Glassdoor reports an average base salary (based on self-reported data) of $40,906 (according to March 2022).
Most of the salaried HR administrators fall within the average range. Additionally, the average annual additional cash compensation is $17,294. The total pay comes to a yearly figure of $58,200.
Payscale
Payscale reports that HR administrators have an average base salary of $50,807.
In addition, the HR administrator’s salary can go up to $71,000, with a bottom average of $39,000 (according to March 2022).
Economic Research Institute
The Economic Research Institute reports an average base salary of $60,839 at an hourly rate of $29/hr (according to March 2022).
It also reports an average salary bonus of $1,478.
Career Outlook for a Human Resource Administrator
The salary of an HR administrator in the U.S. depends on their total work experience as either an HR administrator or a general HR professional.
An HR administrator can get a better salary by either diversifying their human resources skills or getting a job in a company that offers better salary packages for administrators with their level of experience.
After this role, a professional can gain the necessary experience to move to more senior roles like HR generalist or HR manager. Afterward, the individual can move to an HR director role.
If you’re interested in learning more about the human resources field and increasing your salary, you should look into the HR certification courses at HR University.
The average salaries for more senior positions on the HR generalist career path (as per Glassdoor and reported in March 2022) are given below:
HR Manager
This role oversees the everyday implementation of critical human resources tasks. An HR manager receives total annual compensation of $90,241 and requires two to four years of experience with HR.
Senior HR Manager
This role is a much more senior position within the department, and the average annual compensation for a senior HR manager reaches $118,618. Additionally, most vacancies require the individual to have at least five years of experience within the HR field.
HR Director
The HR director role can receive an annual total pay of up to $176,000, and rightfully so. After all, it overlooks all the essential human resources duties and is answerable for the department’s performance.
Top Paying Cities for HR Administrators
According to Indeed, these cities offer the most attractive opportunities for HR Administrators.
U.S. West Coast
- San Diego: $71,166
- San Jose: $76,953
- Phoenix: $67,829
U.S. Midwest/Rocky Mountains
- Chicago: $68,056
U.S. East Coast
- New York: $76,666
- Tampa: $65,738
U.S. South
Average annual salaries for HR business partners are as follows:
- Atlanta: $69,409
- Dallas: $68,853
Out of all the states, Washington, California, and Massachusetts have the most cities with the highest national average human resources administrator salaries. In addition, California has the highest number of HR administrator jobs. However, these salary averages have varied in the past few years.
If you’re interested in learning more about the human resources field and increasing your salary, you should look into the HR certification courses at HR University.
Education Level for HR Administrator Role
The HR administrator is an entry-level role, and organizations require basic education qualifications as part of the hiring process. You can rise through the ranks quickly and get better-paying roles with better qualifications. Alternatively, a better degree will help you earn better compensation while staying as an HR administrator.
An HR administrator should at least have a Bachelor’s degree in human resources, business, or business administration. Such qualification helps companies ensure that their HR administrators have basic communication and management skills.
While certifications are not absolutely necessary for an entry-level position like HR administrator, pursuing one can benefit career growth. Some prominent ones are given below:
- HR University: Its HR Management certification can help administrators gain the necessary skills to advance professionally.
- University of Washington: It offers a Human Resources Management certificate aimed at HR professionals who want to transition to management roles.
To learn more about the educational requirements for the HR administrator role, watch below or skip ahead.
HR Administrator Salary Across Top Companies
As per Glassdoor, here is what the annual average HR administrator salary looks like in some of the top firms across different industries.
- Amazon: $63,400
- Apple: $59,000
- IKEA: $52,712
- 3M: $74,712
- Unity: $73,000
Conclusion
HR administrators are very critical members of the human resources department. Their superiors and the entire HR workforce depend on them to manage fundamental human resources tasks within the company. Therefore, they are compensated adequately by organizations and receive employee benefits and incentives too.
If you wish to break into the human resources field and are willing to work closely with employees in all other departments, the human resources administrator position is for you.
If you are new to Human Resources and are looking to break into an HR administrator role, we recommend taking our HR Certification Courses, where you will learn how to build your skillset in human resources, build your human resources network, craft an excellent HR resume, and create a successful job search strategy.
