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Human Resources Manager

$149,280
median / year
$88,200 – $267,810
what most earn per year (10th–90th percentile)

What the job actually is

Oversee hiring, pay, benefits, and employee relations, and set workplace policies.

You may also see this posted as: Employee Relations Manager, HR Director (Human Resources Director), HR Manager (Human Resources Manager), HR VP (Human Resources Vice President), HR Admin Director (Human Resources Administration Director), HR Ops Manager (Human Resources Operations Manager).

Where you work

Corporate and organizational offices.

The hours

Regular full-time weekday schedule

The day to day

What you'd actually spend time doing

  • Serve as a link between management and employees by handling questions, interpreting and administering contracts and helping resolve work-related problems.
  • Plan, direct, supervise, and coordinate work activities of subordinates and staff relating to employment, compensation, labor relations, and employee relations.
  • Perform difficult staffing duties, including dealing with understaffing, refereeing disputes, firing employees, and administering disciplinary procedures.
  • Represent organization at personnel-related hearings and investigations.
  • Negotiate bargaining agreements and help interpret labor contracts.

Good fit if you like…

Enterprising

leading, persuading, selling, or turning an idea into action

Conventional

organizing information, following systems, and getting details right

Social

helping, teaching, caring for, or supporting other people

O*NET job zone 4 of 5

High preparation—usually a four-year degree plus experience—is common.

Work styles that matter most

IntegrityDependabilityLeadership OrientationSocial Orientation

Software that shows up in the work

Examples employers report—not a checklist you must already know.

Applicant tracking softwareMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointOracle HRIS

By the numbers

May 2025 BLS wage & employment data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.

Median pay
$149,280
per year
Hourly median
$71.77
per hour
What most earn
$88,200–$267,810
yearly, 10th to 90th percentile
Openings a year
~17,900
projected, 2024–34
Outlook to 2034
+5%
Faster than average
Working in the U.S.
220,660
people, nationwide

Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.

“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.

BLS estimates 0.6% of workers in this occupation are self-employed.

What it pays in your state

Statewide medians are a better starting point than the national number. Your city and experience still matter.

BLS state wage tables

How you get in

Typical starting education

Bachelor's degree

Training path: Bachelor's degree.

Related work experience: 5 years or more.

On-the-job training: None.

License or certification

No license required to start in most places.

Check the path where you live

Licensing rules and available programs change by state. These federal tools take you to the current official listings.

What it takes

RecruitingEmployee relationsPolicy knowledgeCommunication

The honest take

A well-paid path into leadership that rewards people skills as much as policy know-how.

Standard Occupational Classification 11-3121. Pay and employment from the BLS May 2025 OEWS survey; outlook and openings from the 2024–34 employment projections; job context from the Occupational Outlook Handbook; tasks, interests, work styles, software examples, and job zone from O*NET 30.3. See something off? Tell us.