Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping Salary: $49,440 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 92,580 human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping work nationally, and $49,440 is the BLS national median annual wage. Employment in the series shown fell about 17% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 3.5% annual decline.
Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping: what the data shows
Common questions about human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping?
Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 43-4161.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 92,580 workers.
What does a human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Working with Computers, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Processing Information, Getting Information, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping make?
BLS national median annual wage: $49,440 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $59,617 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $43,967 |
| 25th percentile | $49,626 |
| Median (50th) | $58,085 |
| 75th percentile | $66,369 |
| 90th percentile | $78,873 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, Writing, Monitoring, Critical Thinking, and knowledge areas including Personnel and Human Resources, Administrative, Customer and Personal Service, Administration and Management. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 3.5% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -16.2%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -29.8%.
Current U.S. headcount: 92,580.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeepings work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 92,580 | 17.7% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 70,060 | 13.4% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 22,520 | 4.3% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 15,800 | 3.0% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 15,800 | 3.0% |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 14,790 | 2.8% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials | 26,830 | $33,880 |
| Door-to-Door Sales Workers, News and Street Vendors, and Related Workers | 4,590 | $34,530 |
| Human Resources Managers | 215,520 | $140,030 |
| Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary | 11,430 | $84,290 |
| Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers | 16,570 | $53,990 |
| Social and Human Service Assistants | 424,220 | $45,120 |
| Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs | 156,260 | $51,500 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping workforce.
Employment Over Time
92,580 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping shrank from 81,920 in 2009 to 46,560 in 2025 (43.2%).
Historical employment for Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$49,440 Median pay (BLS national)
Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping earn $49,440 as the BLS national median annual wage.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping.
Salary distribution for Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping.
Employment Growth Projections
-3.5% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
39,024 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -16.2%
32,707 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -29.8%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping.
Wage Trends by Industry
7.0% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 11,790 employees, $58,360 avg wage
- NY: 7,470 employees, $55,270 avg wage
- TX: 6,300 employees, $45,660 avg wage
- NJ: 4,780 employees, $51,740 avg wage
- FL: 4,520 employees, $48,630 avg wage
- TN: 4,260 employees, $45,180 avg wage
- MN: 3,300 employees, $54,040 avg wage
- IL: 3,190 employees, $50,860 avg wage
- PA: 2,890 employees, $49,460 avg wage
- WA: 2,810 employees, $56,890 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 7,410 employees, $55,710 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 3,990 employees, $57,500 avg wage
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI: 2,280 employees, $55,190 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 2,270 employees, $52,170 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 1,920 employees, $59,100 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 1,730 employees, $51,870 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 1,710 employees, $51,940 avg wage
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 1,660 employees, $59,800 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 1,520 employees, $67,100 avg wage
- Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN: 1,440 employees, $47,150 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping.
Diversity
Demographic information on Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping is about 92,580 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping workers.
Education level distribution for Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping.
Skills
Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, Writing, Monitoring.
Required skills for Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping include Personnel and Human Resources, Administrative, Customer and Personal Service, Administration and Management, English Language.
Knowledge areas required for Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping include Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression, Written Comprehension, Written Expression, Speech Clarity.
Required abilities for Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping.
Daily Activities
Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping spend their time on activities such as Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Working with Computers, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Processing Information.
Most important work activities for Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping.
About
Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping
Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping earn $49,440 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
43-4161 - Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping reports an average salary of $59,617.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 92,580 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -3.5%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.