Human Resources Specialist Salary Information in California

The average annual salaries for human resources specialists in the state of California are shown in Table 1. The comparison of the salary statistics of human resources specialists among California cities is shown in Table 2. The salary statistics are based on the national compensation survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2022 and published in April 2023 [1].

Table 1 & 2. Annual Salary of Human Resources Specialists in California (2022 Survey)

Percentile bracketAverage annual salary
10th Percentile Wage
$46,620
25th Percentile Wage
$60,010
50th Percentile Wage
$77,470
75th Percentile Wage
$102,320
90th Percentile Wage
$134,890

Table 1 shows the average annual salary for human resources specialists in California in 5 percentile scales. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) is $134,890. The median (50th percentile) annual salary is $77,470. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent is $46,620.

Median salary trend (2012 to 2022)

The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of human resources specialists from 2012 to 2022.

YearMedian SalaryYearly Growth10-Year Growth
2022
$77,470
1.28% 16.72%
2021
$76,480
4.84% -
2020
$72,780
4.19% -
2019
$69,730
1.76% -
2018
$68,500
-0.99% -
2017
$69,180
1.62% -
2016
$68,060
0.87% -
2015
$67,470
3.35% -
2014
$65,210
2.21% -
2013
$63,770
-1.18% -
2012
$64,520
- -

Table 3. Median Annual Salary of Human Resources Specialists in California Cities (2022 Survey)

Table 3 shows the median annual salary of human resources specialists in some California cities and metropolitan areas. We note that the median annual salary of human resources specialists in state of California ranges from $47,600 to $96,440. The highest paying area for human resources specialists in California is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara with a median annual salary of $96,440. The second highest paying city/area in California State is San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont (mean annual salary $94,710). The lowest paying area is Eastern Sierra Region of California nonmetropolitan area with a median annual salary of $47,600.

Cities/Areas Median Annual Salary
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara
$96,440
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont
$94,710
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City
$86,250
Santa Rosa-Petaluma
$78,490
Vallejo-Fairfield
$77,990
Salinas
$76,450
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos
$76,020
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara
$75,670
Santa Cruz-Watsonville
$75,430
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura
$75,420
Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville
$74,980
Napa
$74,610
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
$74,580
Oakland-Fremont-Hayward
$74,260
Modesto
$73,170
Redding
$72,660
Hanford-Corcoran
$72,270
Yuba City
$71,940
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles
$71,400
Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$70,220
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale
$67,220
Bakersfield-Delano
$67,220
North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$67,020
Madera-Chowchilla
$65,930
Stockton
$65,810
Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine
$65,580
North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$65,240
Chico
$65,060
Visalia-Porterville
$64,590
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario
$63,940
Fresno
$63,840
El Centro
$63,650
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana
$63,320
Merced
$62,900
Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$62,080
Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta
$60,520
North Valley Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$58,920
Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$58,750
Eastern Sierra Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$47,600