Human Resources Specialists pay range in San Jose
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $66,260 a year or less, while the top 10% make $186,570 or more. The middle half of human resources specialists in San Jose earn between $85,150 and $153,460.
- $66K10th
- $85K25th
- $112KMedian
- $153K75th
- $187K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $122,290 | $10,191 | $58.79 |
| Median | $112,140 | $9,345 | $53.91 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $85,150 | $7,096 | $40.94 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $153,460 | $12,788 | $73.78 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Human Resources Specialists salary after taxes in San Jose
On the average salary of $122,290, a single filer in San Jose takes home about $87,570 a year, or $7,298 a month and $3,368 every two weeks. Taxes take 28% of gross pay.
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Is San Jose a good place for human resources specialists? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the San Jose area are 10% above the U.S. average (BEA price parity 110.4), so the average $122,290 buys what about $110,747 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.3 times the median wage of all jobs in San Jose ($84,050). A typical home costs $1,610,466, or 13.2 years of this average salary before tax.
Human Resources Specialists salary in other California cities
San Jose ranks 1st of 25 California metro areas for this job, the best-paid in the state.
- San Jose$122,290
- San Francisco$113,530
- Santa Cruz$93,190
- Vallejo$92,480
- Santa Maria$91,880
- San Diego$91,760
- Napa$91,260
- Oxnard$90,570
- Los Angeles$89,780
- Sacramento$89,450
Highest-paying cities for human resources specialists
San Jose, CA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($122,290).
- San Jose, CA$122,290
- San Francisco, CA$113,530
- Washington, DC$105,580
- Lexington Park, MD$104,240
- Boulder, CO$99,420
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Human Resources Specialists salary in San Jose: questions
How much do human resources specialists make an hour in San Jose?
$58.79 an hour on average, and $53.91 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level human resources specialists salary in San Jose?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $66,260 a year and the 25th percentile is $85,150, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the human resources specialists take-home pay in San Jose?
About $87,570 a year ($7,298 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $122,290. California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Do human resources specialists earn more in San Jose than elsewhere?
The average here is 47% more than the U.S. metro average for this job ($82,959).
Sources and how to read this page
- Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 13-1071; area San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA (41940). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 1.0%.
- Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
- Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
- Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
- Job concentration: location quotient 1.20, this job is about as common as in the U.S. overall.
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