Madison, WI metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a human resources specialist make in Madison, WI?

In the Madison, WI metropolitan area, human resources specialists earned a median of $76,660 a year ($36.86 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 2,810 of these jobs there. That is 32% above the $58,080 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $51,320 and $106,440; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Wisconsin tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $59,718 in take-home pay.

Human resources specialist pay in Madison, WI at a glance

Median salary

$76,660$36.86 per hour · $6,388 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$51,320$24.67/hr
25th percentile$61,430$29.54/hr
75th percentile$90,170$43.35/hr
90th percentile$106,440$51.17/hr
Jobs in this metro2,810Location quotient 1.17 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here32% aboveAll-jobs median $58,080
Against Wisconsin9% aboveStatewide median $70,540
Against the U.S.1% aboveNational median $75,940

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Same U.S. tax tables as the rest of the site. Change the salary, state, or filing status.

Human resources specialist salary in Madison, WI after taxes

$76,660
$30,000$155,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$76,660
Net 78%
Fed 10%
WI 4%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$59,718After all taxes
Monthly deposit$4,977Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$2,297Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate22.1%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$8,035 / yr
Wisconsin state income tax$3,042 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$5,864 / yr

Human resources specialists pay range in Madison, WI, hourly and yearly

BLS May 2025 estimates for the Madison, WI metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.

What human resources specialists earned in the Madison, WI metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (WI)
10th percentile$24.67/hr$4,277$51,320$41,774
25th percentile$29.54/hr$5,119$61,430$49,399
MedianMedian$36.86/hr$6,388$76,660$59,718
75th percentile$43.35/hr$7,514$90,170$68,421
90th percentile$51.17/hr$8,870$106,440$78,901

Is $76,660 a good salary in Madison, WI?

It depends on what else people there earn and what things cost. Here is the median for human resources specialists next to both.

Median household income$88,804Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)97.32.7% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household86.3%of area median income

The same job statewide and nationally, and a calculator for your own paycheck.

Human resources specialist pay in Madison, WI: common questions

What is the median salary for human resources specialists in Madison, WI?

The BLS median annual wage for human resources specialists in the Madison, WI metro area was $76,660 in May 2025, about $6,388 a month or $36.86 an hour. Statewide, the Wisconsin median for this job is $70,540, so the metro pays 9% above the state.

What is the hourly pay for human resources specialists in Madison, WI?

The median hourly wage for human resources specialists in Madison, WI was $36.86 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $24.67 an hour and one in ten earned more than $51.17.

How many human resources specialists work in Madison, WI?

BLS estimated 2,810 jobs for human resources specialists in the metro in May 2025, or 6.9 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.17 means the job is more concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for human resources specialists in Madison, WI?

BLS wage estimates for human resources specialists in Madison, WI run from $51,320 at the 10th percentile to $61,430 at the 25th, $90,170 at the 75th, and $106,440 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do human resources specialists take home after taxes in Madison, WI?

On a median gross salary of $76,660, an estimated $59,718 lands in net take-home pay per year ($2,297 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Wisconsin in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $16,942 (an effective rate of 22.1%).

How much do human resources specialists make per month in Madison, WI?

On the median annual salary of $76,660, gross monthly income is $6,388. After federal, FICA, and Wisconsin state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $4,977 per month (or $2,297 every two weeks).

Is $76,660 a good salary in Madison, WI?

At $76,660, the median salary for human resources specialists is 86.3% of the Madison, WI median household income ($88,804). It is 32% above the $58,080 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 97.3, so prices here run 2.7% below the U.S. average.