San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a human resources specialist make in San Diego-Chula Vista, CA?

In the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metropolitan area, human resources specialists earned a median of $81,300 a year ($39.09 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 9,110 of these jobs there. That is 39% above the $58,690 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $51,780 and $140,130; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and California tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $62,709 in take-home pay.

Human resources specialist pay in San Diego-Chula Vista, CA at a glance

Median salary

$81,300$39.09 per hour · $6,775 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$51,780$24.89/hr
25th percentile$65,710$31.59/hr
75th percentile$107,800$51.83/hr
90th percentile$140,130$67.37/hr
Jobs in this metro9,110Location quotient 1.01 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here39% aboveAll-jobs median $58,690
Against California3% belowStatewide median $83,500
Against the U.S.7% aboveNational median $75,940

Run the numbers on your own pay

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

Human resources specialist salary in San Diego-Chula Vista, CA after taxes

$81,300
$30,000$165,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$81,300
Net 77%
Fed 11%
CA 4%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$62,709After all taxes
Monthly deposit$5,226Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$2,412Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate22.9%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$9,056 / yr
California state income tax$3,316 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$6,219 / yr

Human resources specialists pay range in San Diego-Chula Vista, CA, hourly and yearly

BLS May 2025 estimates for the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.

What human resources specialists earned in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (CA)
10th percentile$24.89/hr$4,315$51,780$42,639
25th percentile$31.59/hr$5,476$65,710$52,947
MedianMedian$39.09/hr$6,775$81,300$62,709
75th percentile$51.83/hr$8,983$107,800$78,887
90th percentile$67.37/hr$11,678$140,130$98,258

Is $81,300 a good salary in San Diego-Chula Vista, CA?

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$106,268Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)111.911.9% above national average
One paycheck vs. a household76.5%of area median income

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

Human resources specialist pay in San Diego-Chula Vista, CA: common questions

What is the median salary for human resources specialists in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?

The BLS median annual wage for human resources specialists in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area was $81,300 in May 2025, about $6,775 a month or $39.09 an hour. Statewide, the California median for this job is $83,500, so the metro pays 3% below the state.

What is the hourly pay for human resources specialists in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?

The median hourly wage for human resources specialists in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA was $39.09 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $24.89 an hour and one in ten earned more than $67.37.

How many human resources specialists work in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?

BLS estimated 9,110 jobs for human resources specialists in the metro in May 2025, or 5.9 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.01 means the job is about as common here as in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for human resources specialists in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?

BLS wage estimates for human resources specialists in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA run from $51,780 at the 10th percentile to $65,710 at the 25th, $107,800 at the 75th, and $140,130 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do human resources specialists take home after taxes in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?

On a median gross salary of $81,300, an estimated $62,709 lands in net take-home pay per year ($2,412 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in California in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $18,591 (an effective rate of 22.9%).

How much do human resources specialists make per month in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?

On the median annual salary of $81,300, gross monthly income is $6,775. After federal, FICA, and California state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $5,226 per month (or $2,412 every two weeks).

Is $81,300 a good salary in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?

At $81,300, the median salary for human resources specialists is 76.5% of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median household income ($106,268). It is 39% above the $58,690 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 111.9, so prices here run 11.9% above the U.S. average.