San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a human resources specialist make in San Jose-Sunnyvale, CA?

In the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metropolitan area, human resources specialists earned a median of $112,140 a year ($53.91 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 7,970 of these jobs there. That is 33% above the $84,050 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $66,260 and $186,570; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and California tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $81,536 in take-home pay.

Human resources specialist pay in San Jose-Sunnyvale, CA at a glance

Median salary

$112,140$53.91 per hour · $9,345 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$66,260$31.86/hr
25th percentile$85,150$40.94/hr
75th percentile$153,460$73.78/hr
90th percentile$186,570$89.70/hr
Jobs in this metro7,970Location quotient 1.20 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here33% aboveAll-jobs median $84,050
Against California34% aboveStatewide median $83,500
Against the U.S.48% 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 Jose-Sunnyvale, CA after taxes

$112,140
$40,000$225,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$112,140
Net 73%
Fed 14%
CA 6%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$81,536After all taxes
Monthly deposit$6,795Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$3,136Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate27.3%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$15,841 / yr
California state income tax$6,184 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$8,579 / yr

Human resources specialists pay range in San Jose-Sunnyvale, CA, hourly and yearly

BLS May 2025 estimates for the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.

What human resources specialists earned in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (CA)
10th percentile$31.86/hr$5,522$66,260$53,345
25th percentile$40.94/hr$7,096$85,150$65,059
MedianMedian$53.91/hr$9,345$112,140$81,536
75th percentile$73.78/hr$12,788$153,460$106,129
90th percentile$89.70/hr$15,548$186,570$125,809

Is $112,140 a good salary in San Jose-Sunnyvale, 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$162,111Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)110.410.4% above national average
One paycheck vs. a household69.2%of area median income

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

Human resources specialist pay in San Jose-Sunnyvale, CA: common questions

What is the median salary for human resources specialists in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA?

The BLS median annual wage for human resources specialists in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area was $112,140 in May 2025, about $9,345 a month or $53.91 an hour. Statewide, the California median for this job is $83,500, so the metro pays 34% above the state.

What is the hourly pay for human resources specialists in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA?

The median hourly wage for human resources specialists in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA was $53.91 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $31.86 an hour and one in ten earned more than $89.70.

How many human resources specialists work in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA?

BLS estimated 7,970 jobs for human resources specialists in the metro in May 2025, or 7.0 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.20 means the job is more concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for human resources specialists in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA?

BLS wage estimates for human resources specialists in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA run from $66,260 at the 10th percentile to $85,150 at the 25th, $153,460 at the 75th, and $186,570 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 Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA?

On a median gross salary of $112,140, an estimated $81,536 lands in net take-home pay per year ($3,136 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in California in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $30,604 (an effective rate of 27.3%).

How much do human resources specialists make per month in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA?

On the median annual salary of $112,140, gross monthly income is $9,345. After federal, FICA, and California state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $6,795 per month (or $3,136 every two weeks).

Is $112,140 a good salary in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA?

At $112,140, the median salary for human resources specialists is 69.2% of the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA median household income ($162,111). It is 33% above the $84,050 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 110.4, so prices here run 10.4% above the U.S. average.