Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a human resources specialist make in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

In the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metropolitan area, human resources specialists earned a median of $84,690 a year ($40.72 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 450 of these jobs there. That is 55% above the $54,730 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $59,060 and $135,020; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and California tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $64,778 in take-home pay.

Human resources specialist pay in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA at a glance

Median salary

$84,690$40.72 per hour · $7,058 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$59,060$28.39/hr
25th percentile$71,910$34.57/hr
75th percentile$106,710$51.30/hr
90th percentile$135,020$64.91/hr
Jobs in this metro450Location quotient 0.78 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here55% aboveAll-jobs median $54,730
Against California1% aboveStatewide median $83,500
Against the U.S.12% 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 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA after taxes

$84,690
$30,000$170,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$84,690
Net 76%
Fed 12%
CA 4%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$64,778After all taxes
Monthly deposit$5,398Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$2,491Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate23.5%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$9,802 / yr
California state income tax$3,631 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$6,479 / yr

Human resources specialists pay range in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, hourly and yearly

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

What human resources specialists earned in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (CA)
10th percentile$28.39/hr$4,922$59,060$48,052
25th percentile$34.57/hr$5,993$71,910$56,891
MedianMedian$40.72/hr$7,058$84,690$64,778
75th percentile$51.30/hr$8,893$106,710$78,221
90th percentile$64.91/hr$11,252$135,020$95,240

Is $84,690 a good salary in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, 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$111,093Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)109.99.9% above national average
One paycheck vs. a household76.2%of area median income

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

Human resources specialist pay in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA: common questions

What is the median salary for human resources specialists in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

The BLS median annual wage for human resources specialists in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area was $84,690 in May 2025, about $7,058 a month or $40.72 an hour. Statewide, the California median for this job is $83,500, so the metro pays 1% above the state.

What is the hourly pay for human resources specialists in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

The median hourly wage for human resources specialists in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA was $40.72 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $28.39 an hour and one in ten earned more than $64.91.

How many human resources specialists work in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

BLS estimated 450 jobs for human resources specialists in the metro in May 2025, or 4.6 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 0.78 means the job is less concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for human resources specialists in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

BLS wage estimates for human resources specialists in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA run from $59,060 at the 10th percentile to $71,910 at the 25th, $106,710 at the 75th, and $135,020 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do human resources specialists take home after taxes in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

On a median gross salary of $84,690, an estimated $64,778 lands in net take-home pay per year ($2,491 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in California in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $19,912 (an effective rate of 23.5%).

How much do human resources specialists make per month in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

On the median annual salary of $84,690, gross monthly income is $7,058. After federal, FICA, and California state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $5,398 per month (or $2,491 every two weeks).

Is $84,690 a good salary in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

At $84,690, the median salary for human resources specialists is 76.2% of the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA median household income ($111,093). It is 55% above the $54,730 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 109.9, so prices here run 9.9% above the U.S. average.