SalaryExplorer

SOC 11-3121 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Human Resources Managers — Cincinnati

Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN · 10 metro areas compared

$132,070 /year
$63.49per hour
1,920jobs in area
−11.5%vs US median

Median pay for this occupation in Cincinnati, OH is $132,070 a year, trailing the national median of $149,280 by 11.5%.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $149,28010TH$81,44025TH$102,870MEDIAN$132,07075TH$175,83090TH$223,940

How pay has moved

$136,128$111,7832019202020212022202320242025$132,070
$115,840 in 2019 to $132,070 in 2025, +14% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow faster than average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+5.0%
Openings per year
17,900
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree
Related work experience
5 years or more

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

Median pay for this occupation in Cincinnati, OH is $132,070 a year, trailing the national median of $149,280 by 11.5%. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $102,870 and $175,830. The lowest tenth earn under $81,440, while the highest tenth earn more than $223,940.

The area has 1,920 jobs in this occupation, giving a location quotient of 1.23 — a measure of how concentrated the occupation is here relative to the country as a whole. Within the state, Cleveland records the highest median at $134,380. Of the 647 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 37th.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$81,440−45.4%
25th$102,870−31.1%
Median (50th)$132,070−11.5%
75th$175,830+17.8%
90th$223,940+50.0%
Mean$149,390+0.1%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Ohio

Median annual wage for Human Resources Managers, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Cleveland$134,3801,520
2Akron$131,890470
3Columbus$131,1001,870
4Mansfield$129,93040
5Dayton$128,300360
6Springfield$128,14050
7Toledo$125,130360
8Sandusky$122,93050
9Canton$121,410170
10Lima$115,80050

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Cincinnati run 4.6% below the national average, so the median of $132,070 goes as far as $138,438 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 7.3% below the national median in real terms.

Published median

$132,070as reported by BLS

Local price level

95.4US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$138,438US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $132,070 a year, 11.5% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $81,440 to $223,940 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 1,920 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Cleveland, at $134,380.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Human Resources Managers in Cincinnati, OH?

The median annual wage is $132,070, or $63.49 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $149,280, so pay in Cincinnati, OH is 11.5% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Cincinnati, OH earns more than $223,940 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $81,440 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Cleveland, at $134,380 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 1,920 jobs in this occupation in Cincinnati, OH. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.