HR Assistant salary in New York-Newark, NY-NJ
No other area in New York pays HR assistants more than New York-Newark: the median is $56,850 a year1. That is 7.4% above the New York statewide median of $52,920, and 12.3% above the US median of $50,610. Nationally that is #25 of 384 areas, in the top tenth. With about 7,640 HR assistants, no area in New York employs more.
BLS occupation 43-4161, area New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ. Data from the May 2025 release, checked 2026-10-15.
Pay in New York-Newark against New York and the US
| Range | 10th | Median | 90th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark, NY-NJ | $39,550 | $56,850 | $75,300 | |
| New York | $39,000 | $52,920 | $73,620 | |
| United States | $37,340 | $50,610 | $68,280 |
HR assistants at the 90th percentile earn $75,300, 1.9 times the 10th percentile; the US ratio is 1.8. The middle half of HR assistants in New York-Newark earns $47,600–$64,830. From the 25th to the 75th percentile, the local range is $17,230 wide, wider than in New York as a whole ($17,060) and the US ($15,770), so what a HR assistant earns in New York-Newark depends more on the employer.
What to budget for an HR assistant here
| Point in the local range | Per year | Per month | Per hour | Employer cost per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $39,550 | $3,296 | $19.01 | $51,032 |
| 25th percentile | $47,600 | $3,967 | $22.88 | $61,419 |
| Median | $56,850 | $4,738 | $27.33 | $73,355 |
| 75th percentile | $64,830 | $5,402 | $31.17 | $83,652 |
| 90th percentile | $75,300 | $6,275 | $36.20 | $97,161 |
The step from the 25th percentile to the median is $9,250 a year; from the median to the 75th it is $7,980, or about $10,297 once benefits are added. These percentiles describe what people in the job earn locally, not experience levels, so place your offer by the tasks and seniority you need.
For scale, the US median of $50,610 falls between the 25th percentile and the median in New York-Newark, and the New York statewide median of $52,920 falls there too.
What a hire really costs in New York-Newark
At the $56,850 median, a local hire costs about $73,355 a year: benefits and payroll taxes other than paid leave are 22.5% of total compensation in US private industry2, about $16,505 here. Recruiting, equipment and office space come on top. Benefit levels vary by employer, so treat this as an estimate.
We place executive assistants, customer support and e-commerce staff today; for HR assistants we answer within one business day whether we can help. Enter the monthly pay you have in mind to compare it with a local hire. The fee field shows our standard fee3; Deel's contractor plan is the default payroll tool4.
Other roles in New York-Newark
Of the 17 roles we track in New York-Newark, this one ranks #11 by median pay, between bookkeepers ($60,640) and administrative assistants ($51,440). Project Coordinator is the highest at $126,660.
| Role | Median | vs HR assistant | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Payroll Specialist | +11.7% | 7,770 | |
| Bookkeeper | +6.7% | 77,010 | |
| HR Assistant | this role | 7,640 | |
| Administrative Assistant | -9.5% | 122,680 | |
| Customer Support Specialist | -12.8% | 125,570 |
Measured against the US median, HR assistants rank #10 of the 17 roles we track in New York-Newark (+12.3%), between office managers (+16.2%) and customer support specialists (+10.8%). The typical role here is at +16.2%, so, measured against the US, HR assistants cost less in New York-Newark than the area's general pay level would suggest. HR assistants hold 0.7% of the jobs in these 17 roles in New York-Newark, 0.8% across New York and 0.6% nationally. The job is a bigger part of the local workforce in these roles than it is nationally.
Other areas in New York
Across the 16 areas of New York with data for this job, the median runs from $46,120 in Kingston to $56,850 in New York-Newark, a gap of $10,730 a year. No other area in New York has as many HR assistants, and all 15 others pay less.
| Area | Median | vs New York-Newark | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark, NY-NJ | this area | 7,640 | |
| Albany-Schenectady, NY | -7.3% | 780 | |
| Ithaca, NY | -8.3% | 70 | |
| Binghamton, NY | -8.8% | 90 | |
| Watertown-Fort Drum, NY | -10.4% | 40 | |
| Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie, NY | -10.8% | 250 | |
| Syracuse, NY | -11.7% | 280 |
New York-Newark against other US metro areas
New York-Newark has more HR assistants than any other US area. Outside New York, New Haven and San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles pay just above New York-Newark and Minneapolis-St. Paul and Bremerton-Silverdale just below. All four are within $710 a year of the median in New York-Newark. Of the three markets closest in size, one pays more.
| Metro area | Median | vs New York-Newark | Jobs | Close in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA | +1.3% | 3,890 | jobs | |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | +0.5% | 60 | pay | |
| New Haven, CT | +0.3% | 140 | pay | |
| New York-Newark, NY-NJ | this area | 7,640 | ||
| Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI | -0.3% | 2,350 | pay | |
| Bremerton-Silverdale, WA | -1.2% | 100 | pay | |
| Dallas-Fort Worth, TX | -8.3% | 1,630 | jobs | |
| Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN | -12.8% | 2,920 | jobs |
Questions
How much does it cost to hire an HR assistant in New York-Newark, NY-NJ?
About $73,355 a year at the median, or $6,113 a month: $56,850 in pay plus about $16,505 in benefits and payroll taxes. Recruiting, equipment and office space are extra.
What do HR assistants earn in New York-Newark?
Pay here is higher than in three quarters of US areas. The median was $56,850 a year in the May 2025 BLS survey. The 10th percentile was $39,550, the 90th $75,300, and the middle half earned $47,600 to $64,830.
Is New York-Newark the most expensive area in New York for HR assistants?
Yes. Its median of $56,850 is the highest of 16 areas in New York. Albany-Schenectady comes next at $52,690.
How many HR assistants work in New York-Newark?
BLS counts about 7,640 in the May 2025 survey. No other area in New York has as many.
Does an HR assistant cost more than an administrative assistant in New York-Newark?
Yes: $5,410 a year more at the median. The medians are $56,850 and $51,440.
Sources
4 sources, with links
- BLS OEWS May 2025, 43-4161: bls.gov
- BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, private industry, June 2026: bls.gov
- Stafka pricing: stafka.com
- Deel pricing, contractor management: deel.com
How these pages are built: methodology and data sources. Last updated 2026-11-12.