Payroll Specialist salary in El Paso, TX
Hiring a payroll specialist costs less in El Paso than in Texas or the country as a whole. The median is $48,620 a year1: 10.1% below the Texas statewide median of $54,090 and 16.5% below the US median of $58,260. That is in the bottom quarter of US areas (#385 of 486). BLS counts about 490 people in this job here, 4% of the Texas total.
BLS occupation 43-3051, area El Paso, TX. Data from the May 2025 release, checked 2026-10-15.
Pay in El Paso against Texas and the US
| Range | 10th | Median | 90th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Paso, TX | $36,400 | $48,620 | $59,950 | |
| Texas | $36,040 | $54,090 | $75,850 | |
| United States | $39,500 | $58,260 | $81,350 |
The middle half of payroll specialists in El Paso earns $41,550–$57,160. Pay is tightly grouped: the top tenth starts at $59,950, only 1.6 times the bottom tenth, against 2.1 times across the US, so the going rate is easier to read. From the 25th to the 75th percentile, the local range is only $15,610 wide, against $18,720 across Texas and $21,610 nationally: employers in El Paso pay within a narrower band.
What to budget for a payroll specialist here
| Point in the local range | Per year | Per month | Per hour | Employer cost per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $36,400 | $3,033 | $17.50 | $46,968 |
| 25th percentile | $41,550 | $3,462 | $19.98 | $53,613 |
| Median | $48,620 | $4,052 | $23.38 | $62,735 |
| 75th percentile | $57,160 | $4,763 | $27.48 | $73,755 |
| 90th percentile | $59,950 | $4,996 | $28.82 | $77,355 |
An offer at the 75th percentile instead of the median adds $8,540 a year in pay and about $11,019 in employer cost. Going down to the 25th percentile saves $7,070 in pay. 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 $58,260 falls between the 75th and 90th percentiles in El Paso, and the Texas statewide median of $54,090 falls between the median and the 75th percentile. An offer at the national rate would beat what three quarters of local payroll specialists earn.
What a hire really costs in El Paso
Pay is only part of it. Benefits and payroll taxes other than paid leave are 22.5% of total compensation in US private industry2, which adds about $14,115 to the $48,620 median and brings it to $62,735 a year. 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 payroll specialists 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 El Paso
Of the 17 roles we track in El Paso, this one ranks #8 by median pay, between marketing specialists ($50,680) and sales development representatives ($45,200). Project Coordinator is the highest at $79,920.
| Role | Median | vs payroll specialist | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paralegal | +14.8% | 490 | |
| Marketing Specialist | +4.2% | 800 | |
| Payroll Specialist | this role | 490 | |
| Sales Development Representative | -7.0% | 3,830 | |
| HR Assistant | -7.4% | 200 |
Measured against the US median, payroll specialists rank #4 of the 17 roles we track in El Paso (-16.5%), between customer support specialists (-15.9%) and office managers (-16.6%). The typical role here is at -19.3%, so this job follows the area's general pay level. Payroll specialists hold 1.3% of the jobs in these 17 roles in El Paso, 0.8% across Texas and 1.0% nationally. The job is a bigger part of the local workforce in these roles than it is nationally.
Other areas in Texas
Across the 30 areas of Texas with data for this job, the median runs from $40,810 in McAllen-Edinburg to $60,230 in Dallas-Fort Worth, a gap of $19,420 a year. All 4 areas in Texas with more payroll specialists than El Paso also pay more, among them Dallas-Fort Worth, TX ($60,230) and Houston-Pasadena, TX ($54,090).
| Area | Median | vs El Paso | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abilene, TX | +3.1% | 70 | |
| Amarillo, TX | +2.5% | 100 | |
| Northwestern Region of Texas (Nonmetro) | +1.5% | 120 | |
| El Paso, TX | this area | 490 | |
| North Region of Texas (Nonmetro) | -0.2% | 190 | |
| Wichita Falls, TX | -0.6% | 50 | |
| College Station-Bryan, TX | -2.4% | 90 |
El Paso against other US metro areas
By number of jobs, El Paso is #58 of 482 US areas for this job. It is one of the larger markets for this job, yet its pay sits in the bottom quarter of US areas. Outside Texas, Hilton Head Island-Bluffton and Shreveport-Bossier City pay just above El Paso and Monroe and Joplin just below. All four are within $130 a year of the median in El Paso. Of the three markets with about as many payroll specialists, all three pay more.
| Metro area | Median | vs El Paso | Jobs | Close in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | +16.5% | 500 | jobs | |
| New Orleans-Metairie, LA | +10.2% | 480 | jobs | |
| Knoxville, TN | +8.8% | 500 | jobs | |
| Shreveport-Bossier City, LA | +0.3% | 140 | pay | |
| Hilton Head Island-Bluffton, SC | +0.1% | 40 | pay | |
| El Paso, TX | this area | 490 | ||
| Monroe, LA | -0.1% | 90 | pay | |
| Joplin, MO-KS | -0.2% | 100 | pay |
Questions
How much does it cost to hire a payroll specialist in El Paso, TX?
About $62,735 a year at the median, or $5,228 a month: $48,620 in pay plus about $14,115 in benefits and payroll taxes. Recruiting, equipment and office space are extra.
What do payroll specialists earn in El Paso?
Pay here is lower than in three quarters of US areas. The median was $48,620 a year in the May 2025 BLS survey. The 10th percentile was $36,400, the 90th $59,950, and the middle half earned $41,550 to $57,160.
Is El Paso cheaper than the rest of Texas for payroll specialists?
Yes, it costs less: a median of $48,620 against $54,090 statewide. The next area up in Texas is the Northwestern Region of Texas nonmetro area at $49,350, the next down the North Region of Texas nonmetro area at $48,540.
How many payroll specialists work in El Paso?
BLS counts about 490 in the May 2025 survey. That is 4% of the Texas total of 13,220. 4 areas in Texas have more; the closest in size is Austin-Round Rock, with about 960.
Does a payroll specialist cost more than a sales development representative in El Paso?
Yes: $3,420 a year more at the median. The medians are $48,620 and $45,200.
Sources
4 sources, with links
- BLS OEWS May 2025, 43-3051: 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.