Payroll Specialist salary in McAllen-Edinburg, TX
No other area in Texas pays payroll specialists less than McAllen-Edinburg. The median is $40,810 a year1, 24.6% below the Texas statewide median of $54,090 and 30.0% below the US median of $58,260. Only 7 of 486 US areas pay less for this job. The market is small, about 280 people, 2% of the Texas total, so expect few local candidates at a time.
BLS occupation 43-3051, area McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX. Data from the May 2025 release, checked 2026-10-15.
Pay in McAllen-Edinburg against Texas and the US
| Range | 10th | Median | 90th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McAllen-Edinburg, TX | $27,540 | $40,810 | $60,720 | |
| Texas | $36,040 | $54,090 | $75,850 | |
| United States | $39,500 | $58,260 | $81,350 |
The middle half of payroll specialists in McAllen-Edinburg earns $33,280–$50,000. The top tenth earns $60,720 or more, 2.2 times the bottom tenth, close to the US pattern of 2.1 times. From the 25th to the 75th percentile, the local range is only $16,720 wide, against $18,720 across Texas and $21,610 nationally: employers in McAllen-Edinburg 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 | $27,540 | $2,295 | $13.24 | $35,535 |
| 25th percentile | $33,280 | $2,773 | $16.00 | $42,942 |
| Median | $40,810 | $3,401 | $19.62 | $52,658 |
| 75th percentile | $50,000 | $4,167 | $24.04 | $64,516 |
| 90th percentile | $60,720 | $5,060 | $29.19 | $78,348 |
The step from the 25th percentile to the median is $7,530 a year; from the median to the 75th it is $9,190, or about $11,858 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 $58,260 falls between the 75th and 90th percentiles in McAllen-Edinburg, and the Texas statewide median of $54,090 falls there too. An offer at the national rate would beat what three quarters of local payroll specialists earn.
What a hire really costs in McAllen-Edinburg
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 $11,848 to the $40,810 median and brings it to $52,658 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 McAllen-Edinburg
Of the 17 roles we track in McAllen-Edinburg, this one ranks #10 by median pay, between bookkeepers ($41,960) and HR assistants ($39,700). Project Coordinator is the highest at $69,910.
| Role | Median | vs payroll specialist | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paralegal | +16.0% | 560 | |
| Bookkeeper | +2.8% | 2,070 | |
| Payroll Specialist | this role | 280 | |
| HR Assistant | -2.7% | 80 | |
| Administrative Assistant | -4.4% | 3,180 |
Measured against the US median, payroll specialists rank #15 of the 17 roles we track in McAllen-Edinburg (-30.0%), between sales development representatives (-29.5%) and project coordinators (-31.7%). The typical role here is at -21.6%, so, measured against the US, payroll specialists cost less in McAllen-Edinburg than the area's general pay level would suggest. Payroll specialists hold 1.0% of the jobs in these 17 roles in McAllen-Edinburg, 0.8% across Texas and 1.0% nationally. That is close to the national mix.
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 5 areas in Texas with more payroll specialists than McAllen-Edinburg also pay more, among them Dallas-Fort Worth, TX ($60,230) and Houston-Pasadena, TX ($54,090).
| Area | Median | vs McAllen-Edinburg | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Angelo, TX | +8.8% | 40 | |
| Texarkana, TX-AR | +8.5% | 40 | |
| Border Region of Texas (Nonmetro) | +8.1% | 50 | |
| Eastern Region of Texas (Nonmetro) | +7.7% | 110 | |
| Brownsville-Harlingen, TX | +3.1% | 140 | |
| Laredo, TX | +0.5% | 100 | |
| McAllen-Edinburg, TX | this area | 280 |
McAllen-Edinburg against other US metro areas
By number of jobs, McAllen-Edinburg is #85 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, Prescott Valley-Prescott and Cape Girardeau pay just above McAllen-Edinburg and Daphne-Fairhope and Morgantown just below. Of the three markets with about as many payroll specialists, all three pay more.
| Metro area | Median | vs McAllen-Edinburg | Jobs | Close in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston-North Charleston, SC | +32.1% | 280 | jobs | |
| Greenville-Anderson, SC | +31.2% | 280 | jobs | |
| Fort Wayne, IN | +22.6% | 280 | jobs | |
| Cape Girardeau, MO-IL | +6.9% | 40 | pay | |
| Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ | +2.3% | 70 | pay | |
| McAllen-Edinburg, TX | this area | 280 | ||
| Daphne-Fairhope, AL | -1.1% | 60 | pay | |
| Morgantown, WV | -4.2% | 50 | pay |
Questions
How much does it cost to hire a payroll specialist in McAllen-Edinburg, TX?
About $52,658 a year at the median, or $4,388 a month: $40,810 in pay plus about $11,848 in benefits and payroll taxes. Recruiting, equipment and office space are extra.
What is the pay range for payroll specialists in McAllen-Edinburg?
Pay here is lower than in three quarters of US areas. The median was $40,810 a year in the May 2025 BLS survey. The 10th percentile was $27,540, the 90th $60,720, and the middle half earned $33,280 to $50,000.
Is McAllen-Edinburg the cheapest area in Texas for payroll specialists?
Yes. Its median of $40,810 is the lowest of 30 areas in Texas. Laredo is next at $41,030.
How many payroll specialists work in McAllen-Edinburg?
BLS counts about 280 in the May 2025 survey. That is 2% of the Texas total of 13,220. 5 areas in Texas have more; the closest in size is El Paso, with about 490.
Does a payroll specialist cost more than an HR assistant in McAllen-Edinburg?
Yes: $1,110 a year more at the median. The medians are $40,810 and $39,700.
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 2026-11-13.