Source: https://deftridge.com/rates/hr-generalist/united-states/ Title: HR Generalist hourly rate in the United States | Deftridge Summary: HR Generalist pay in the United States: median wage $37 an hour, typical part-time contractor rate $55. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025. United States · **Updated November 3, 2026** # HR Generalist hourly rate in United States The market median wage for an HR Generalist in the United States is **$36.77 an hour**. A senior part-time contractor typically receives **$55 an hour** on Deftridge. **$55/hr** typical contractor rate, senior **$36.77/hr** median wage **$28-48** middle half of wages **$1,190** a month at 5 hours a week ## HR Generalist wage percentiles in United States Employee wages for the role. The yellow row is the median. | Percentile | Per hour | 5 h a week, per month | Full time, per year | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 10th | $22.85 | $500 | $47,500 | | 25th | $28.38 | $610 | $59,000 | | Median | $36.77 | $800 | $76,500 | | 75th | $48.12 | $1,040 | $100,100 | | 90th | $62.33 | $1,350 | $129,600 | Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025; aged to October 2026; about 917,460 people employed in the role. [How rates are built](https://deftridge.com/rates/methodology/). ## United States in numbers What sets the United States apart for an HR Generalist, from the same sources as the table above. - **$53.37** highest median wage, District of Columbia - **$27.54** lowest median wage, Arkansas - **917,460** people employed in the role - **$67.00** median wage in the San Jose metro area, the highest in the country - **$35** country floor: no United States rate is published below it - Self-employment tax is 15.3%: 12.4% Social Security plus 2.9% Medicare; the employer-equivalent half is deductible in working out adjusted gross income. [Source](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/self-employment-tax-social-security-and-medicare-taxes) - For 2026 the first $184,500 of combined wages, tips and net self-employment earnings is subject to the Social Security part. [Source](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/self-employment-tax-social-security-and-medicare-taxes) ## What contractors receive The Deftridge rate for an HR Generalist in the United States by level and by format. The company adds 15% on top; you keep all of the rate shown. | Level | Per hour | Per month at 5 h/week | | --- | --- | --- | | Specialist | $45 | $980 | | Senior | $55 | $1,190 | | Manager | $65 | $1,410 | - Regular role **$55** - One-off task **$60** - Task bundle **$55** - Expert hour **$70** ## HR Generalist pay by region in United States Typical contractor rate for a senior HR Generalist, highest first; 9 of 51 places shown. | Place | Median wage | Contractor rate | | --- | --- | --- | | District of Columbia | $53.37 | $75 | | California | $48.04 | $70 | | New York | $42.54 | $60 | | Washington | $41.51 | $60 | | Massachusetts | $40.54 | $60 | | Kansas | $39.86 | $60 | | Vermont | $39.67 | $60 | | Virginia | $39.28 | $55 | | Colorado | $39.13 | $55 | ## Highest-paying metro areas Median employee wage for the role in the metro area (BLS OEWS). - [San Jose $67.00/hr median wage · range $48-90](https://deftridge.com/rates/hr-generalist/california/) - [San Francisco $59.09/hr median wage · range $46-79](https://deftridge.com/rates/hr-generalist/california/) - [Washington, D.C. $50.68/hr median wage · range $37-67](https://deftridge.com/rates/hr-generalist/district-of-columbia/) - [Santa Cruz $47.74/hr median wage · range $40-61](https://deftridge.com/rates/hr-generalist/california/) - [Vallejo $47.47/hr median wage · range $42-59](https://deftridge.com/rates/hr-generalist/california/) - [Lexington Park $46.95/hr median wage · range $35-62](https://deftridge.com/rates/hr-generalist/maryland/) - [Santa Rosa $46.93/hr median wage · range $38-59](https://deftridge.com/rates/hr-generalist/california/) - [Parkersburg $46.78/hr median wage · range $32-57](https://deftridge.com/rates/hr-generalist/west-virginia/) - [Sacramento $46.77/hr median wage · range $37-61](https://deftridge.com/rates/hr-generalist/california/) - [San Diego $46.62/hr median wage · range $37-62](https://deftridge.com/rates/hr-generalist/california/) ## Questions about pay, fees and privacy The same rules apply to every task, so they live on two pages: [Pricing](https://deftridge.com/pricing/) explains the 15% fee, prepayment and when you are paid; [How it works](https://deftridge.com/how-it-works/) covers matching, what a company sees and side work next to a job. [HR Generalist rates in every country](https://deftridge.com/rates/hr-generalist/) · [HR Generalist jobs in United States](https://deftridge.com/jobs/hr-generalist/united-states/) · [Methodology](https://deftridge.com/rates/methodology/)