Payroll Specialist hourly rate in United States
The market median wage for a Payroll Specialist in the United States is $33.84 an hour. A senior part-time contractor typically receives $50 an hour on Deftridge.
Payroll Specialist 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 | $22.94 | $500 | $47,700 |
| 25th | $27.87 | $600 | $58,000 |
| Median | $33.84 | $730 | $70,400 |
| 75th | $40.43 | $880 | $84,100 |
| 90th | $47.25 | $1,020 | $98,300 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025; aged to October 2026; about 156,950 people employed in the role. How rates are built.
United States in numbers
What sets the United States apart for a Payroll Specialist, from the same sources as the table above.
- $44.07
- highest median wage, California
- $26.65
- lowest median wage, West Virginia
- 156,950
- people employed in the role
- $57.26
- median wage in the San Jose metro area, the highest in the country
- $35
- country floor: no United States rate is published below it
What contractors receive
The Deftridge rate for a Payroll Specialist 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 | $40 | $870 |
| Senior | $50 | $1,080 |
| Manager | $60 | $1,300 |
Payroll Specialist pay by region in United States
Typical contractor rate for a senior Payroll Specialist, highest first; 9 of 51 places shown.
| Place | Median wage | Contractor rate |
|---|---|---|
| California | $44.07 | $65 |
| District of Columbia | $43.85 | $65 |
| New York | $38.66 | $55 |
| New Hampshire | $38.43 | $55 |
| Washington | $37.82 | $55 |
| Rhode Island | $37.69 | $55 |
| Alaska | $37.60 | $55 |
| Vermont | $37.51 | $55 |
| Colorado | $37.26 | $55 |
Highest-paying metro areas
Median employee wage for the role in the metro area (BLS OEWS).
Questions about pay, fees and privacy
The same rules apply to every task, so they live on two pages: Pricing explains the 15% fee, prepayment and when you are paid; How it works covers matching, what a company sees and side work next to a job.
Payroll Specialist rates in every country · Payroll Specialist jobs in United States · Methodology