Inc. Magazine showed 128 businesses from New Jersey making the grade for its annual Inc. 5000 list for the fastest-growing private businesses in the country for 2019. Five of those were in the top 20, and one, Bear Mattress of Hoboken, came in at number seven overall.
It’s a list that shows a healthy environment for HR professionals looking for high-paying jobs, a theory borne out in 2018 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which puts the state right at the top of the nation for top-paying human resource manager positions. When you add in the fact that it comes in fifth overall for pay for HR specialists, and that the Newark-New York area has the highest concentration of both roles in the country, you start to get some idea why New Jersey might be a perfect place to start a career in HR.
Salaries for New Jersey’s Human Resources Professionals
In addition to coming in first for human resource manager salaries in the nation (with a mean annual wage of $169,040), New Jersey also comes in at the front of the pack for compensation and benefits managers and comes in fifth for training and development specialists.
In fact, specialists and assistants around the state tend to beat the national median wages, and also do better than average at the top 25 percent and top 10 percent of the profession. HR specialists, for example, make $117,270 in the top ten percent of New Jersey workers in that position, while nationally the number tops out at $104,390.
Salaries for Human Resources Managers Throughout New Jersey
Although the area around Newark and Jersey City has both a high concentration and top pay rates for most HR managers, it’s not the only place in the state where you can make a great career in the field. Even little Trenton comes in at the number three spot in the country for highest mean annual wages according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Newark-Jersey City
On New York’s doorstep, it’s to be expected that both employment numbers and salaries in Newark and Jersey City benefit from proximity to the nation’s unquestioned business capitol.
Camden
Camden HR managers get overflow demand—and higher than average wages—from the thriving Philadelphia-area market.
Salaries for Human Resources Specialists and Assistants in New Jersey
HR specialists and assistants of every stripe earn higher wages and enjoy better than average employment prospects than their counterparts nationally.
Newark-Jersey City
Human resources assistants in the Newark area have a median wage that is roughly $5,000 higher per year than the national median for this profession, while HR specialists here are the sixth-best compensated in the nation.
Camden
Camden HR specialists can expect a salary in the top ten percent that is about $3,000 over the national average at that level.
Salary and employment data compiled by the United States Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics in May of 2018 for human resources managers, specialists, and assistants – https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nj.htm#11-9111. The BLS salary data shown here represents median – 90th percentile salary ranges for the state and its MSAs (Metropolitan Statistical Areas) and includes workers at all levels of education and experience. This data does not represent starting salaries.
Job growth projections sourced from the ## Department of Labor and Workforce Development and published in the U.S. Department of Labor-funded Long Term Occupational Projections (2016-2026) database – https://projectionscentral.com/Projections/LongTerm. Employment conditions in your area may vary.
All salary and job growth data accessed in October 2019.