Updated July 26, 2026
Recruiter Salary Report 2026
The median advertised salary for a recruiter in the United States is $72,652 per year in 2026, based on 199 live job listings with posted salary ranges. The middle 50% of listings advertise between $59,850 and $86,188. No surveys, no estimates: every figure on this page is computed from live listings and recomputed daily.
Key findings
- The median advertised salary for a recruiter is $72,652. Half of all posted ranges sit between $59,850 and $86,188.
- Manager roles advertise a median of $77,500, 29% above mid level roles at $59,925.
- Among role types, executive recruiter pays the highest median ($85,000); recruiter (general) pays the lowest ($71,838).
- New York is the highest-paying state with enough listings to measure, at a median of $85,000 across 21 postings.
- Remote listings advertise a median of $71,838, 1% below on-site listings at $72,750.
- Robert Half is the most active employer on the board with 144 live recruiting-industry openings.
How much do recruiters make in 2026?
Distribution of advertised salary midpoints across 199 USD, annual-salary listings.
How is recruiter pay trending week to week?
The median advertised recruiter salary held roughly steady this week at $72,652 (up $76 on the prior snapshot).
Point-in-time snapshots of this report, captured weekly since June 12, 2026. Monthly and quarterly views will follow as history accrues.
| Snapshot | Median | Middle 50% | Salary sample | Live listings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 20, 2026 | $72,652 | $61,193 to $86,188 | 201 | 1,013 |
| Jul 13, 2026 | $72,576 | $61,000 to $86,911 | 214 | 1,084 |
| Jul 6, 2026 | $75,000 | $61,656 to $88,125 | 216 | 1,125 |
| Jun 29, 2026 | $72,500 | $62,500 to $85,500 | 321 | 1,142 |
| Jun 22, 2026 | $73,000 | $62,750 to $90,000 | 420 | 1,335 |
| Jun 15, 2026 | $73,000 | $63,375 to $90,000 | 443 | 1,393 |
| Jun 12, 2026 | $72,892 | $63,750 to $85,500 | 405 | 1,360 |
The salary sample is the number of live USD, annual-salary listings behind that week's figures; it moves as listings open and close, so small week-to-week salary moves partly reflect a changing mix of jobs rather than pay changes at any one job. Snapshots before July 6, 2026 used a looser sample (non-US-located listings and cross-posted duplicates were not yet excluded), which understated the median by roughly $2,000 relative to the current method.
How much do recruiters make at each seniority level?
Recruiter pay climbs with seniority: mid level listings advertise a median of $59,925, while manager listings advertise $77,500, a 29% premium.
USD, full-year listings with a posted range. Levels with fewer than 30 salary data points are excluded.
| Level | Median | 25th percentile | 75th percentile | Listings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mid level | $59,925 | $59,850 | $76,855 | 58 |
| Senior | $78,750 | $74,413 | $94,438 | 36 |
| Manager | $77,500 | $71,495 | $90,000 | 39 |
Deeper breakdowns: Mid level recruiter salaries, Senior recruiter salaries, Manager recruiter salaries, Director recruiter salaries.
Which recruiter role types pay the most?
Executive recruiter roles pay the highest median advertised salary at $85,000; recruiter (general) roles pay the lowest at $71,838.
Technical recruiter, talent acquisition, executive search, and other recruiting role families, ranked by median advertised salary. Minimum 20 data points per row.
| Role type | Median | 25th percentile | 75th percentile | Listings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Executive recruiter | $85,000 | $72,050 | $93,375 | 31 |
| Recruiter (general) | $71,838 | $59,850 | $85,250 | 138 |
Which US states pay recruiters the most?
New York pays recruiters the most among states with enough listings to measure, at a median of $85,000 across 21 salary-disclosed postings.
US states with at least 20 salary-disclosed listings, ranked by median.
| State | Median | 25th percentile | 75th percentile | Listings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $85,000 | $75,000 | $115,000 | 21 |
| Illinois | $77,500 | $75,000 | $90,000 | 21 |
Do remote recruiters make more than on-site recruiters?
Remote recruiter listings advertise a median of $71,838, 1% below on-site and hybrid listings at $72,750.
| Work arrangement | Median | 25th percentile | 75th percentile | Listings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Remote | $71,838 | $59,850 | $86,188 | 28 |
| On-site / hybrid | $72,750 | $59,850 | $87,326 | 171 |
Which sectors pay recruiters the most?
Technology recruiting pays the highest median salary of any sector, at $82,342 across 48 listings.
National medians from listings with posted salaries, minimum 10 data points per sector.
Deeper breakdowns: Technology recruiter salaries, Healthcare & Life Sciences recruiter salaries, Professional Services recruiter salaries, Financial Services recruiter salaries.
Who is hiring the most recruiters?
Robert Half is hiring the most recruiters right now, with 144 live recruiting-industry openings, across 15 countries.
- 1.Robert Half144 jobs
- 2.Kelly119 jobs
- 3.Korn Ferry113 jobs
- 4.US Tech Solutions61 jobs
- 5.Heidrick & Struggles49 jobs
Recruiter salary FAQ
How much do recruiters make?
Across the 199 live US listings on this board with a posted salary range, the median advertised recruiter salary is $72,652 per year. The middle 50% of listings advertise between $59,850 and $86,188. Seniority, role type, sector, and location all move that number, and the tables on this page break each one down.
What is the average recruiter salary in the US?
This report uses the median rather than the mean because a handful of executive-level listings would otherwise drag the average up. The current median advertised salary is $72,652. One caveat: advertised salaries are what employers offer to attract candidates, which is not always what people already in the job earn.
How much do entry level recruiters make?
There are currently too few entry-level listings with posted salaries to publish a reliable figure (this report requires at least 30 data points per seniority level). As a guide, the 25th percentile of all recruiter listings sits at $59,850, and agency trainee roles often add commission on top of base.
Do recruiters earn commission on top of salary?
Often, yes. Agency recruiters typically earn placement commission on top of base salary, and strong billers can finish the year well past the advertised range. The figures in this report are advertised base salaries only. Commission, bonuses, and equity are left out because listings rarely state them in a way that can be compared. In-house talent acquisition roles more commonly pay a flat salary plus an annual bonus.
Methodology
- Source: the 937 jobs live on RecruiterRoles.com on July 26, 2026, aggregated from employer career pages, applicant tracking systems, and direct postings. 935 are recruiting-industry roles and only those feed the salary statistics; clearly non-recruiting roles that appear on agency career pages (underwriters, executive assistants, and similar) are excluded.
- Salary statistics use US-located, USD, annual-salary listings that include a posted range. The midpoint of each posted range is used. Hourly, non-US, and non-USD listings are excluded rather than converted, cross-posted duplicates are counted once, and implausible yearly values (under $10,000, typically unit errors) are dropped.
- Advertised salaries measure what employers offer to attract candidates, which can differ from incumbent pay. Commission, common in agency recruiting, is not included.
- Sample-size guards: seniority rows need 30+ data points; role-type and state rows need 20+; sector medians need 10+. Small samples are dropped rather than published.
- Figures refresh automatically as listings change; the report recomputes daily.
The bottom line
As of July 26, 2026, the median advertised recruiter salary in the United States is $72,652 per year, with the middle half of 199 salary-disclosed listings between $59,850 and $86,188. Seniority moves pay more than any other factor measured here, from $59,925 at the mid level level to $77,500 at the manager level. New York is the highest-paying state at a median of $85,000. These figures are advertised base salaries from live listings and exclude commission and bonuses.
Related tools
- Recruiter salaries by segment — the full index of pay by role type, seniority, state, and sector.
- Which firms are hiring most — the live league table of recruiting firms ranked by open roles.
- Calculate your take-home per placement — model OTE and commission against the live market median.
- Recruiter commission structures explained — how the splits behind these pay figures actually work.
- Recruiting certifications — which credentials move recruiter pay, and which don't.
Historical snapshots
Citing this report in a piece that needs a stable figure? Link a dated snapshot so your number never shifts under you.
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