Michigan·Office and Administrative Support Occupations·SOC 43-4161

Best Human Resources Assistant programs in Michigan, ranked by enrollment

Compile and keep personnel records. Record data for each employee, such as address, weekly earnings, absences, amount of sales or production, supervisory reports, and date of and reason for termination.

32 schools in Michigan run programs that feed this job, graduating 658 people a year. The job pays a median of $48,250 in Michigan across about 1,890 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledPersonnel ClerkHuman Resources Assistant (HR Assistant)Human Resources Associate (HR Associate)Human Resources Administrative Assistant (HR Administrative Assistant)Benefits ClerkContract ClerkAssignment ClerkEmployment Clerk
Graduates / yr
658
in Michigan
Median pay · Michigan
$48,250
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
1,890
people employed
Schools
32
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
44%
across those schools
Median net price
$21,132
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Michigan that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

4 programs in Michigan that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Michigan (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Michigan page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 52.1001In Michigan
533
81.0%
20$49,084$26,536
2
CIP 52.0401In Michigan
68
10.3%
9$25,993$9,500
3
CIP 52.1099In Michigan
47
7.1%
4$49,084$26,536
4
CIP 52.0407In Michigan
10
1.5%
2$25,993$9,500

Top 25 schools in Michigan

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 11 of the 32 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI Public · 2 feeder programs
118Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General$56,50181%85%
2Washtenaw Community College
Ann Arbor, MI Public · 2 feeder programs
82Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General33%
3Eastern Michigan University
Ypsilanti, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
57Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General46%80%
4Davenport University
Grand Rapids, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
49Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General$51,68157%$22,12698%
5Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
41Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General$50,61259%90%
6Grand Valley State University
Allendale, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
39Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General$50,25967%83%
7Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
36Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General$48,11558%85%
8Baker College
Owosso, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
29Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General$50,38336%$15,49382%
9Ferris State University
Big Rapids, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
23Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General$50,08947%91%
10Delta College
University Center, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
21Administrative Assistant and Secretarial Science, General27%
11Oakland University
Rochester Hills, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
21Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General$51,01058%88%
12University of Michigan - Dearborn
Dearborn, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
20Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General$55,94458%56%
13University of Michigan - Flint
Flint, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
20Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General$39,38540%70%
14Walsh College
Troy, MI Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
20Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General
15Northwood University
Midland, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
11Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General63%$24,98665%
16Cleary University
Howell, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
8Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General41%$20,87968%
17Schoolcraft Community College District
Livonia, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
8Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry18%
18Siena Heights University
Adrian, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
8Human Resources Management and Services, Other39%$17,01569%
19Mid Michigan College
Harrison, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
7Administrative Assistant and Secretarial Science, General28%
20Muskegon Community College
Muskegon, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
7Administrative Assistant and Secretarial Science, General28%
21Calvin University
Grand Rapids, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
5Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General74%$22,39171%
22Lansing Community College
Lansing, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
5Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General25%
23Bay Mills Community College
Brimley, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
4Administrative Assistant and Secretarial Science, General30%
24Adrian College
Adrian, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
3Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General48%$20,35773%
25Montcalm Community College
Sidney, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
3Administrative Assistant and Secretarial Science, General31%

All 32 schools in Michigan

Every school in Michigan with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.

All schools in Michigan that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Michigan State UniversityEast LansingPublic1182
Washtenaw Community CollegeAnn ArborPublic822
Eastern Michigan UniversityYpsilantiPublic571
Davenport UniversityGrand RapidsPrivate not-for-profit491
Central Michigan UniversityMount PleasantPublic411
Grand Valley State UniversityAllendalePublic391
Western Michigan UniversityKalamazooPublic361
Baker CollegeOwossoPrivate not-for-profit291
Ferris State UniversityBig RapidsPublic231
Delta CollegeUniversity CenterPublic211
Oakland UniversityRochester HillsPublic211
University of Michigan - DearbornDearbornPublic201
University of Michigan - FlintFlintPublic201
Walsh CollegeTroyPrivate not-for-profit202
Northwood UniversityMidlandPrivate not-for-profit111

What human resources assistants earn in Michigan

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in Michigan
$48,250
Mean annual
$49,370
Jobs in state
1,890
What the range looks like
10th pct$37,940Median$48,25090th pct$64,190
Versus the national median
-4.7%

U.S. median $50,610. Michigan pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
0.74×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Metro areas in Michigan

Lansing-East Lansing, MI
$50,540median
120 jobs
Ann Arbor, MI
$51,220median
130 jobs
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
$48,310median
870 jobs
Saginaw, MI
$45,930median
40 jobs
Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI
$47,970median
220 jobs
Flint, MI
$46,100median
60 jobs
Kalamazoo-Portage, MI
$46,860median
50 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
-7.1%
Decline
Openings per year
9,000
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
-6,800
95,200 → 88,400
Typical entry education
Associate's degree

Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.

How to get in

The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Human Resources Assistants page.

How to become a Human Resources Assistant

Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0
Typical entry education
Associate's degree

Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Top skills

Reading ComprehensionActive ListeningSpeakingWritingMonitoringCritical Thinking

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in Michigan

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 4 majors mapped to Human Resources Assistants4 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 52.0401Administrative Assistant and Secretarial Science, General
  • 52.0407Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry
  • 52.1001Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General
  • 52.1099Human Resources Management and Services, Other

Common questions

Answers for people weighing human resources assistants programs in Michigan.

What degree do you need to become a Human Resources Assistant?+

Associate's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General, which awarded 533 degrees in Michigan in 2024-25, 81.0% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Human Resources Assistant?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 4 programs to this occupation. The largest are Human Resources Management and Services, Business Operations Support and Assistant Services. Together they graduate about 658 people a year in Michigan.

How much do human resources assistants earn in Michigan?+

The median is $48,250 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 4.7% below the U.S. median of $50,610. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for human resources assistants growing?+

BLS projects a -7.1% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, decline, with roughly 9,000 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in Michigan?+

32 institutions in Michigan reported graduates from at least one of the 4 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do human resources assistants work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Personnel Clerk, Human Resources Assistant (HR Assistant), Human Resources Associate (HR Associate), Human Resources Administrative Assistant (HR Administrative Assistant) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 43-4161.

Human Resources Assistants in other statesArizonaCaliforniaUtahIdahoTexasMinnesotaColoradoGeorgia

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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