Best degree programs for Human Resources Assistants, ranked by enrollment
4 college programs and 922 schools train Human Resources Assistants. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $50,610 median wage, 90,220 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
4 college programs at 922 schools train human resources assistants, graduating 28,167 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General. The job pays a median of $50,610 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About human resources assistants
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. May prepare reports for employment records, file employment records, or search employee files and furnish information to authorized persons.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
4 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 52.1001 | 18,033 | 64.0% | 518 | $49,084 | $26,536 |
| 2 | CIP 52.0401 | 7,104 | 25.2% | 413 | $25,993 | $9,500 |
| 3 | CIP 52.0407 | 2,124 | 7.5% | 113 | $25,993 | $9,500 |
| 4 | CIP 52.1099 | 906 | 3.2% | 31 | $49,084 | $26,536 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What human resources assistants earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | $47,890 | 1,490 | 0.79× | 20 | 2,122 |
| California | $57,590 | 11,490 | 1.09× | 97 | 1,974 |
| Utah | $45,790 | 700 | 0.70× | 10 | 1,786 |
| Idaho | $51,770 | 280 | 0.56× | 6 | 1,529 |
| Texas | $47,540 | 5,890 | 0.72× | 63 | 1,521 |
| Minnesota | $54,520 | 3,380 | 1.98× | 31 | 1,504 |
| Colorado | $54,880 | 1,660 | 1.00× | 10 | 1,339 |
| Georgia | $46,830 | 2,510 | 0.89× | 36 | 1,315 |
| Illinois | $48,310 | 4,140 | 1.17× | 45 | 986 |
| New Hampshiremoderate | $51,400 | 470 | 1.18× | 4 | 985 |
| Alabama | $42,140 | 960 | 0.78× | 29 | 907 |
| Ohio | $48,310 | 2,770 | 0.86× | 39 | 856 |
| Florida | $48,330 | 3,210 | 0.56× | 37 | 796 |
| Pennsylvania | $48,800 | 2,700 | 0.77× | 41 | 746 |
| Wisconsin | $48,690 | 1,890 | 1.11× | 25 | 729 |
| Maryland | $56,880 | 1,480 | 0.93× | 6 | 715 |
| Michigan | $48,250 | 1,890 | 0.74× | 32 | 658 |
| New York | $52,920 | 8,800 | 1.57× | 42 | 626 |
| West Virginia | $42,990 | 480 | 1.18× | 7 | 611 |
| Indiana | $47,850 | 1,870 | 1.00× | 13 | 607 |
| South Carolina | $45,300 | 1,190 | 0.89× | 16 | 459 |
| New Jersey | $54,410 | 4,000 | 1.61× | 13 | 370 |
| Louisiana | $47,490 | 750 | 0.67× | 11 | 369 |
| Missouri | $47,960 | 1,090 | 0.64× | 14 | 352 |
| Nebraska | $47,130 | 440 | 0.75× | 6 | 322 |
| Tennessee | $45,760 | 3,930 | 2.07× | 19 | 264 |
| Oklahoma | $44,950 | 600 | 0.60× | 19 | 260 |
| Mississippi | $44,780 | 1,010 | 1.50× | 16 | 251 |
| District of Columbia | $59,050 | 610 | 1.49× | 7 | 237 |
| Iowa | $48,490 | 920 | 1.02× | 21 | 235 |
| Massachusetts | $55,840 | 1,400 | 0.66× | 14 | 222 |
| Connecticut | $54,130 | 910 | 0.93× | 5 | 194 |
| North Carolina | $48,190 | 2,790 | 0.97× | 9 | 178 |
| Washington | $57,390 | 2,350 | 1.14× | 15 | 174 |
| Virginia | $51,950 | 2,160 | 0.91× | 9 | 168 |
| Kansas | $49,630 | 660 | 0.79× | 20 | 165 |
| Delawaremoderate | $50,850 | 290 | 1.02× | 4 | 138 |
| Oregon | $53,550 | 1,050 | 0.92× | 8 | 114 |
| Arkansas | $46,190 | 720 | 0.96× | 13 | 98 |
| Kentucky | $50,400 | 1,240 | 1.07× | 5 | 69 |
| Rhode Island | $56,370 | 150 | 0.51× | 5 | 64 |
| Nevadamoderate | $47,900 | 1,390 | 1.55× | 3 | 55 |
| Wyoming | $49,660 | 90 | 0.52× | 5 | 54 |
| New Mexico | $49,650 | 620 | 1.22× | 6 | 51 |
| Hawaiimoderate | $49,260 | 450 | 1.23× | 3 | 49 |
| Alaskamoderate | $56,510 | 260 | 1.37× | 4 | 46 |
| Vermontlimited | $51,810 | 140 | 0.80× | 2 | 32 |
| North Dakota | $53,000 | 110 | 0.45× | 6 | 23 |
| South Dakota | $45,150 | 190 | 0.71× | 6 | 20 |
| Maine | $49,710 | 490 | 1.31× | 5 | 19 |
| Montanamoderate | $50,070 | 140 | 0.46× | 3 | 11 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Process, verify, and maintain personnel related documentation, including staffing, recruitment, training, grievances, performance evaluations, classifications, and employee leaves of absence.
- Record data for each employee, including such information as addresses, weekly earnings, absences, amount of sales or production, supervisory reports on performance, and dates of and reasons for terminations.
- Explain company personnel policies, benefits, and procedures to employees or job applicants.
- Provide assistance in administering employee benefit programs and worker's compensation plans.
- Answer questions regarding examinations, eligibility, salaries, benefits, and other pertinent information.
- Prepare and set up for new employee orientations.
- Gather personnel records from other departments or employees.
- Examine employee files to answer inquiries and provide information for personnel actions.
Skills
- Reading Comprehension4.0
- Active Listening4.0
- Speaking3.8
- Writing3.5
- Monitoring3.4
- Critical Thinking3.4
- Active Learning3.0
- Learning Strategies2.5
Knowledge areas
- Personnel and Human Resources4.4
- Administrative4.1
- Customer and Personal Service3.7
- Administration and Management3.5
- English Language3.4
- Computers and Electronics2.9
Abilities
- Oral Expression4.0
- Oral Comprehension4.0
- Written Comprehension3.9
- Speech Clarity3.8
- Written Expression3.8
- Near Vision3.6
Core activities
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work4.7
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.7
- Working with Computers4.6
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships4.5
- Processing Information4.5
- Getting Information4.4
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
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.
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
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
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 18,033 degrees in 2024-25, 64.0% 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 28,167 people a year.
How much do human resources assistants earn?+
The median is $50,610 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $37,340 at the 10th percentile to $68,280 at the 90th. 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?+
922 institutions 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.
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 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected 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 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, 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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