What are the main factors that influence a Payroll Professional's salary?

The primary factors are: 1) Experience Level, 2) Geographic Location, 3) Education/Skills, 4) Company Size & Industry

How does experience change A Payroll Professional's salary?

A Payroll Professional's salary grows with experience: a Payroll Clerk II (1-3 years)earns $51,804, a Payroll Clerk III (3-5 years)earns $58,094, a Payroll Professional (5-7 years)earns $63,884, a Payroll Team Lead (7+ years)earns $90,695, a Payroll Supervisor (7+ years)earns $97,372,

What are the highest paying states for a Payroll Professional?

Payroll Professional salary varies significantly by state. The top 3 highest paying states for Payroll Professional roles are District of Columbia $69,339, California $69,076, Massachusetts $68,156. These tech hubs typically pay 10-15% above the national average.

How much do different types of Payroll Professional roles make?

Salaries for Payroll Professional level roles vary by specialization: Payroll Director: $160,476; Payroll Manager: $111,510; Payroll Operations Supervisor: $95,500; Payroll Supervisor: $95,472; Payroll Operations Assistant Supervisor: $89,000.

How do different companies affect a Payroll Professional's salary?

Company size, industry, and compensation structure create significant salary variations for Payroll Professional roles. Large, established industry leaders like C R Bard Inc ($128,509) and Henry Schein Canada ($124,697) offer base salaries 35-40% above the national average. In contrast, smaller firms or startups may offer closer to $82,041.

Payroll Professional Salary in the United States

How much does a Payroll Professional make in the United States?

As of May 01, 2026, the average salary for a Payroll Professional in the United States is $62,626 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $30.

However, a Payroll Professional's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

Top Earners (90th percentile): $72,375
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $56,585 to $67,729
Entry-Level (10th percentile): $51,085

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Payroll Professional Salaries by Percentile

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$67,729	$5,644	$1,302	$33
Average	$62,626	$5,219	$1,204	$30
25th Percentile	$56,585	$4,715	$1,088	$27

You may get higher pay by adjusting the following factors:

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Key Factors That Influence Payroll Professional Salaries

A Payroll Professional's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Payroll Professional Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Payroll Professional's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $51,804
Early Career (1-2 years): $58,094
Mid-Level (2-4 years): $63,884
Senior-Level (5-8 years): $90,695
Expert (over 8 years): $97,372

Levels	Salary
Payroll C... Level Payroll Professional	$51,804
Payroll C... Level Payroll Professional	$58,094
Payroll P... Level Payroll Professional	$63,884
Payroll T... Level Payroll Professional	$90,695
Payroll S... Level Payroll Professional	$97,372

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What Am I Worth?

How Do Payroll Professional Salaries Vary from State to State?

Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Payroll Professionals. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:

District of Columbia: $69,339.
California: $69,076.
Massachusetts: $68,156.

District of Columbia $69,339 California $69,076 Massachusetts $68,156 Washington $67,905 New Jersey $67,880 Alaska $67,793 Connecticut $66,928 New York $66,578

Hawaii $65,457 Rhode Island $64,931 Maryland $64,574 Minnesota $64,085 Colorado $63,897 Illinois $63,835 Oregon $63,597 Delaware $63,421

New Hampshire $63,311 Virginia $63,064 Pennsylvania $62,344 Nevada $61,981 North Dakota $61,862 Michigan $61,674 Wisconsin $61,605 Vermont $61,467

Texas $61,085 Maine $61,060 Arizona $61,023 Ohio $60,979 Georgia $60,403 Indiana $60,115 Wyoming $60,058 Utah $59,971

Iowa $59,933 Kansas $59,632 Louisiana $59,545 North Carolina $59,513 Missouri $59,501 Florida $59,257 Montana $59,125 Nebraska $59,000

Kentucky $58,931 South Carolina $58,680 Tennessee $58,524 Idaho $58,461 New Mexico $58,004 Oklahoma $57,904 Alabama $57,534 South Dakota $56,914

Arkansas $56,576 West Virginia $56,395 Mississippi $55,850

Top Paying Cities for Payroll Professionals

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

San Jose: $78,990
San Francisco: $78,125
Oakland: $76,479

San Jose, CA $78,990

San Francisco, CA $78,125

Oakland, CA $76,479

New York, NY $72,107

Paramus, NJ $71,230

Queens Village, NY $71,227

Passaic, NJ $71,167

Bergenfield, NJ $71,162

Stamford, CT $71,024

Huntington, NY $70,998

Newark, NJ $70,536

Bridgeport, CT $70,403

Vallejo, CA $70,279

New Brunswick, NJ $70,254

Petaluma, CA $70,216

Middlesex, NJ $70,097

Somerset, NJ $70,053

Santa Cruz, CA $69,972

Boston, MA $69,590

Monterey, CA $69,370

Seattle, WA $69,227

Santa Rosa, CA $69,214

Los Angeles, CA $69,195

Juneau, AK $69,033

Washington, DC $68,964

Orange, CA $68,741

Santa Ana, CA $68,575

Long Beach, CA $68,513

Anaheim, CA $68,500

Anchorage, AK $68,469

Santa Maria, CA $68,281

Everett, WA $68,268

Danbury, CT $68,048

Bremerton, WA $67,962

Tacoma, WA $67,736

New Suffolk, NY $67,735

Sacramento, CA $67,717

Santa Barbara, CA $67,648

Trenton, NJ $67,580

San Diego, CA $67,580

Brockton, MA $67,511

Fairbanks, AK $67,357

Lompoc, CA $67,198

Lowell, MA $67,147

Ventura, CA $67,135

Nashua, NH $67,122

Stockton, CA $67,116

Modesto, CA $66,659

Poughkeepsie, NY $66,521

Olympia, WA $66,402

Kennewick, WA $66,402

New Haven, CT $66,377

Lawrence, MA $66,152

Hartford, CT $66,089

Riverside, CA $66,077

New Bedford, MA $66,014

Richland, WA $66,014

Bakersfield, CA $65,926

San Bernardino, CA $65,901

New Britain, CT $65,895

Atlantic City, NJ $65,895

New London, CT $65,870

Norwich, CT $65,851

Portsmouth, NH $65,839

Boulder, CO $65,706

Portland, OR $65,619

Worcester, MA $65,613

Minneapolis, MN $65,419

Philadelphia, PA $65,331

Honolulu, HI $65,125

Saint Paul, MN $65,095

Vineland, NJ $65,081

Providence, RI $64,899

Chicago, IL $64,718

Bellingham, WA $64,642

Springfield, MA $64,592

Baltimore, MD $64,574

Chico, CA $64,417

Pittsfield, MA $64,248

Manchester, NH $64,129

Spokane, WA $63,853

Denver, CO $63,847

Albany, NY $63,553

Troy, NY $63,528

Nassau, NY $63,461

Schenectady, NY $63,396

Wilmington, DE $63,346

Burlington, VT $63,258

Salem, OR $63,233

Portland, ME $63,039

Yakima, WA $62,977

Rochester, MN $62,782

Reno, NV $62,751

Fresno, CA $62,751

Milwaukee, WI $62,695

Detroit, MI $62,632

Ann Arbor, MI $62,622

Allentown, PA $62,613

Colorado Springs, CO $62,507

Syracuse, NY $62,476

Carson City, NV $62,476

Houston, TX $62,388

Eugene, OR $62,357

Gary, IN $62,281

Springfield, OR $62,231

Bismarck, ND $62,219

Galveston, TX $62,175

Medford, OR $62,081

Fort Collins, CO $62,056

Concord, NH $62,025

Austin, TX $62,006

Mesa, AZ $61,874

Reading, PA $61,868

Phoenix, AZ $61,862

Dallas, TX $61,843

Saint Cloud, MN $61,783

Madison, WI $61,699

Utica, NY $61,530

Rochester, NY $61,430

Des Moines, IA $61,423

Raleigh, NC $61,417

Atlanta, GA $61,323

Battle Creek, MI $61,304

Salt Lake City, UT $61,286

Lancaster, PA $61,192

Harrisburg, PA $61,104

Kansas City, MO $61,041

Champaign, IL $61,029

Kansas City, KS $61,029

Fort Worth, TX $61,023

Columbus, OH $61,012

Boca Raton, FL $60,998

Pittsburgh, PA $60,973

Richmond, VA $60,948

Indianapolis, IN $60,935

Cleveland, OH $60,929

Las Vegas, NV $60,854

Cincinnati, OH $60,854

Petersburg, VA $60,760

Huntsville, AL $60,666

Lansing, MI $60,624

Lebanon, PA $60,616

Pueblo, CO $60,609

Appleton, WI $60,591

Buffalo, NY $60,566

Dayton, OH $60,547

Racine, WI $60,534

Charlotte, NC $60,528

Saint Louis, MO $60,509

York, PA $60,472

Elkhart, IN $60,472

Gastonia, NC $60,460

Billings, MT $60,445

Beaumont, TX $60,428

Lorain, OH $60,415

Benton Harbor, MI $60,403

Toledo, OH $60,390

Binghamton, NY $60,359

Rock Hill, SC $60,353

Rockford, IL $60,321

Springfield, IL $60,296

Elyria, OH $60,290

Fargo, ND $60,290

Flagstaff, AZ $60,246

Fort Lauderdale, FL $60,209

Duluth, MN $60,171

Miami, FL $60,171

Cheyenne, WY $60,127

Grand Forks, ND $60,127

Bangor, ME $59,989

Cedar Rapids, IA $59,920

Durham, NC $59,894

Louisville, KY $59,889

Grand Rapids, MI $59,877

Hialeah, FL $59,870

Casper, WY $59,783

Scranton, PA $59,708

New Orleans, LA $59,689

Virginia Beach, VA $59,682

Akron, OH $59,651

Peoria, IL $59,570

Sarasota, FL $59,557

Nashville, TN $59,513

Omaha, NE $59,513

Green Bay, WI $59,513

Baton Rouge, LA $59,482

Charleston, SC $59,470

Jamestown, NY $59,438

Davenport, IA $59,438

Tucson, AZ $59,407

Saint Petersburg, FL $59,369

Tampa, FL $59,357

Evansville, IN $59,319

Port Arthur, TX $59,319

Bradenton, FL $59,294

Santa Fe, NM $59,181

Orlando, FL $59,069

Clearwater, FL $59,050

Canton, OH $58,918

La Crosse, WI $58,918

Albuquerque, NM $58,881

Newport News, VA $58,875

High Point, NC $58,856

Ogden, UT $58,831

Corpus Christi, TX $58,781

Norfolk, VA $58,743

Laramie, WY $58,743

Rock Island, IL $58,706

Saginaw, MI $58,693

Jacksonville, FL $58,687

Salisbury, NC $58,674

Boise, ID $58,662

Moline, IL $58,630

Fort Myers, FL $58,612

Memphis, TN $58,599

Tulsa, OK $58,568

Waterloo, IA $58,530

Spartanburg, SC $58,468

Lincoln, NE $58,436

Fort Wayne, IN $58,424

Provo, UT $58,417

Cedar Falls, IA $58,342

San Antonio, TX $58,317

Greensboro, NC $58,292

South Bend, IN $58,286

Savannah, GA $58,217

Muskegon, MI $58,192

Birmingham, AL $58,186

Winston Salem, NC $58,155

Lake Charles, LA $58,004

Anderson, IN $57,992

Lexington, KY $57,973

Augusta, GA $57,954

Greenville, SC $57,954

Lima, OH $57,904

Wichita, KS $57,898

Tuscaloosa, AL $57,898

Columbia, SC $57,841

Springfield, OH $57,829

Asheville, NC $57,729

Bloomington, IN $57,685

Knoxville, TN $57,459

Shreveport, LA $57,453

Wilmington, NC $57,372

Roanoke, VA $57,372

Topeka, KS $57,259

Frankfort, KY $57,252

Oklahoma City, OK $57,209

Chillicothe, OH $57,184

Longview, TX $57,177

Melbourne, FL $57,171

Sioux Falls, SD $57,071

Mobile, AL $57,065

Terre Haute, IN $57,040

Altoona, PA $57,002

Amarillo, TX $56,958

Killeen, TX $56,939

Fayetteville, AR $56,889

Chattanooga, TN $56,871

Sioux City, IA $56,814

Idaho Falls, ID $56,802

Lynchburg, VA $56,752

Gainesville, FL $56,670

Portsmouth, OH $56,639

Little Rock, AR $56,626

Lafayette, LA $56,601

Youngstown, OH $56,601

Daytona Beach, FL $56,564

Clarksville, TN $56,557

Pensacola, FL $56,551

Temple, TX $56,547

Hopkinsville, KY $56,363

Erie, PA $56,351

Florence, SC $56,326

Charleston, WV $56,226

Great Falls, MT $56,194

Macon, GA $56,107

Tallahassee, FL $56,100

Fayetteville, NC $56,088

Waco, TX $56,075

Helena, MT $56,031

Pine Bluff, AR $56,008

Vincennes, IN $55,931

Lubbock, TX $55,906

Alamogordo, NM $55,869

Twin Falls, ID $55,812

Rapid City, SD $55,793

Jackson, MS $55,681

Huntington, WV $55,676

Greenville, MS $55,674

Parkersburg, WV $55,611

Montgomery, AL $55,599

Wichita Falls, TX $55,537

Springfield, MO $55,537

Biloxi, MS $55,505

Monroe, LA $55,443

Johnstown, PA $55,399

Sumter, SC $55,374

Columbus, GA $55,368

Pascagoula, MS $55,249

Abilene, TX $55,249

Kingsport, TN $55,086

Albany, GA $55,086

Gulfport, MS $55,067

Alexandria, LA $54,860

Fort Smith, AR $54,704

El Paso, TX $54,535

Las Cruces, NM $54,253

Harlingen, TX $54,094

Pocatello, ID $54,084

Florence, AL $54,002

Brownsville, TX $53,990

Mcallen, TX $53,858

Dothan, AL $53,771

Columbus, MS $53,399

Altus, OK $53,107

Lawton, OK $52,988

Pierre, SD $52,762

What Skills Can Increase a Payroll Professional's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

Customer Service (Mentioned in 6.06% Job Postings): Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase. The perception of success of such interactions is dependent on employees "who can adjust themselves to the personality of the guest". Customer service concerns the priority an organization assigns to customer service relative to components such as product innovation and pricing. In this sense, an organization that values good customer service may spend more money in training employees than the average organization or may proactively interview customers for feedback. From the point of view of an overall sales process engineering effort, customer service plays an important role in an organization's ability to generate income and revenue. From that perspective, customer service should be included as part of an overall approach to systematic improvement. One good customer service experience can change the entire perception a customer holds towards the organization.
HRIS (Mentioned in 2.37% Job Postings): HRIS is a management system designed specifically to provide managers with information to make HR decisions. Is a system that lets you keep track of all your employees and information about them.
Workday (Mentioned in 1.3% Job Postings): A cloud-based human resource management software system that unifies a wide range of HR functionality into a single system.

See More Skills

Skills	Demand Percentage
Customer Service	6.06%
HRIS	2.37%
Workday	1.3%

What skills can make your compensation higher?

Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Payroll Professional's salary.

Auditing: Can increase your salary by up to 16%.
Workday: Can increase your salary by up to 11%.
Child Support: Can increase your salary by up to 11%.

Skill	Salary	Salary % Increase
Auditing	$72,646	16%
Workday	$69,515	11%
Child Support	$69,515	11%
Collaboration	$68,888	10%
Verbal Communication	$68,262	9%
HRIS	$67,010	7%

Get Latest Data

Payroll Professional Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Payroll Professional's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on May 01, 2026

$56,585

Average $62,626/year

$67,729

$4,715

Average $5,219/month

$5,644

$1,088

Average $1,204/week

$1,302

$27

Average $30/hour

$33

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$67,729	$5,644	$1,302	$33
Average	$62,626	$5,219	$1,204	$30
25th Percentile	$56,585	$4,715	$1,088	$27

Salaries of jobs related to Payroll Professional

Salary Trends for Payroll Professional

Salaries for a Payroll Professional can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $59,770 in 2023 to around $59,624 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Payroll Professional salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Payroll Professional Over Time

2022

$???

2023

$59,770

2024

$59,998

2025

$59,624

2026

$???

2027

$???

Year	Average Annual Salary
2022	View More
2023	$59,770
2024	$59,998
2025	$59,624
2026	View More
2027	View More

Most common benefits for Payroll Professional

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401(k)

Disability

Healthcare

Pension

Time Off (days)

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Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

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