Key Factors That Influence Resident Advisor Salaries
A Resident Advisor'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 Resident Advisor Salaries?
Experience is a primary driver of a Resident Advisor'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): $51,437
Early Career (1-2 years): $51,682
Mid-Level (2-4 years): $54,646
Senior-Level (5-8 years): $57,505
Expert (over 8 years): $57,709
Levels
Salary
Entry Level Resident Advisor
$51,437
Intermediate Level Resident Advisor
$51,682
Senior Level Resident Advisor
$54,646
Specialist Level Resident Advisor
$57,505
Expert Level Resident Advisor
$57,709
$51,4370 yr
$51,682< 2 yrs
$54,6462-4 yrs
$57,5055-8 yrs
$57,709> 8 yrs
View as Table
View as Graph
What Am I Worth?
How Do Resident Advisor 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 Resident Advisors.
For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
District of Columbia: $57,902.
California: $57,682.
Massachusetts: $56,913.
District of Columbia$57,902
California$57,682
Massachusetts$56,913
Washington$56,704
New Jersey$56,683
Alaska$56,610
Connecticut$55,888
New York$55,595
Hawaii$54,659
Rhode Island$54,220
Maryland$53,922
Minnesota$53,514
Colorado$53,357
Illinois$53,305
Oregon$53,106
Delaware$52,960
New Hampshire$52,868
Virginia$52,662
Pennsylvania$52,060
Nevada$51,757
North Dakota$51,658
Michigan$51,501
Wisconsin$51,443
Vermont$51,328
Texas$51,009
Maine$50,988
Arizona$50,957
Ohio$50,920
Georgia$50,439
Indiana$50,199
Wyoming$50,151
Utah$50,078
Iowa$50,047
Kansas$49,796
Louisiana$49,723
North Carolina$49,697
Missouri$49,686
Florida$49,482
Montana$49,372
Nebraska$49,268
Kentucky$49,210
South Carolina$49,001
Tennessee$48,870
Idaho$48,818
New Mexico$48,436
Oklahoma$48,353
Alabama$48,044
South Dakota$47,526
Arkansas$47,244
West Virginia$47,092
Mississippi$46,637
Top Paying Cities for Resident Advisors
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: $65,960
San Francisco: $65,238
Oakland: $63,863
San Jose, CA$65,960
San Francisco, CA$65,238
Oakland, CA$63,863
New York, NY$60,213
Paramus, NJ$59,480
Queens Village, NY$59,478
Passaic, NJ$59,428
Bergenfield, NJ$59,423
Stamford, CT$59,308
Huntington, NY$59,287
Newark, NJ$58,901
Bridgeport, CT$58,790
Vallejo, CA$58,686
New Brunswick, NJ$58,665
Petaluma, CA$58,634
Middlesex, NJ$58,534
Somerset, NJ$58,498
Santa Cruz, CA$58,430
Boston, MA$58,111
Monterey, CA$57,927
Seattle, WA$57,808
Santa Rosa, CA$57,797
Los Angeles, CA$57,781
Juneau, AK$57,645
Washington, DC$57,588
Orange, CA$57,402
Santa Ana, CA$57,264
Long Beach, CA$57,211
Anaheim, CA$57,201
Anchorage, AK$57,175
Santa Maria, CA$57,018
Everett, WA$57,007
Danbury, CT$56,823
Bremerton, WA$56,751
Tacoma, WA$56,563
New Suffolk, NY$56,562
Sacramento, CA$56,547
Santa Barbara, CA$56,490
Trenton, NJ$56,432
San Diego, CA$56,432
Brockton, MA$56,375
Fairbanks, AK$56,247
Lompoc, CA$56,113
Lowell, MA$56,071
Ventura, CA$56,061
Nashua, NH$56,050
Stockton, CA$56,045
Modesto, CA$55,663
Poughkeepsie, NY$55,548
Olympia, WA$55,449
Kennewick, WA$55,449
New Haven, CT$55,428
Lawrence, MA$55,240
Hartford, CT$55,188
Riverside, CA$55,177
New Bedford, MA$55,125
Richland, WA$55,125
Bakersfield, CA$55,052
San Bernardino, CA$55,031
New Britain, CT$55,025
Atlantic City, NJ$55,025
New London, CT$55,005
Norwich, CT$54,989
Portsmouth, NH$54,978
Boulder, CO$54,867
Portland, OR$54,795
Worcester, MA$54,790
Minneapolis, MN$54,628
Philadelphia, PA$54,555
Honolulu, HI$54,382
Saint Paul, MN$54,357
Vineland, NJ$54,346
Providence, RI$54,194
Chicago, IL$54,042
Bellingham, WA$53,980
Springfield, MA$53,938
Baltimore, MD$53,922
Chico, CA$53,791
Pittsfield, MA$53,650
Manchester, NH$53,551
Spokane, WA$53,321
Denver, CO$53,315
Albany, NY$53,070
Troy, NY$53,049
Nassau, NY$52,993
Schenectady, NY$52,939
Wilmington, DE$52,897
Burlington, VT$52,824
Salem, OR$52,803
Portland, ME$52,641
Yakima, WA$52,588
Rochester, MN$52,426
Reno, NV$52,400
Fresno, CA$52,400
Milwaukee, WI$52,353
Detroit, MI$52,301
Ann Arbor, MI$52,292
Allentown, PA$52,285
Colorado Springs, CO$52,196
Syracuse, NY$52,170
Carson City, NV$52,170
Houston, TX$52,097
Eugene, OR$52,071
Gary, IN$52,008
Springfield, OR$51,966
Bismarck, ND$51,956
Galveston, TX$51,919
Medford, OR$51,841
Fort Collins, CO$51,820
Concord, NH$51,794
Austin, TX$51,778
Mesa, AZ$51,668
Reading, PA$51,663
Phoenix, AZ$51,658
Dallas, TX$51,642
Saint Cloud, MN$51,592
Madison, WI$51,522
Utica, NY$51,380
Rochester, NY$51,297
Des Moines, IA$51,292
Raleigh, NC$51,286
Atlanta, GA$51,208
Battle Creek, MI$51,192
Salt Lake City, UT$51,176
Lancaster, PA$51,098
Harrisburg, PA$51,025
Kansas City, MO$50,973
Champaign, IL$50,962
Kansas City, KS$50,962
Fort Worth, TX$50,957
Columbus, OH$50,948
Boca Raton, FL$50,936
Pittsburgh, PA$50,915
Richmond, VA$50,894
Indianapolis, IN$50,884
Cleveland, OH$50,878
Las Vegas, NV$50,816
Cincinnati, OH$50,816
Petersburg, VA$50,737
Huntsville, AL$50,659
Lansing, MI$50,624
Lebanon, PA$50,617
Pueblo, CO$50,612
Appleton, WI$50,596
Buffalo, NY$50,575
Dayton, OH$50,559
Racine, WI$50,549
Charlotte, NC$50,544
Saint Louis, MO$50,528
York, PA$50,497
Elkhart, IN$50,497
Gastonia, NC$50,487
Billings, MT$50,474
Beaumont, TX$50,460
Lorain, OH$50,450
Benton Harbor, MI$50,439
Toledo, OH$50,429
Binghamton, NY$50,402
Rock Hill, SC$50,397
Rockford, IL$50,371
Springfield, IL$50,350
Elyria, OH$50,345
Fargo, ND$50,345
Flagstaff, AZ$50,308
Fort Lauderdale, FL$50,277
Duluth, MN$50,246
Miami, FL$50,246
Cheyenne, WY$50,209
Grand Forks, ND$50,209
Bangor, ME$50,094
Cedar Rapids, IA$50,036
Durham, NC$50,014
Louisville, KY$50,010
Grand Rapids, MI$50,000
Hialeah, FL$49,995
Casper, WY$49,921
Scranton, PA$49,859
New Orleans, LA$49,843
Virginia Beach, VA$49,838
Akron, OH$49,812
Peoria, IL$49,744
Sarasota, FL$49,733
Nashville, TN$49,697
Omaha, NE$49,697
Green Bay, WI$49,697
Baton Rouge, LA$49,670
Charleston, SC$49,660
Jamestown, NY$49,634
Davenport, IA$49,634
Tucson, AZ$49,608
Saint Petersburg, FL$49,576
Tampa, FL$49,566
Evansville, IN$49,534
Port Arthur, TX$49,534
Bradenton, FL$49,513
Santa Fe, NM$49,419
Orlando, FL$49,325
Clearwater, FL$49,310
Canton, OH$49,200
La Crosse, WI$49,200
Albuquerque, NM$49,168
Newport News, VA$49,163
High Point, NC$49,147
Ogden, UT$49,126
Corpus Christi, TX$49,085
Norfolk, VA$49,053
Laramie, WY$49,053
Rock Island, IL$49,022
Saginaw, MI$49,011
Jacksonville, FL$49,006
Salisbury, NC$48,996
Boise, ID$48,985
Moline, IL$48,959
Fort Myers, FL$48,943
Memphis, TN$48,933
Tulsa, OK$48,907
Waterloo, IA$48,875
Spartanburg, SC$48,823
Lincoln, NE$48,797
Fort Wayne, IN$48,787
Provo, UT$48,781
Cedar Falls, IA$48,719
San Antonio, TX$48,698
Greensboro, NC$48,677
South Bend, IN$48,672
Savannah, GA$48,614
Muskegon, MI$48,593
Birmingham, AL$48,588
Winston Salem, NC$48,562
Lake Charles, LA$48,436
Anderson, IN$48,426
Lexington, KY$48,410
Augusta, GA$48,394
Greenville, SC$48,394
Lima, OH$48,353
Wichita, KS$48,347
Tuscaloosa, AL$48,347
Columbia, SC$48,300
Springfield, OH$48,290
Asheville, NC$48,206
Bloomington, IN$48,169
Knoxville, TN$47,981
Shreveport, LA$47,976
Wilmington, NC$47,908
Roanoke, VA$47,908
Topeka, KS$47,814
Frankfort, KY$47,808
Oklahoma City, OK$47,772
Chillicothe, OH$47,751
Longview, TX$47,746
Melbourne, FL$47,741
Sioux Falls, SD$47,657
Mobile, AL$47,652
Terre Haute, IN$47,631
Altoona, PA$47,599
Amarillo, TX$47,563
Killeen, TX$47,547
Fayetteville, AR$47,505
Chattanooga, TN$47,490
Sioux City, IA$47,443
Idaho Falls, ID$47,432
Lynchburg, VA$47,390
Gainesville, FL$47,322
Portsmouth, OH$47,296
Little Rock, AR$47,286
Lafayette, LA$47,265
Youngstown, OH$47,265
Daytona Beach, FL$47,233
Clarksville, TN$47,228
Pensacola, FL$47,223
Temple, TX$47,219
Hopkinsville, KY$47,066
Erie, PA$47,056
Florence, SC$47,035
Charleston, WV$46,951
Great Falls, MT$46,925
Macon, GA$46,852
Tallahassee, FL$46,846
Fayetteville, NC$46,836
Waco, TX$46,825
Helena, MT$46,789
Pine Bluff, AR$46,769
Vincennes, IN$46,705
Lubbock, TX$46,684
Alamogordo, NM$46,653
Twin Falls, ID$46,606
Rapid City, SD$46,590
Jackson, MS$46,496
Huntington, WV$46,492
Greenville, MS$46,491
Parkersburg, WV$46,437
Montgomery, AL$46,428
Wichita Falls, TX$46,376
Springfield, MO$46,376
Biloxi, MS$46,350
Monroe, LA$46,297
Johnstown, PA$46,261
Sumter, SC$46,240
Columbus, GA$46,235
Pascagoula, MS$46,135
Abilene, TX$46,135
Kingsport, TN$45,999
Albany, GA$45,999
Gulfport, MS$45,984
Alexandria, LA$45,811
Fort Smith, AR$45,680
El Paso, TX$45,539
Las Cruces, NM$45,304
Harlingen, TX$45,171
Pocatello, ID$45,162
Florence, AL$45,094
Brownsville, TX$45,084
Mcallen, TX$44,974
Dothan, AL$44,901
Columbus, MS$44,590
Altus, OK$44,347
Lawton, OK$44,247
Pierre, SD$44,059
What Skills Can Increase a Resident Advisor's Salary?
Demanded Skills for the Role:
Learning Strategies (Mentioned in 8.62% Job Postings): A learning strategy is an individual's way of organizing and using a particular set of skills in order to learn content or accomplish other tasks more effectively and efficiently in school as well as in non-academic settings
Certification Programs (Mentioned in 5.17% Job Postings): A certificate program is a specialized education designed to develop or strengthen specific career skills. Considered as continuing education in some cases because it builds on your knowledge of a particular career or industry.
CPR (Mentioned in 1.72% Job Postings): Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) combines rescue breathing (mouth-to-mouth) and chest compressions to temporarily pump enough blood to the brain until specialized treatment is available.
See More Skills
Skills
Demand Percentage
Learning Strategies
8.62%
Certification Programs
5.17%
CPR
1.72%
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 Resident Advisor's salary.
Video Production: Can increase your salary by up to 20%.
Collaboration: Can increase your salary by up to 4%.
Coaching: Can increase your salary by up to 4%.
Skill
Salary
Salary % Increase
Video Production
$62,755
20%
Collaboration
$54,387
4%
Coaching
$54,387
4%
Digital Photography
$53,864
3%
Adobe Premiere Pro
$53,864
3%
Initiative
$53,342
2%
Get Latest Data
Resident Advisor Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors
For Resident Advisor roles, the industry you choose can impact your earning potential
by as much as 25% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries).
Data shows that the highest-paying industry, Healthcare,
offers compensation 10% above the average. Conversely,
Resident Advisor positions in Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit typically offer lower base pay,
as this sector often view Resident Advisor as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.
The top paying industries for a Resident Advisor
Industry Sector
Average Annual Salary
Average Hourly Rate
Pay vs.Avg
Healthcare
$57,525
$28.0
10%
Hospitality & Leisure
$54,910
$26.0
5%
Resident Advisor Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay
Understanding how a Resident Advisor'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.
Salaries for a Resident Advisor can change over time,
reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy.
The median salary decreased from $53,898 in 2023
to around $52,711 in 2025,
reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy.
For a detailed analysis of Resident Advisor salary trends,
.
Average Annual Salary of Resident Advisor Over Time
2022
$???
2023
$53,898
2024
$53,139
2025
$52,711
2026
$???
2027
$???
Year
Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023
$53,898
2024
$53,139
2025
$52,711
2026
View More
2027
View More
Most common benefits for Resident Advisor
Social Security
401(k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
For Employers
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Compensation Planning
Common company salaries for Resident Advisor
Here are companies hiring for Resident Advisor and their salaries, click below for more details.
N
$97,099/per year
New York Police Department
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
S
$95,962/per year
State of New York - Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
U
$94,615/per year
US Department of Transportation
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
U
$93,141/per year
US General Services Administration
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
L
$92,342/per year
Los Angeles County
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
D
$92,011/per year
Department of Justice - Federal Bureau of Prisons
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
U
$91,967/per year
US Department of Commerce
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
U
$91,755/per year
US Department of Energy
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
F
$91,673/per year
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
N
$90,276/per year
Naval Sea Systems Command
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
T
$88,975/per year
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
S
$88,721/per year
San Diego County
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
T
$88,664/per year
The TTB
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
L
$87,569/per year
Lutheran Services
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
M
$85,066/per year
Maryland Inc
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
S
$83,780/per year
State University of New York
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
N
$82,969/per year
New York State
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
P
$82,703/per year
Puerto Rico Department of Education
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
U
$80,526/per year
US Central Command
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
H
$80,286/per year
Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
A
$79,270/per year
Air Force Reserve
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
A
$78,505/per year
American Automobile Association (AAA)
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
S
$76,678/per year
State of Florida - Department of Health
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
N
$75,183/per year
New York State Department
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
S
$75,106/per year
State University System of Florida
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
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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.