Human Services Program Specialist Salary in the United States

How much does a Human Services Program Specialist make in the United States?

As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for a Human Services Program Specialist in the United States is $75,701 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $36.

However, a Human Services Program Specialist's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $85,407
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $68,860 to $80,782
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $62,630

Key Factors That Influence Human Services Program Specialist Salaries

A Human Services Program Specialist'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, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Human Services Program Specialist Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Human Services Program Specialist'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): $63,284
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $76,176
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $100,455
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $113,515
  • Expert (over 8 years): $102,636
Levels Salary
HRIS Anal... Level Human Services Program Specialist$63,284
Human Ser... Level Human Services Program Specialist$76,176
HRIS Anal... Level Human Services Program Specialist$100,455
HRIS Anal... Level Human Services Program Specialist$113,515
HRIS Supe... Level Human Services Program Specialist$102,636

How Do Human Services Program Specialist 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 Human Services Program Specialists. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
  • District of Columbia: $83,816.
  • California: $83,499.
  • Massachusetts: $82,386.

Top Paying Cities for Human Services Program Specialists

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: $95,482
  • San Francisco: $94,437
  • Oakland: $92,446

What Skills Can Increase a Human Services Program Specialist's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Analysis (Mentioned in 6.76% Job Postings): Analysis is the process of considering something carefully or using statistical methods in order to understand it or explain it.
  • Microsoft Office (Mentioned in 2.07% Job Postings): Microsoft Office is a suite of desktop productivity applications that is designed by Microsoft for business use. You can create documents containing text and images, work with data in spreadsheets and databases, create presentations and posters.
  • Data Analysis (Mentioned in 1.23% Job Postings): Data analysis is a process of inspecting, cleansing, transforming, and modeling data with the goal of discovering useful information, informing conclusions, and supporting decision-making. Data analysis has multiple facets and approaches, encompassing diverse techniques under a variety of names, and is used in different business, science, and social science domains. In today's business world, data analysis plays a role in making decisions more scientific and helping businesses operate more effectively. Data mining is a particular data analysis technique that focuses on modeling and knowledge discovery for predictive rather than purely descriptive purposes, while business intelligence covers data analysis that relies heavily on aggregation, focusing mainly on business information. In statistical applications, data analysis can be divided into descriptive statistics, exploratory data analysis (EDA), and confirmatory data analysis (CDA). EDA focuses on discovering new features in the data while CDA focuses on confirming or falsifying existing hypotheses. Predictive analytics focuses on application of statistical models for predictive forecasting or classification, while text analytics applies statistical, linguistic, and structural techniques to extract and classify information from textual sources, a species of unstructured data. All of the above are varieties of data analysis.
Skills Demand Percentage
Analysis 6.76%
Microsoft Office 2.07%
Data Analysis 1.23%

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 Human Services Program Specialist's salary.

  • Consulting: Can increase your salary by up to 5%.
  • System Configuration: Can increase your salary by up to 3%.
  • Insight: Can increase your salary by up to 3%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Consulting $79,486
5%
System Configuration $77,972
3%
Insight $77,972
3%

Human Services Program Specialist Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Human Services Program Specialist roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential by as much as 40% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the Internet and Biotechnology sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 20% above the average. In contrast, Human Services Program Specialist positions in Hospitality & Leisure or Retail & Wholesale typically offer lower base pay, as these industries often view Human Services Program Specialist as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industries for a Human Services Program Specialist

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Internet$90,842$44.020%
Biotechnology$87,056$42.015%
Financial Services$87,056$42.015%
Insurance$87,056$42.015%
Software & Networking$87,056$42.015%

How Education impacts a Human Services Program Specialist's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Human Services Program Specialists enter the field with a Bachelor's Degree degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for a Human Services Program Specialist with a Bachelor's Degree is between $77,102 and $81,796).

Human Services Program Specialist Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Human Services Program Specialist
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 1.3%
High School 9.6%
Associates 9.0%
Bachelors 55.1%
Masters 24.4%
Doctorate 0.6%

Human Services Program Specialist Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Human Services Program Specialist'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 September 01, 2026
$68,860
Average $75,701/year
$80,782
$5,738
Average $6,308/month
$6,732
$1,324
Average $1,456/week
$1,553
$33
Average $36/hour
$39
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $80,782 $6,732 $1,553 $39
Average $75,701 $6,308 $1,456 $36
25th Percentile $68,860 $5,738 $1,324 $33

Most common benefits for Human Services Program Specialist

  • Social Security
  • 401 (k)
  • Disability
  • Healthcare
  • Pension
  • Time Off (days)

Common company salaries for Human Services Program Specialist

Here are companies hiring for Human Services Program Specialist and their salaries, click below for more details.

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FAQ about Human Services Program Specialist

1. What industry pays the highest salary for Human Services Program Specialist?

The Internet industry offers the highest average compensation for Human Services Program Specialist roles, with salaries approximately 20% above the market median.

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.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint your exact pay target.

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