Retirement Plan Specialist Salary in the United States
How much does a Retirement Plan Specialist make in the United States?
As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for a Retirement Plan Specialist in the United States is $63,891 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $31.
However, a Retirement Plan Specialist's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:
Top Earners (90th percentile): $84,019
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $57,202 to $74,427
Key Factors That Influence Retirement Plan Specialist Salaries
A Retirement Plan 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 Retirement Plan Specialist Salaries?
Experience is a primary driver of a Retirement Plan 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:
How Do Retirement Plan 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 Retirement Plan Specialists. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
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: $80,585
San Francisco: $79,703
Oakland: $78,023
San Jose, CA$80,585
San Francisco, CA$79,703
Oakland, CA$78,023
New York, NY$73,563
Paramus, NJ$72,668
Queens Village, NY$72,665
Passaic, NJ$72,605
Bergenfield, NJ$72,599
Stamford, CT$72,458
Huntington, NY$72,432
Newark, NJ$71,960
Bridgeport, CT$71,825
Vallejo, CA$71,698
New Brunswick, NJ$71,672
Petaluma, CA$71,634
Middlesex, NJ$71,513
Somerset, NJ$71,468
Santa Cruz, CA$71,385
Boston, MA$70,995
Monterey, CA$70,771
Seattle, WA$70,625
Santa Rosa, CA$70,612
Los Angeles, CA$70,593
Juneau, AK$70,426
Washington, DC$70,356
Orange, CA$70,129
Santa Ana, CA$69,960
Long Beach, CA$69,896
Anaheim, CA$69,883
Anchorage, AK$69,851
Santa Maria, CA$69,660
Everett, WA$69,647
Danbury, CT$69,422
Bremerton, WA$69,334
Tacoma, WA$69,104
New Suffolk, NY$69,103
Sacramento, CA$69,085
Santa Barbara, CA$69,015
Trenton, NJ$68,944
San Diego, CA$68,944
Brockton, MA$68,874
Fairbanks, AK$68,717
Lompoc, CA$68,555
Lowell, MA$68,503
Ventura, CA$68,491
Nashua, NH$68,478
Stockton, CA$68,471
Modesto, CA$68,005
Poughkeepsie, NY$67,864
Olympia, WA$67,743
Kennewick, WA$67,743
New Haven, CT$67,718
Lawrence, MA$67,488
Hartford, CT$67,424
Riverside, CA$67,411
New Bedford, MA$67,347
Richland, WA$67,347
Bakersfield, CA$67,258
San Bernardino, CA$67,232
New Britain, CT$67,226
Atlantic City, NJ$67,226
New London, CT$67,200
Norwich, CT$67,181
Portsmouth, NH$67,168
Boulder, CO$67,033
Portland, OR$66,944
Worcester, MA$66,938
Minneapolis, MN$66,740
Philadelphia, PA$66,651
Honolulu, HI$66,440
Saint Paul, MN$66,409
Vineland, NJ$66,395
Providence, RI$66,210
Chicago, IL$66,024
Bellingham, WA$65,948
Springfield, MA$65,897
Baltimore, MD$65,877
Chico, CA$65,718
Pittsfield, MA$65,545
Manchester, NH$65,424
Spokane, WA$65,143
Denver, CO$65,136
Albany, NY$64,836
Troy, NY$64,811
Nassau, NY$64,742
Schenectady, NY$64,676
Wilmington, DE$64,625
Burlington, VT$64,536
Salem, OR$64,510
Portland, ME$64,312
Yakima, WA$64,248
Rochester, MN$64,050
Reno, NV$64,018
Fresno, CA$64,018
Milwaukee, WI$63,961
Detroit, MI$63,897
Ann Arbor, MI$63,886
Allentown, PA$63,878
Colorado Springs, CO$63,769
Syracuse, NY$63,737
Carson City, NV$63,737
Houston, TX$63,648
Eugene, OR$63,616
Gary, IN$63,539
Springfield, OR$63,488
Bismarck, ND$63,475
Galveston, TX$63,430
Medford, OR$63,335
Fort Collins, CO$63,309
Concord, NH$63,277
Austin, TX$63,258
Mesa, AZ$63,124
Reading, PA$63,117
Phoenix, AZ$63,111
Dallas, TX$63,092
Saint Cloud, MN$63,031
Madison, WI$62,945
Utica, NY$62,772
Rochester, NY$62,670
Des Moines, IA$62,664
Raleigh, NC$62,657
Atlanta, GA$62,562
Battle Creek, MI$62,542
Salt Lake City, UT$62,523
Lancaster, PA$62,427
Harrisburg, PA$62,338
Kansas City, MO$62,274
Champaign, IL$62,261
Kansas City, KS$62,261
Fort Worth, TX$62,255
Columbus, OH$62,244
Boca Raton, FL$62,229
Pittsburgh, PA$62,204
Richmond, VA$62,178
Indianapolis, IN$62,165
Cleveland, OH$62,159
Las Vegas, NV$62,082
Cincinnati, OH$62,082
Petersburg, VA$61,987
Huntsville, AL$61,891
Lansing, MI$61,848
Lebanon, PA$61,840
Pueblo, CO$61,833
Appleton, WI$61,814
Buffalo, NY$61,789
Dayton, OH$61,769
Racine, WI$61,757
Charlotte, NC$61,750
Saint Louis, MO$61,731
York, PA$61,693
Elkhart, IN$61,693
Gastonia, NC$61,681
Billings, MT$61,665
Beaumont, TX$61,648
Lorain, OH$61,635
Benton Harbor, MI$61,622
Toledo, OH$61,610
Binghamton, NY$61,578
Rock Hill, SC$61,571
Rockford, IL$61,539
Springfield, IL$61,514
Elyria, OH$61,507
Fargo, ND$61,507
Flagstaff, AZ$61,463
Fort Lauderdale, FL$61,424
Duluth, MN$61,386
Miami, FL$61,386
Cheyenne, WY$61,341
Grand Forks, ND$61,341
Bangor, ME$61,201
Cedar Rapids, IA$61,130
Durham, NC$61,104
Louisville, KY$61,098
Grand Rapids, MI$61,086
Hialeah, FL$61,079
Casper, WY$60,990
Scranton, PA$60,913
New Orleans, LA$60,894
Virginia Beach, VA$60,888
Akron, OH$60,856
Peoria, IL$60,773
Sarasota, FL$60,760
Nashville, TN$60,715
Omaha, NE$60,715
Green Bay, WI$60,715
Baton Rouge, LA$60,683
Charleston, SC$60,670
Jamestown, NY$60,638
Davenport, IA$60,638
Tucson, AZ$60,607
Saint Petersburg, FL$60,568
Tampa, FL$60,555
Evansville, IN$60,517
Port Arthur, TX$60,517
Bradenton, FL$60,492
Santa Fe, NM$60,377
Orlando, FL$60,262
Clearwater, FL$60,242
Canton, OH$60,108
La Crosse, WI$60,108
Albuquerque, NM$60,070
Newport News, VA$60,063
High Point, NC$60,044
Ogden, UT$60,019
Corpus Christi, TX$59,968
Norfolk, VA$59,929
Laramie, WY$59,929
Rock Island, IL$59,891
Saginaw, MI$59,878
Jacksonville, FL$59,872
Salisbury, NC$59,859
Boise, ID$59,846
Moline, IL$59,814
Fort Myers, FL$59,795
Memphis, TN$59,782
Tulsa, OK$59,750
Waterloo, IA$59,712
Spartanburg, SC$59,648
Lincoln, NE$59,616
Fort Wayne, IN$59,603
Provo, UT$59,597
Cedar Falls, IA$59,520
San Antonio, TX$59,495
Greensboro, NC$59,469
South Bend, IN$59,463
Savannah, GA$59,393
Muskegon, MI$59,367
Birmingham, AL$59,361
Winston Salem, NC$59,329
Lake Charles, LA$59,175
Anderson, IN$59,163
Lexington, KY$59,143
Augusta, GA$59,124
Greenville, SC$59,124
Lima, OH$59,073
Wichita, KS$59,067
Tuscaloosa, AL$59,067
Columbia, SC$59,009
Springfield, OH$58,996
Asheville, NC$58,894
Bloomington, IN$58,850
Knoxville, TN$58,620
Shreveport, LA$58,613
Wilmington, NC$58,530
Roanoke, VA$58,530
Topeka, KS$58,415
Frankfort, KY$58,408
Oklahoma City, OK$58,364
Chillicothe, OH$58,338
Longview, TX$58,332
Melbourne, FL$58,326
Sioux Falls, SD$58,223
Mobile, AL$58,217
Terre Haute, IN$58,191
Altoona, PA$58,153
Amarillo, TX$58,108
Killeen, TX$58,089
Fayetteville, AR$58,038
Chattanooga, TN$58,019
Sioux City, IA$57,961
Idaho Falls, ID$57,949
Lynchburg, VA$57,898
Gainesville, FL$57,815
Portsmouth, OH$57,783
Little Rock, AR$57,770
Lafayette, LA$57,744
Youngstown, OH$57,744
Daytona Beach, FL$57,706
Clarksville, TN$57,700
Pensacola, FL$57,693
Temple, TX$57,689
Hopkinsville, KY$57,501
Erie, PA$57,489
Florence, SC$57,463
Charleston, WV$57,361
Great Falls, MT$57,329
Macon, GA$57,239
Tallahassee, FL$57,233
Fayetteville, NC$57,220
Waco, TX$57,208
Helena, MT$57,163
Pine Bluff, AR$57,139
Vincennes, IN$57,061
Lubbock, TX$57,035
Alamogordo, NM$56,997
Twin Falls, ID$56,939
Rapid City, SD$56,920
Jackson, MS$56,805
Huntington, WV$56,801
Greenville, MS$56,799
Parkersburg, WV$56,733
Montgomery, AL$56,722
Wichita Falls, TX$56,658
Springfield, MO$56,658
Biloxi, MS$56,626
Monroe, LA$56,562
Johnstown, PA$56,518
Sumter, SC$56,492
Columbus, GA$56,486
Pascagoula, MS$56,364
Abilene, TX$56,364
Kingsport, TN$56,198
Albany, GA$56,198
Gulfport, MS$56,179
Alexandria, LA$55,968
Fort Smith, AR$55,808
El Paso, TX$55,636
Las Cruces, NM$55,348
Harlingen, TX$55,186
Pocatello, ID$55,176
Florence, AL$55,093
Brownsville, TX$55,080
Mcallen, TX$54,946
Dothan, AL$54,856
Columbus, MS$54,477
Altus, OK$54,179
Lawton, OK$54,058
Pierre, SD$53,828
What Skills Can Increase a Retirement Plan Specialist's Salary?
Demanded Skills for the Role:
Planning (Mentioned in 8.19% Job Postings): An act or process of making or carrying out plans. Establishment of goals, policies, and procedures for a social or economic unit city planning business planning.
Microsoft Excel (Mentioned in 2.22% Job Postings): Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet developed by Microsoft for Windows, macOS, Android and iOS. It features calculation or computation capabilities, graphing tools, pivot tables, and a macro programming language called Visual Basic for Applications.
Workday (Mentioned in 1.74% Job Postings): A cloud-based human resource management software system that unifies a wide range of HR functionality into a single system.
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 Retirement Plan Specialist's salary.
Consulting: Can increase your salary by up to 21%.
Leadership: Can increase your salary by up to 19%.
Loan Review: Can increase your salary by up to 9%.
Retirement Plan Specialist Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors
For Retirement Plan Specialist roles, the industry you choose can impact your earning potential
by as much as 40% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries).
Data shows that the highest-paying industry, Insurance,
offers compensation 20% above the average. Conversely,
Retirement Plan Specialist positions in Business Services typically offer lower base pay,
as this sector often view Retirement Plan Specialist as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.
The top paying industry for a Retirement Plan Specialist
Industry Sector
Average Annual Salary
Average Hourly Rate
Pay vs.Avg
Insurance
$76,669
$37.0
20%
How Education impacts a Retirement Plan Specialist's Salary?
Your level of education can impact your salary potential.
While many Retirement Plan 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 Retirement Plan Specialist with a Bachelor's Degree is between
$61,813
and $68,170).
Retirement Plan Specialist Salaries by Degree Level
Retirement Plan Specialist Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay
Understanding how a Retirement Plan 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.
Hourly
Monthly
Weekly
Yearly
Table View
Last Updated on September 01, 2026
$57,202
Average$63,891/year
$74,427
$4,767
Average$5,324/month
$6,202
$1,100
Average$1,229/week
$1,431
$28
Average$31/hour
$36
Annual Salary
Monthly Pay
Weekly Pay
Hourly Wage
75th Percentile
$74,427
$6,202
$1,431
$36
Average
$63,891
$5,324
$1,229
$31
25th Percentile
$57,202
$4,767
$1,100
$28
Salaries of Jobs related to Retirement Plan Specialist
Salaries for a Retirement Plan Specialist can change over time,
reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy.
The median salary decreased from $58,043 in 2023
to around $56,787 in 2025,
reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy.
For a detailed analysis of Retirement Plan Specialist salary trends,
.
Average Annual Salary of Retirement Plan Specialist Over Time
$???
$58,043
$57,121
$56,787
$???
$???
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
2027
Year
Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023
$58,043
2024
$57,121
2025
$56,787
2026
View More
2027
View More
Most common benefits for Retirement Plan Specialist
Social Security
401 (k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
Common company salaries for Retirement Plan Specialist
Here are companies hiring for Retirement Plan Specialist and their salaries, click below for more details.
K$114,295/per year
Kpmg Us LLPBusiness Servicesthe United States
W$114,096/per year
Warner Bros DiscoveryBusiness Servicesthe United States
D$111,927/per year
Dentsu International LtdBusiness Servicesthe United States
G$111,873/per year
GroupM Worldwide IncBusiness Servicesthe United States
C$111,651/per year
CoWorx StaffingBusiness Servicesthe United States
C$110,194/per year
Contemporary Services CorpBusiness Servicesthe United States
S$107,128/per year
Showcase CinemasBusiness Servicesthe United States
A$106,429/per year
Amentum Services IncBusiness Servicesthe United States
A$106,199/per year
Allied Universal Security Services LLCBusiness Servicesthe United States
S$106,104/per year
Sodexo USABusiness Servicesthe United States
J$105,192/per year
JLL TechnologiesBusiness Servicesthe United States
I$104,478/per year
Intact Insurance Group USA LLCBusiness Servicesthe United States
N$101,619/per year
NielsenIQBusiness Servicesthe United States
T$101,470/per year
The Leading Edge AllianceBusiness Servicesthe United States
H$101,308/per year
Honeywell UOPBusiness Servicesthe United States
R$97,720/per year
Reeve & AssociatesBusiness Servicesthe United States
M$97,584/per year
ManpowerGroup Global IncBusiness Servicesthe United States
F$95,980/per year
Financial Sys NcoBusiness Servicesthe United States
A$95,314/per year
Arrow Global LtdBusiness Servicesthe United States
C$94,777/per year
CarMax Enterprise Services LLCBusiness Servicesthe United States
D$94,479/per year
DZConneXBusiness Servicesthe United States
A$93,802/per year
Adecco Staffing, USABusiness Servicesthe United States
R$92,937/per year
Resource MFGBusiness Servicesthe United States
Z$92,774/per year
Zachry Brands IncBusiness Servicesthe United States
G$88,138/per year
Greystar Worldwide LLCBusiness Servicesthe United States
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FAQ about Retirement Plan Specialist
1. What industry pays the highest salary for Retirement Plan Specialist?
The Insurance industry offers the highest average compensation for Retirement Plan 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.
