Median pay for recruiters runs from $35,000 in Mayaguez to $112,140 in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara — a 3.2× range across 528 metropolitan areas. The national median of $75,940 sits inside that range but describes no particular market.
The top tenth of recruiters earn $128,720 or more; the bottom tenth earn under $47,180. That is a 2.73× gap within the same occupation, in the same year. A spread this wide means the job title is not what determines pay — specialisation, employer type, seniority or book of business is. Expect the early years to sit near the bottom of the band rather than the middle, and treat the $75,940 median as a waypoint, not a destination.
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (CA) leads and Mayaguez (PR) trails, but the gap is modest. For a role like this the more useful comparison is not between cities but between the 10th and 90th percentile within one — see the band above.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $112,140 | $53.91 | 1.2 | 7,970 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $103,140 | $49.59 | 1.18 | 16,420 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $100,830 | $48.48 | 1.33 | 24,450 |
| Lexington Park MD | $98,170 | $47.20 | 0.8 | 330 |
| Parkersburg-Vienna WV | $94,520 | $45.44 | 2.08 | 440 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $92,770 | $44.60 | 1.15 | 14,120 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard WA | $90,290 | $43.41 | 1.28 | 710 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $90,270 | $43.40 | 1.37 | 21,770 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $89,780 | $43.16 | 0.94 | 52,370 |
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater WA | $86,700 | $41.68 | 1.85 | 1,410 |
| Boulder CO | $86,200 | $41.44 | 1.31 | 1,480 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury CT | $85,550 | $41.13 | 0.99 | 2,350 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville CA | $84,690 | $40.72 | 0.78 | 450 |
| Napa CA | $84,400 | $40.58 | 0.67 | 310 |
| Rochester MN | $83,810 | $40.30 | 0.7 | 500 |
| Vallejo CA | $83,160 | $39.98 | 0.76 | 650 |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford CT | $82,920 | $39.86 | 0.98 | 3,460 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial CO | $82,550 | $39.69 | 1.33 | 12,520 |
| New Haven CT | $82,510 | $39.67 | 0.75 | 1,230 |
| Charlottesville VA | $82,430 | $39.63 | 0.9 | 610 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson MD | $82,380 | $39.61 | 1 | 7,930 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma CA | $81,540 | $39.20 | 0.76 | 920 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad CA | $81,300 | $39.09 | 1.01 | 9,110 |
| Kennewick-Richland WA | $81,290 | $39.08 | 0.82 | 620 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill NC | $81,100 | $38.99 | 1.18 | 2,370 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mayaguez PR | $35,000 | $16.83 | 0.53 | 160 |
| Arecibo PR | $35,300 | $16.97 | 0.49 | 100 |
| Aguadilla PR | $37,460 | $18.01 | 0.51 | 150 |
| Ponce PR | $39,040 | $18.77 | 0.52 | 190 |
| Guayama PR | $39,440 | $18.96 | 0.51 | 40 |
| Puerto Rico nonmetropolitan area | $40,410 | $19.43 | 0.35 | 60 |
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas PR | $41,600 | $20.00 | 0.87 | 3,530 |
| Eagle Pass TX | $46,630 | $22.42 | 0.49 | 50 |
| Hot Springs AR | $51,260 | $24.64 | 0.49 | 110 |
| Laredo TX | $51,780 | $24.89 | 0.67 | 430 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elizabethtown KY | $78,850 | $37.91 | 3.52 | 1,060 |
| Parkersburg-Vienna WV | $94,520 | $45.44 | 2.08 | 440 |
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater WA | $86,700 | $41.68 | 1.85 | 1,410 |
| Springfield IL | $78,840 | $37.90 | 1.61 | 950 |
| Manhattan KS | $76,400 | $36.73 | 1.59 | 500 |
| Omaha NE-IA | $61,840 | $29.73 | 1.48 | 4,330 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $90,270 | $43.40 | 1.37 | 21,770 |
| Tallahassee FL | $57,320 | $27.56 | 1.34 | 1,470 |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island IA-IL | $79,670 | $38.30 | 1.34 | 1,420 |
| Harrisburg-Carlisle PA | $70,140 | $33.72 | 1.34 | 2,640 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial CO | $82,550 | $39.69 | 1.33 | 12,520 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $100,830 | $48.48 | 1.33 | 24,450 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $89,780 | $43.16 | 0.94 | 52,370 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $80,220 | $38.57 | 1 | 36,850 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $70,700 | $33.99 | 1.23 | 29,190 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $78,210 | $37.60 | 1 | 26,470 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $100,830 | $48.48 | 1.33 | 24,450 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $90,270 | $43.40 | 1.37 | 21,770 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA | $75,410 | $36.25 | 1.23 | 20,920 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX | $72,550 | $34.88 | 0.95 | 18,320 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach FL | $67,580 | $32.49 | 1.09 | 18,080 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $103,140 | $49.59 | 1.18 | 16,420 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD | $76,700 | $36.87 | 0.94 | 16,000 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler AZ | $74,640 | $35.88 | 1.11 | 15,430 |
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 13-1071. OEWS surveys employers, so it reports what is actually paid rather than what job advertisements claim, and it excludes the self-employed. Estimates cover 528 of 528 metropolitan areas — near-complete coverage, which means the ranges above are reliable rather than drawn from a handful of markets. Read the methodology.