- Home >
- Startup hiring data >
- H.R. Salary and Equity Compensation in Startups 2026
H.R. Salary and Equity in 2026
How much do H.R.s expect to make at US-based startups? The average expected salary for H.R.s in a startup is 109k per year, with a range from 50k to 238k. The salary range for H.R.s varies depending on factors such as location, industry, experience, skills, and startup stage.
108.5k
Average Salary
3 years
Average years of experience
Salary
The average H.R. salary is $108,542, which is 3.8% lower than the average startup salary of $112,833. H.R. salaries are based on exclusive Wellfound data. All data is updated on a weekly basis. Factors that may influence salary include: location, years of experience, title, size of company, skill-set, and industry.
Top of market
$208,250/yr
Range $185k - $238k
Average
$108,542/yr
Range $80k - $128k
Below Average
$72,833/yr
Range $50k - $85k
Top Locations
The highest average salary a H.R. can get in Austin, that is $125,000. This pay is 15.2% higher than the average H.R. salary in startups, which is $108,542. Salaries will vary based on your location. The top-paying markets in the US, on average, are currently: Austin (avg $125,000 per year), Seattle (avg $105,000 per year), Boston (avg $102,000 per year). Remote jobs often pay based on the location you reside in.
Austin
$125k
Seattle
$105k
Boston
$102k
New York
$87k
Toronto
$77k
Chicago
$65k
Los Angeles
View SalariesCambridge
View SalariesDenver
View SalariesRemote
View SalariesSan Diego
View SalariesIndustries
The highest average salary a H.R. can get in Internet Infrastructure, that is $279,500. This pay is 21.4% higher than the average H.R. salary, which is $230,150. The highest-paying industries in 2023 are: Internet Infrastructure (avg $279,500 per year), Cloud Security (avg $279,500 per year), Content Delivery (avg $279,500 per year).
Years of experience
Below Average
Average
Top of Market
The highest average salary a H.R. can get with 10+ years of experience, that is $90,000. This pay is 17.1% lower than the average H.R. salary, which is $108,542. The salary range varies with years of experience and depends on other factors such as skill set, size of company, and industry.
Popular roles
Software EngineerMobile DeveloperAndroid DeveloperiOS DeveloperFrontend EngineerBackend EngineerFull-Stack EngineerSoftware ArchitectMachine Learning EngineerEmbedded EngineerData EngineerDevOpsEngineering ManagerQA EngineerData ScientistDesignerUI/UX DesignerUser ResearcherVisual DesignerCreative DirectorGraphic Designer Product DesignerProduct ManagerOperationsFinance/AccountingH.R.Office ManagerRecruiterCustomer ServiceOperations ManagerSalesBusiness DevelopmentSales Development RepresentativeAccount ExecutiveBD ManagerAccount ManagerSales ManagerCustomer Success ManagerMarketingGrowth HackerMarketing ManagerContent CreatorCopywriterSocial Media ManagerManagementCEOCFOCMOCOOCTOOther EngineeringHardware EngineerMechanical EngineerSystems EngineerOtherBusiness AnalystProject ManagerAttorneyData AnalystInvestorLimited PartnerStrategic InvestorInstitutional InvestorVenture DebtVCSeed FundIndividual InvestorAngelFounder