Side-by-side distribution
People Operations
$149,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 34.7%
- Live roles
- 121
Recruiter
$124,900
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 36.6%
- Live roles
- 2,161
Highest-paying jobs
People Operations Manager
Sr. Manager, Global People Operations
Senior Manager, HR Operations
Head of People Ops
Senior Manager of People Operations
People Operations Senior Manager
Director, People Ops
Senior Manager of Total Rewards & People Operations
Manager, People Operations
Senior Manager, People Operations
Highest-paying jobs
Experienced Recruitment Consultant - EMEA ERP
Principal Recruitment Consultant - EMEA Salesforce
Technical Recruiter
Talent Acquisition Specialist - Tech
Recruiter, Supply Chain & Ops - Contractor
Lead Talent Partner - Engineering
Senior Recruiter
Talent Acquisition Specialist
Technical Recruiter
Senior Director of Talent Acquisition, Production
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Anduril Industries
|
$150,000 | 3 |
| VI Via | $80,000 | 2 |
|
Rain
|
$524,500 | 1 |
|
Tenstorrent
|
$300,000 | 1 |
|
Helion
|
$222,500 | 1 |
|
Life360
|
$221,250 | 1 |
|
Druva
|
$217,334 | 1 |
|
Mercor
|
$215,000 | 1 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
House Buyers of America
|
$93,600 | 43 |
| VL Vaco LLC | $70,000 | 26 |
|
Anduril Industries
|
$170,000 | 20 |
Aya Healthcare
|
$70,000 | 14 |
| AG Amoria Group | $36,298 | 11 |
Harvey
|
$158,500 | 10 |
Brex
|
$108,819 | 9 |
Zeneducate
|
$52,961 | 9 |
People Operations salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| New York | $158,000 | 6 |
| Boston | $145,000 | 3 |
| San Francisco | $144,500 | 8 |
Recruiter salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $160,000 | 144 |
| New York | $150,000 | 173 |
| Seattle | $150,000 | 27 |
| Boston | $145,000 | 21 |
| London | $131,796 | 16 |
| Austin | $110,500 | 13 |
| Los Angeles | $100,000 | 28 |
| Chicago | $93,600 | 21 |
| Atlanta | $93,600 | 11 |
| Toronto | $90,810 | 21 |
People Operations vs Recruiter: which pays more?
The median for People Operations is $149,000 per year (typically $125,000–$184,000), versus $124,900 for Recruiter ($80,500–$160,000). That puts People Operations about 19% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so People Operations and Recruiter are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.