Side-by-side distribution
People Operations
$140,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 42.3%
- Live roles
- 123
Recruiter
$130,100
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 37.4%
- Live roles
- 2,218
Highest-paying jobs
People ops / recruiting Evaluator
Senior People Operations Manager
Senior Manager, People Business Partner — Operations
People Operations Manager, Data & Reporting
People Operations Manager
People Operations Manager
People Operations Manager
People Ops Manager
Senior Manager, Global People Experience (HR) Operations
People Operations Program Manager
Highest-paying jobs
Early Talent Recruiter
Early Talent Recruiter
Director, Talent Acquisition
Founding Recruiter
Director Global Talent Acquisition
VP, Talent Acquisition
Senior Director, Talent Acquisition
Technical Recruiter, Security
Technical Recruiter, Infrastructure
Recruiter, Mergers & Acquisitions
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| VI Via | $80,000 | 3 |
Casechek
|
$107,500 | 2 |
Highwire
|
$100,000 | 2 |
|
Weekday AI
|
$208,000 | 1 |
| AL Alumis | $185,000 | 1 |
| MI Mixpanel | $180,000 | 1 |
|
Tyba
|
$175,000 | 1 |
|
CoreWeave
|
$173,500 | 1 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Anduril Industries
|
$145,600 | 57 |
House Buyers of America
|
$93,600 | 43 |
| VL Vaco LLC | $68,750 | 28 |
Tailscale
|
$132,529 | 12 |
Aya Healthcare
|
$70,000 | 12 |
Legora AB
|
$177,500 | 9 |
Compass
|
$84,735 | 9 |
Talentful
|
$108,850 | 8 |
People Operations salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Boston | $161,250 | 4 |
| New York | $160,000 | 9 |
| San Francisco | $160,000 | 7 |
| Los Angeles | $130,000 | 3 |
Recruiter salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $165,000 | 142 |
| Seattle | $153,000 | 30 |
| New York | $151,250 | 172 |
| Denver | $137,500 | 16 |
| London | $135,391 | 17 |
| Boston | $135,200 | 25 |
| Austin | $126,750 | 18 |
| Chicago | $122,500 | 14 |
| Singapore | $104,000 | 3 |
| Los Angeles | $102,500 | 28 |
People Operations vs Recruiter: which pays more?
The median for People Operations is $140,000 per year (typically $109,625–$160,625), versus $130,100 for Recruiter ($86,750–$162,500). That puts People Operations about 8% 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.