Equilar, the leading provider of executive data solutions, announced the release of its 2025 HR Executive Pay Trends publication, featuring commentary from the HR Policy Association. According to the report, median total compensation for top HR executives in the Equilar 500 rose 18% in 2025, increasing from $2.3 million to $2.8 million.
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Median total compensation for top HR executives in the Equilar 500 rose 18% in 2025, increasing from $2.3 million to $2.8 million.
In rapidly evolving business environment, HR leaders sit at the intersection of people, strategy and technology, and organizations are increasingly valuing their strategic impact, driving higher demand for top HR executives.
“From understanding how the organization intends to deploy AI, to assessing its impact on jobs, culture and capability development, this new era demands HR leaders who can think strategically across multiple dimensions,” said Ani Huang, President and CEO of the HR Policy Association’s Center On Executive Compensation. “That includes managing risk, identifying reskilling and upskilling priorities, closing capability gaps and reimagining total rewards to reflect new ways of working.”
Companies generating more than $25 billion in annual revenue reported the highest median pay at $3.6 million, while the smallest firms in the study offered $2.2 million. Across most revenue ranges, performance-based awards represented the largest share of total compensation—as much as one-third of the average pay mix. Options, by contrast, remained the smallest, accounting for less than 10% of pay across all revenue ranges. The communications services sector led all industries with a median pay package of $5.5 million, followed by technology and healthcare.
The report also highlights key differences from a gender perspective. Since 2021, the number of men in top HR executive roles has doubled (from 13 to 26) while the number of women increased by 19.5% (from 41 to 49). Over the same period, men’s median pay climbed to $3.8 million compared to $2.9 million for women, driven largely by higher performance-based awards.
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