If you searched for the SHRM average cost per hire, here’s the short answer: $5,475 for a nonexecutive hire and $35,879 for an executive hire, according to SHRM’s 2025 benchmarking data. Below you’ll find where those numbers come from, how SHRM calculates them, how they’ve changed and what they mean if you hire frontline staff at volume.
SHRM average cost per hire: the latest numbers
SHRM released its 2025 benchmarking reports in October 2025. The recruiting report puts the average cost per hire at:
- $5,475 for nonexecutive roles
- $35,879 for executive roles
That makes an executive hire nearly 7 times more expensive than a nonexecutive one, on average.
How SHRM collected the data
The 2025 figures come from an online survey sent to a random sample of active SHRM members between January 9 and March 3, 2025, according to SHRM’s 2025 Recruiting Executives Benchmarking report. SHRM oversampled members at vice president level or higher, and 2,371 members responded. The data wasn’t weighted, and respondents didn’t have to answer every metric, so the sample behind each figure can vary. Respondents came from a range of industries, sectors and organization sizes across the U.S.
So keep 2 things in mind: the numbers reflect U.S. organizations, and they come from organizations that could report the metric.
The official SHRM cost per hire formula
SHRM defines cost per hire as the total cost of recruiting divided by the number of hires. Those costs can include:
- Third party agency fees
- Advertising agency fees
- Job fair costs
- Online job board fees
- Employee referral costs
- Travel costs for applicants and staff
- Relocation costs
- Recruiter pay and benefits
- Talent acquisition system costs
Cost per hire = total recruiting costs ÷ number of hires
For example, if you spent $250,000 on recruiting last year and made 100 hires, your cost per hire is $2,500. Use the same period for both costs and hires, or the number won’t mean much.
How SHRM’s cost per hire has changed
The figure most people still quote is about $4,700. That comes from SHRM’s previous benchmarking cycle, which reported an average of $4,683 for nonexecutive hires and $28,329 for executive hires.
Compared with those numbers, the 2025 averages are up about 17% for nonexecutive hires and about 27% for executive hires, based on our math using SHRM’s published figures. If you’re still budgeting with $4,700, you’re working from an outdated benchmark.
Average vs median: why you’ll also see $1,200
SHRM also reports the median cost per hire, and it’s much lower. In the same 2025 report, the median was $1,200 for nonexecutive roles and $10,625 for executive roles.
The median is the middle value. Most hires cost close to it, but a few expensive searches cost far more and pull the average up. That’s why the 2 numbers are so far apart. Use the $5,475 average if you’re budgeting total recruiting spend, and the $1,200 median if you want to know what a typical hire costs. Just don’t compare one against the other.
What it means for high volume hiring
Cost per hire looks small until you multiply it. At the 2025 nonexecutive average, 200 hires a year means about $1.1 million in recruiting spend.
For frontline employers, the real number is usually higher, for 2 reasons:
Turnover repeats the cost. If a hire leaves in the first few months, you pay to fill the same seat again. Cost per hire counts each hire once, but your budget pays for every refill. Our roundup of the latest hiring statistics shows how often that happens in frontline industries.
The formula leaves out the empty seat. SHRM’s list covers recruiting spend. It doesn’t include overtime, lost sales or missed service levels while a role sits open.
That’s why the lever isn’t only a lower cost per hire. It’s needing fewer hires to keep a location staffed: screening that predicts who’ll stay, and a process fast enough that good candidates don’t accept another offer first. If you’re weighing whether to build that capacity internally, see our breakdown of in house recruiter cost.
Lower your cost per hire at volume
Workwolf® handles sourcing, screening, candidate outreach and interview scheduling for businesses that hire frontline staff in volume, and you interview and hire directly. You pay per hire, either a flat fee or a percentage well below standard agency rates. If you want to see what that would mean for your cost per hire, book a call with our team.
