SHRM average cost per hire, 2025.
The 2025 SHRM Benchmarking Report puts the average nonexecutive cost per hire at $5,475 and executive at $35,879. Here is the headline figure, the year-by-year trend, exactly what SHRM counts, and why your real cost is almost always higher.
What is the SHRM average cost per hire?
The SHRM average cost per hire is $5,475 for nonexecutive positions and $35,879 for executive positions, from the 2025 SHRM Benchmarking Report (released 15 October 2025). Executives cost nearly 7x more than nonexecutives. The figure is direct spend, external plus internal recruiting cost divided by hires; it excludes interviewer panel time at most companies and always excludes the cost of the role sitting open, so it is a floor, not the true cost of a hire.
SHRM cost per hire, year by year.
SHRM has published cost per hire across several editions, and older figures still circulate. Here is the trend from the primary SHRM sources so you can tell which number you are looking at. The current figure is $5,475.
| SHRM source (edition) | Cost per hire | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Human Capital Benchmarking Report (FY2015, pub. Aug 2016) | $4,129 | The widely cited legacy figure |
| SHRM, The Real Costs of Recruitment (Apr 2022) | ~$4,700 | Reported as "nearly $4,700" |
| 2025 SHRM Benchmarking Report (Oct 2025), nonexecutive | $5,475 | Current national average |
| 2025 SHRM Benchmarking Report (Oct 2025), executive | $35,879 | Nearly 7x nonexecutive |
Sources: SHRM Human Capital Benchmarking Report (fiscal year 2015, published 8 August 2016); SHRM, “The Real Costs of Recruitment” (11 April 2022); 2025 SHRM Benchmarking Report (released 15 October 2025). Figures re-verified against SHRM on 2026-07-01.
What SHRM counts, and what it leaves out.
SHRM cost per hire follows the ANSI/SHRM standard (CPH-001): total external cost plus total internal cost, divided by the number of hires in the period. That definition is why the SHRM number is smaller than what a hire actually costs your business.
- Job boards, sponsored posts, career fairs
- Agency and search firm fees
- Background checks and relocation
- Recruiter and sourcer time
- Referral bonuses
- ATS and recruiting tooling
- Interviewer panel time (at most companies)
- Hiring manager time in the loop
- Candidate travel and onsite logistics
- Vacancy cost while the role stays open
- Onboarding and ramp to productivity
- Cost of a mis-hire
Add the missing components back and a typical mid-level loop runs $4,000 to $8,000 in direct cost, an engineering loop with a full onsite panel runs $6,000 to $23,000, and vacancy cost on a senior role often exceeds the entire SHRM figure on its own. Our interview cost calculator applies the full five-component model so you can compare your number against the SHRM benchmark.
Compare your cost per hire against the SHRM $5,475 benchmark with the calculator.