What a collections specialist costs in 65 US cities
US median pay is $47,030 a year, about $67,200 all in with benefits and payroll taxes. Here’s the cost in every large metro area.
A collections specialist costs a median of $47,030 a year in the US, or about $67,200 a year ($5,600 a month) once benefits and employer payroll taxes are added. Pay ranges from $77,360 in San Jose, CA to $36,300 in Virginia Beach, VA. Filling the seat takes a median of 39 days.
Collections Specialist cost by metro area
| Metro area | Median pay (a year) | All-in estimate (a year) | All-in (a month) |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $47,030 | $67,200 | $5,600 |
| San Jose, CA | $77,360 | $110,500 | $9,210 |
| San Francisco, CA | $72,430 | $103,500 | $8,620 |
| Boston, MA | $59,800 | $85,400 | $7,120 |
| Fresno, CA | $58,330 | $83,300 | $6,940 |
| Washington, DC | $58,110 | $83,000 | $6,920 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $57,440 | $82,100 | $6,840 |
| Sacramento, CA | $55,290 | $79,000 | $6,580 |
| Honolulu, HI | $55,210 | $78,900 | $6,570 |
| New York, NY | $54,370 | $77,700 | $6,470 |
| Denver, CO | $53,790 | $76,800 | $6,400 |
| Portland, OR | $53,620 | $76,600 | $6,380 |
| Providence, RI | $52,890 | $75,600 | $6,300 |
| Riverside, CA | $52,140 | $74,500 | $6,210 |
| San Diego, CA | $51,520 | $73,600 | $6,130 |
| Milwaukee, WI | $50,360 | $71,900 | $6,000 |
| Raleigh, NC | $50,200 | $71,700 | $5,980 |
| Baltimore, MD | $49,970 | $71,400 | $5,950 |
| Bakersfield, CA | $49,870 | $71,200 | $5,940 |
| Louisville, KY | $49,400 | $70,600 | $5,880 |
| Chicago, IL | $49,390 | $70,600 | $5,880 |
| Albany, NY | $49,260 | $70,400 | $5,860 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $49,160 | $70,200 | $5,850 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $49,110 | $70,200 | $5,850 |
| Grand Rapids, MI | $49,040 | $70,100 | $5,840 |
| Las Vegas, NV | $48,750 | $69,600 | $5,800 |
| Detroit, MI | $48,580 | $69,400 | $5,780 |
| Seattle, WA | $48,460 | $69,200 | $5,770 |
| Atlanta, GA | $48,350 | $69,100 | $5,760 |
| Cincinnati, OH | $48,320 | $69,000 | $5,750 |
| St. Louis, MO | $48,310 | $69,000 | $5,750 |
| Columbus, OH | $48,200 | $68,900 | $5,740 |
| Nashville, TN | $48,080 | $68,700 | $5,720 |
| Albuquerque, NM | $48,010 | $68,600 | $5,720 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth, TX | $47,790 | $68,300 | $5,690 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $47,740 | $68,200 | $5,680 |
| San Antonio, TX | $47,380 | $67,700 | $5,640 |
| Orlando, FL | $47,370 | $67,700 | $5,640 |
| Austin, TX | $47,310 | $67,600 | $5,630 |
| Greenville, SC | $47,210 | $67,400 | $5,620 |
| Miami, FL | $46,870 | $67,000 | $5,580 |
| Jacksonville, FL | $46,840 | $66,900 | $5,580 |
| Kansas City, MO | $46,750 | $66,800 | $5,570 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | $46,500 | $66,400 | $5,540 |
| Richmond, VA | $46,470 | $66,400 | $5,530 |
| Omaha, NE | $46,350 | $66,200 | $5,520 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | $46,300 | $66,100 | $5,510 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $46,270 | $66,100 | $5,510 |
| Allentown, PA | $46,130 | $65,900 | $5,490 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $45,900 | $65,600 | $5,460 |
| Tucson, AZ | $44,990 | $64,300 | $5,360 |
| Charleston, SC | $44,870 | $64,100 | $5,340 |
| Tulsa, OK | $44,790 | $64,000 | $5,330 |
| Houston, TX | $44,670 | $63,800 | $5,320 |
| Memphis, TN | $43,820 | $62,600 | $5,220 |
| Rochester, NY | $43,150 | $61,600 | $5,140 |
| New Orleans, LA | $42,230 | $60,300 | $5,030 |
| Cleveland, OH | $40,700 | $58,100 | $4,850 |
| Buffalo, NY | $40,260 | $57,500 | $4,790 |
| Boise, ID | $40,260 | $57,500 | $4,790 |
| Charlotte, NC | $40,040 | $57,200 | $4,770 |
| Columbia, SC | $39,370 | $56,200 | $4,690 |
| Baton Rouge, LA | $39,130 | $55,900 | $4,660 |
| Knoxville, TN | $38,750 | $55,400 | $4,610 |
| El Paso, TX | $36,870 | $52,700 | $4,390 |
| Virginia Beach, VA | $36,300 | $51,900 | $4,320 |
An experienced hire usually costs more than the median. The all-in estimate leaves out recruiting, training, software seats and cover for sick days and leave.
What a collections specialist does
- Work the AR aging report, oldest and largest first
- Send reminders on a set schedule and log replies
- Agree payment dates and record promises to pay
- Escalate disputes and short payments for a decision
- Report collected cash and accounts at risk each week
The alternative to hiring
Dull takes on collections work in the tools you already use. A person reviews every exception, and anything involving money or judgment waits for your approval. It’s a flat monthly fee, quoted on a 15-minute call, month to month with no contract, and usually live in about a week instead of 39 days to hire.
An alternative to hiring a collections specialist
How we worked these out
- Median pay is the May 2025 median annual wage for “Bill and Account Collectors” from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey (BLS OEWS), for each metropolitan area and the US as a whole, pulled from the BLS public data API. Half of workers earn more and half earn less.
- All-in estimate adds benefits and employer payroll taxes: wages are 70.0% of total compensation for private-industry workers (BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, June 2026), so all-in = median ÷ 0.70. It doesn’t include recruiting, training, equipment or office space.
- Time to fill is the median of 39 days from SHRM’s recruiting benchmarks.
- Figures are rounded. Metro areas are the 65 largest US metropolitan statistical areas with published data for every role on our cost pages.
Frequently asked questions
The US median pay for bill and account collectors was $47,030 a year in May 2025 (BLS). With benefits and employer payroll taxes the all-in cost is about $67,200 a year, or $5,600 a month, before recruiting and training.
Of the 65 largest US metro areas, San Jose, CA has the highest median pay at $77,360 a year (64% above the US median). Virginia Beach, VA has the lowest at $36,300.
A median of 39 days to fill an opening (SHRM), before training. While the seat is empty the work usually falls to the owner or the strongest person on the team.
Yes. Dull is a done-for-you back-office service that takes on collections work in the tools you already use, with a person reviewing every exception. It’s a flat monthly fee, quoted on a 15-minute call, month to month with no contract, and usually live in about a week.
Median pay is from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey (May 2025). The all-in estimate divides it by 0.70, because wages are 70.0% of total compensation for private-industry workers (BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, June 2026).