Cost-per-hire benchmarks are most useful when disaggregated by the factors that drive the largest variation: role level, company size, and hiring method. The SHRM 2025 Benchmarking Report establishes the headline: $5,475 for non-executive hires, $35,879 for executive hires. Both figures have risen significantly from 2016 baselines ($4,129 non-executive, per the 2016 report), reflecting recruiter compensation growth, job board fee increases, and the higher cost of competitive searches in tight talent segments.
Cost-per-Hire by Role Level
Using SHRM data supplemented by Pin's 2026 CPH analysis:
- Entry-level: $1,500–$3,000. High-volume, primarily inbound, low agency involvement.
- Mid-level professional: $4,000–$7,000. Mix of inbound and sourced; some agency involvement depending on specialty.
- Senior technical (engineers, data scientists): $6,000–$10,000+. Heavy sourcing time investment; often partially agency-supported.
- Director and VP: $10,000–$20,000. Leadership assessment costs, extended interview processes.
- Executive (C-suite): $20,000–$50,000+. Retained search firms at 25–31% of first-year salary are common.
Cost-per-Hire by Company Size
Company size drives CPH primarily through tooling amortization and volume efficiencies. Pin's analysis of SHRM data by company size shows:
- Under 100 employees: $3,500–$5,500 per hire. Higher per-hire tooling cost; less negotiating power on job boards; more reliance on generalist recruiters.
- 100–999 employees: $2,500–$4,500. Better tooling amortization; dedicated TA function emerging.
- 1,000+ employees: $1,500–$3,500. Volume efficiencies, enterprise ATS/sourcing platforms, larger referral networks.
The Hidden CPH Driver: Agency Fee Dependency
The single most impactful cost lever in most talent functions is agency fee usage. Direct hire fees from staffing agencies run 15–30% of first-year salary per The Resource Company's 2026 fee analysis. On a $100,000 role, that is $15,000–$30,000 per placement — often 3–6x what a direct-sourced hire via internal or automated sourcing would cost. A team making 20 senior hires per year and using agencies for 50% of them could save $150,000–$300,000 annually by shifting to a higher proportion of internal sourcing without any change in quality.
Reducing Cost-per-Hire Without Reducing Quality
The highest-ROI levers in sequence: shift sourcing mix toward referrals (which cost less and perform better); invest in outbound sourcing automation to reduce agency dependency; standardize the interview process to reduce time and cost per candidate assessed; and measure CPH by source to identify which channels are genuinely efficient versus which are expensive and low-quality.
UPPER's model is designed specifically to reduce agency dependency by delivering a qualified, ranked shortlist from multiple channels at a fraction of agency fee cost. See the hiring economics case study →