Recruiting services in Columbus, OH
A full search for an employer hiring in Columbus, run end to end on your behalf and priced per search rather than as a percentage of salary. Across all six tiers the published range is $6,240 to $54,340, and the tier is set by the seniority of the role, never by what the role pays.
Permanent hires, any industry, anywhere in Ohio. Searches typically fill in 23 to 35 days and run 30 to 50% below what a contingency recruiter charges for the same hire. Every placement carries a 45 day replacement guarantee at 50% off.
Looking for a staffing agency in Columbus?
That search usually means one of two different things, and they are not interchangeable. Temporary staffing puts someone in a seat for a while on an agency payroll. A permanent search finds a person who joins your payroll and stays. If what you need is temporary cover, a staffing agency is the right call and this is not it.
For a permanent hire the real comparison is against a contingency recruiter. Contingency bills 20 to 30% of first year salary, several firms often work the same role at once, and nobody owns the outcome. A full search is one owner, a flat fee set by seniority, and a shortlist rather than a stream of forwarded resumes.
Columbus is covered the same way every other market is. Nothing about the fee moves with the city, so the figures below are here to price the role and read the market, not to change what the search costs.
Every role we search for in Columbus
Each one carries the wage band employers in this metro actually pay, what Columbus residents in that field earn, and what the search costs.
Architecture and engineering
- Aerospace Engineers
- Architects, Except Landscape and Naval
- Architectural and Civil Drafters
- Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers
- Calibration Technologists and Technicians
- Cartographers and Photogrammetrists
- Chemical Engineers
- Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians
- Civil Engineers
- Computer Hardware Engineers
- Drafters, All Other
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians
- Electrical and Electronics Drafters
- Electrical Engineers
- Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians
- Electronics Engineers, Except Computer
- Engineering Technologists and Technicians, Except Drafters, All Other
- Engineers, All Other
- Environmental Engineering Technologists and Technicians
- Environmental Engineers
- Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors
- Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians
- Industrial Engineers
- Landscape Architects
- Materials Engineers
- Mechanical Drafters
- Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians
- Mechanical Engineers
- Petroleum Engineers
- Surveying and Mapping Technicians
- Surveyors
Business and financial operations
- Accountants and Auditors
- Budget Analysts
- Business Operations Specialists, All Other
- Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators
- Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists
- Compliance Officers
- Cost Estimators
- Credit Analysts
- Credit Counselors
- Financial and Investment Analysts
- Financial Examiners
- Financial Risk Specialists
- Financial Specialists, All Other
- Fundraisers
- Human Resources Specialists
- Insurance Appraisers, Auto Damage
- Insurance Underwriters
- Labor Relations Specialists
- Loan Officers
- Logisticians
- Management Analysts
- Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists
- Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners
- Personal Financial Advisors
- Project Management Specialists
- Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue Agents
- Training and Development Specialists
Computer and mathematical
- Actuaries
- Computer Network Architects
- Computer Network Support Specialists
- Computer Occupations, All Other
- Computer Programmers
- Computer Systems Analysts
- Computer User Support Specialists
- Data Scientists
- Database Administrators
- Database Architects
- Information Security Analysts
- Network and Computer Systems Administrators
- Operations Research Analysts
- Software Developers
- Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers
- Statisticians
- Web and Digital Interface Designers
- Web Developers
Legal
Management
- Administrative Services Managers
- Advertising and Promotions Managers
- Architectural and Engineering Managers
- Chief Executives
- Compensation and Benefits Managers
- Computer and Information Systems Managers
- Construction Managers
- Education Administrators, All Other
- Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary
- Education Administrators, Postsecondary
- Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare
- Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling
- Facilities Managers
- Financial Managers
- Food Service Managers
- Fundraising Managers
- General and Operations Managers
- Human Resources Managers
- Industrial Production Managers
- Lodging Managers
- Managers, All Other
- Marketing Managers
- Medical and Health Services Managers
- Natural Sciences Managers
- Personal Service Managers, All Other
- Postmasters and Mail Superintendents
- Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers
- Public Relations Managers
- Purchasing Managers
- Sales Managers
- Social and Community Service Managers
- Training and Development Managers
- Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers
Office and administrative support
- Bill and Account Collectors
- Billing and Posting Clerks
- Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks
- Brokerage Clerks
- Cargo and Freight Agents
- Couriers and Messengers
- Court, Municipal, and License Clerks
- Credit Authorizers, Checkers, and Clerks
- Customer Service Representatives
- Data Entry Keyers
- Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance
- Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs
- Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants
- File Clerks
- Financial Clerks, All Other
- First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers
- Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks
- Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping
- Information and Record Clerks, All Other
- Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks
- Interviewers, Except Eligibility and Loan
- Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants
- Library Assistants, Clerical
- Loan Interviewers and Clerks
- Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service
- Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants
- Meter Readers, Utilities
- Office and Administrative Support Workers, All Other
- Office Clerks, General
- Order Clerks
- Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks
- Postal Service Clerks
- Postal Service Mail Carriers
- Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators
- Procurement Clerks
- Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks
- Public Safety Telecommunicators
- Receptionists and Information Clerks
- Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks
- Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive
- Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks
- Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service
- Telephone Operators
- Tellers
- Weighers, Measurers, Checkers, and Samplers, Recordkeeping
Sales and related
- Advertising Sales Agents
- Cashiers
- Counter and Rental Clerks
- Demonstrators and Product Promoters
- First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers
- First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers
- Insurance Sales Agents
- Parts Salespersons
- Real Estate Brokers
- Real Estate Sales Agents
- Retail Salespersons
- Sales and Related Workers, All Other
- Sales Engineers
- Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel
- Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products
- Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products
- Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents
- Telemarketers
- Travel Agents
What does an employer in Columbus actually pay?
Whatever the Columbus, OH area pays, because that is the level at which wages are published. The table below is place of work: it is what employers located in that metropolitan area report paying, not what anyone living in Columbus happens to take home.
What about management roles in Columbus?
50,817 Columbus residents work in management occupations and earn a median of $70,666. BLS publishes wages for 33 occupations in this group across the Columbus, OH area, topping out at $162,910 for chief executives.
Place of work
What employers pay
| Role | Annual mean |
|---|---|
| Chief Executives | $240,830 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $176,470 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $166,120 |
| Financial Managers | $164,700 |
| Sales Managers | $154,460 |
| Compensation and Benefits Managers | $154,260 |
| Natural Sciences Managers | $152,320 |
| Purchasing Managers | $151,580 |
Showing the 8 highest-paid of 33 occupations in this group with a published figure for this area.
Place of residence
What Columbus residents earn
- Columbus residents working in management occupations
- 50,817
- Their median annual earnings
- $70,666
Residents of Columbus working in this occupation group. Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011. This is where people live, not where they work, so it is not comparable to the wage figures beside it.
What about business and financial operations roles in Columbus?
35,782 Columbus residents work in business and financial operations occupations and earn a median of $69,200. BLS publishes wages for 27 occupations in this group across the Columbus, OH area, topping out at $81,600 for personal financial advisors.
Place of work
What employers pay
| Role | Annual mean |
|---|---|
| Personal Financial Advisors | $118,200 |
| Financial Risk Specialists | $110,990 |
| Project Management Specialists | $104,990 |
| Financial and Investment Analysts | $101,760 |
| Management Analysts | $99,750 |
| Budget Analysts | $94,010 |
| Labor Relations Specialists | $92,820 |
| Credit Analysts | $92,160 |
Showing the 8 highest-paid of 27 occupations in this group with a published figure for this area.
Place of residence
What Columbus residents earn
- Columbus residents working in business and financial operations occupations
- 35,782
- Their median annual earnings
- $69,200
Residents of Columbus working in this occupation group. Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011. This is where people live, not where they work, so it is not comparable to the wage figures beside it.
What about computer and mathematical roles in Columbus?
24,313 Columbus residents work in computer and mathematical occupations and earn a median of $85,077, and the best paid of any group here. BLS publishes wages for 18 occupations in this group across the Columbus, OH area, topping out at $135,840 for database architects.
Place of work
What employers pay
| Role | Annual mean |
|---|---|
| Database Architects | $138,510 |
| Computer Network Architects | $132,990 |
| Information Security Analysts | $124,100 |
| Software Developers | $123,630 |
| Computer Occupations, All Other | $119,760 |
| Actuaries | $116,570 |
| Data Scientists | $114,820 |
| Computer Systems Analysts | $114,490 |
Showing the 8 highest-paid of 18 occupations in this group with a published figure for this area.
Place of residence
What Columbus residents earn
- Columbus residents working in computer and mathematical occupations
- 24,313
- Their median annual earnings
- $85,077
Residents of Columbus working in this occupation group. Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011. This is where people live, not where they work, so it is not comparable to the wage figures beside it.
What about architecture and engineering roles in Columbus?
8,810 Columbus residents work in architecture and engineering occupations and earn a median of $81,558. BLS publishes wages for 31 occupations in this group across the Columbus, OH area, topping out at $120,950 for computer hardware engineers.
Place of work
What employers pay
| Role | Annual mean |
|---|---|
| Computer Hardware Engineers | $138,250 |
| Aerospace Engineers | $130,760 |
| Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors | $129,210 |
| Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers | $120,850 |
| Chemical Engineers | $119,970 |
| Environmental Engineers | $117,340 |
| Electronics Engineers, Except Computer | $115,890 |
| Materials Engineers | $112,170 |
Showing the 8 highest-paid of 31 occupations in this group with a published figure for this area.
Place of residence
What Columbus residents earn
- Columbus residents working in architecture and engineering occupations
- 8,810
- Their median annual earnings
- $81,558
Residents of Columbus working in this occupation group. Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011. This is where people live, not where they work, so it is not comparable to the wage figures beside it.
What about legal roles in Columbus?
5,683 Columbus residents work in legal occupations and earn a median of $71,250. BLS publishes wages for 6 occupations in this group across the Columbus, OH area, topping out at $137,810 for lawyers.
Place of work
What employers pay
| Role | Annual mean |
|---|---|
| Lawyers | $154,090 |
| Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates | $112,170 |
| Legal Support Workers, All Other | $82,820 |
| Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers | $80,730 |
| Paralegals and Legal Assistants | $67,380 |
| Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers | $62,680 |
Place of residence
What Columbus residents earn
- Columbus residents working in legal occupations
- 5,683
- Their median annual earnings
- $71,250
Residents of Columbus working in this occupation group. Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011. This is where people live, not where they work, so it is not comparable to the wage figures beside it.
What about sales and related roles in Columbus?
41,264 Columbus residents work in sales and related occupations and earn a median of $36,657, the lowest paid of any group here. BLS publishes wages for 19 occupations in this group across the Columbus, OH area, topping out at $117,110 for sales engineers.
Place of work
What employers pay
| Role | Annual mean |
|---|---|
| Sales Engineers | $114,980 |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products | $113,130 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers | $98,650 |
| Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents | $94,860 |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products | $81,680 |
| Real Estate Brokers | $78,180 |
| Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel | $72,980 |
| Insurance Sales Agents | $70,480 |
Showing the 8 highest-paid of 19 occupations in this group with a published figure for this area.
Place of residence
What Columbus residents earn
- Columbus residents working in sales and related occupations
- 41,264
- Their median annual earnings
- $36,657
Residents of Columbus working in this occupation group. Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011. This is where people live, not where they work, so it is not comparable to the wage figures beside it.
What about office and administrative support roles in Columbus?
56,376 Columbus residents work in office and administrative support occupations and earn a median of $40,759, the largest group in the city. BLS publishes wages for 45 occupations in this group across the Columbus, OH area, topping out at $75,880 for executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants.
Place of work
What employers pay
| Role | Annual mean |
|---|---|
| Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants | $78,650 |
| Brokerage Clerks | $70,980 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers | $70,890 |
| Postal Service Mail Carriers | $63,060 |
| Public Safety Telecommunicators | $61,890 |
| Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants | $61,290 |
| Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks | $60,980 |
| Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs | $60,650 |
Showing the 8 highest-paid of 45 occupations in this group with a published figure for this area.
Place of residence
What Columbus residents earn
- Columbus residents working in office and administrative support occupations
- 56,376
- Their median annual earnings
- $40,759
Residents of Columbus working in this occupation group. Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011. This is where people live, not where they work, so it is not comparable to the wage figures beside it.
Why are the two numbers on this page so different?
They count different people. The wage figures count jobs sitting inside the Columbus, OH area, whoever fills them. The earnings figures count people who live in Columbus, wherever they commute to.
It runs the other way in management, where published wages in this metro run to a median of $105,360 but Columbus residents in that group report a median of $70,666. Employers here are drawing that talent from outside the city line.
Across the groups we cover, Columbus earnings run from $36,657 in sales and related to $85,077 in computer and mathematical, a spread of 2.3x. A band set from the wrong end of that range is the most common reason a search here stalls.
Columbus is the 1st largest of the 4 Ohio cities we publish data for, at 938,396 people, spanning 3 counties.
What does a search cost here?
The same as anywhere. Location does not move the fee and neither does salary. Tier is set by the seniority of the role, and across all six tiers the published range is $6,240 to $54,340 per search. For scale, the highest published median wage in this metro is $167,630 for computer and information systems managers. A contingency firm hiring at that level would bill roughly $33,526 to $50,289 on the first year salary alone.
Price a Columbus search
Eight questions about the role. Your tier range appears on screen, with the contingency comparison if you are paying one now.