How Much Does a Customer Onboarding Specialist Make? (2025)
Understanding the customer onboarding specialist salary is important for employers and job candidates. As of June 10, 2025, the average onboarding specialist salary in the United States is $62,600 per year or $26 per hour.
This salary guide covers the onboarding specialist role, including what the job involves, how much it pays, and the factors that affect salary.
What Does a Customer Onboarding Specialist Do?
Customer onboarding specialists help new customers through the entire onboarding process to ensure a smooth transition to using a product or service. They set up accounts, provide training, answer questions, solve problems, and track progress. They also help customers understand key product features and how to use them effectively.
This role is common in tech, finance, healthcare, and other service-based industries. According to Salary.com’s data, this career path typically requires a bachelor's degree and 0 to 2 years of related experience.
What is Customer Onboarding Specialist Salary Overview?
As mentioned above, the average customer onboarding specialist salary in the United States is $62,600 per year or $26 per hour, as of June 10, 2025.
Based on our data, the customer onboarding specialist salary is between $50,564 to $75,973 per year, with most earning reported between $56,300 and $69,600. The customer onboarding specialist salary per month is $4,500.
Moreover, customer onboarding specialists often earn an average of $26 per hour, with hourly rates ranging from $21 to $34. The average weekly salary for customer onboarding specialists is $1,038, with pay ranging from $851 to $1,362.
2025 Customer Onboarding Specialist Average Salary: $62,600 per year ($26 per hour)
Meanwhile, the core median salary for customer onboarding specialists is $64,900 per year. This includes salary and bonuses and varies depending on the percentile.
| Percentile | Salary + Bonus |
|---|---|
| 10th Percentile | $52,100 |
| 25th Percentile | $58,200 |
| 50th Percentile | $64,900 |
| 75th Percentile | $73,000 |
| 90th Percentile | $80,375 |
The average total salary for customer onboarding specialists is $93,733, according to our report. The total compensation package for the job title includes benefits like healthcare ($8,352), time off ($7,988), and Social Security ($4,965), which make up 22.7% of the total compensation.
| Core Compensation | ||
|---|---|---|
| Median | % of Total | |
| Base Salary | $62,600 | 68.8% |
| Bonus | $2,300 | 2.5% |
| Value of Benefits | ||
| Social Security | $4,965 | 5.3% |
| 401K/403B | $2,726 | 2.9% |
| Disability | $1,298 | 1.4% |
| Healthcare | $8,352 | 8.9% |
| Pension | $3,505 | 3.7% |
| Time Off | $7,988 | 8.5% |
| Total Compensation | $93,773 | 100% |
What Can Affect Customer Onboarding Specialist Salaries?
The salary of customer onboarding specialists varies based on factors such as experience, geographical location, and skills. Here's a breakdown of these key factors:
By Experience Level
According to our report, customer onboarding specialists with less than one year of experience earn an average salary of $61,052 per year. In contrast, those with eight or more years of experience can expect to earn an average of $63,503 per year.
| Levels | Salary |
|---|---|
| Entry Level Customer Onboarding Specialist | $61,052 |
| Intermediate Level Customer Onboarding Specialist | $62,137 |
| Senior Level Customer Onboarding Specialist | $63,048 |
| Specialist Level Customer Onboarding Specialist | $63,321 |
| Expert Level Customer Onboarding Specialist | $63,503 |
By Geographic Location
Apart from experience level, the salary of a customer onboarding specialist in the United States also varies by location, influenced by factors such as cost of living, local economy, and industry presence.
For example, among major cities in the United States, San Jose has the highest average salary at $79,000 per year, while Miami and Dallas report lower median salaries of $60,200 and $61,800 per year, respectively.
| City | 25th Percentile | 50th Percentile | 75th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, California | $79,900 | $79,000 | $87,700 |
| San Francisco, California | $70,200 | $78,200 | $86,900 |
| Washington, D.C. | $62,300 | $69,300 | $77,000 |
| Miami, Florida | $4,000 | $60,200 | $66,800 |
| Chicago, Illinois | $58,100 | $64,700 | $71,900 |
| Boston, Massachusetts | $56,236 | $69,800 | $77,600 |
| New York, New York | $65,200 | $72,600 | $80,600 |
| Dallas, Texas | $55,500 | $61,800 | $68,700 |
By Skills
High-demand skills drive salary increases for customer onboarding specialists. Our Real-Time Job Posting Salary Data Report shows that those with customer success skills see a salary increase of +15.76%, while those with customer onboarding skills see an increase of +9.96%. The demand for these skills is 26.92% and 12.23%, respectively.
| Skill | Salary Growth | Demand |
|---|---|---|
| Customer Success | +15.76% | 26.92% |
| Customer Onboarding | +9.96% | 12.23% |
| Customer Engagement | +9.89% | 12.03% |
| Sales Process | +9.63% | 12.43% |
| Customer Retention | +9.45% | 12.03% |
| Knowledge of Customers | +9.35% | 12.43% |
How to Become a Customer Onboarding Specialist
If you're eyeing to become a customer onboarding specialist, you’ll need a mix of communication skills, product knowledge, and a customer-first mindset. Here’s how to become one:
- Get education: Most customer onboarding specialists have a bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, communications, or a related field. These programs teach skills like customer service, project coordination, and business communication. Taking courses in public speaking, writing, and basic technology during high school can help with early preparation.
- Gain experience: Entry-level roles in customer service, sales support, or technical support are common starting points. These positions help build familiarity with handling customer needs, solving problems, and using CRM tools.
- Develop key skills: Customer onboarding specialists need to communicate clearly with clients and coworkers. They must be organized, patient, and comfortable using digital tools. Skills like customer success, customer onboarding, customer engagement, and sales process can also lead to higher pay and career growth, especially in SaaS companies.
What are the FAQs about Customer Onboarding Specialist?
Here are some common questions about customer onboarding specialist salary:
Is an onboarding specialist a good job?
Yes, an onboarding specialist is generally considered a good job. It’s an important role that helps improve employee retention, satisfaction, and productivity, or boosts customer loyalty, user engagement, and product use in a business.
What skills do you need to be a customer onboarding specialist?
The skills you need to become a client onboarding specialist include strong communication, problem-solving, and product and technical knowledge. According to Salary.com’s report, the most in-demand skills right now are customer success, customer satisfaction, customer onboarding process, and customer complaint resolution.
What degree do you need to be an onboarding specialist?
The degree you need to become an onboarding specialist is typically a bachelor's degree in human resources management, business administration, communication, or a similar field.
What is the difference between HR and onboarding specialist?
The difference between HR specialists and onboarding specialists is that the former handles many tasks like hiring, managing benefits, dealing with employees, and following labor laws.
Meanwhile, the latter focuses on successful onboarding by helping new employees or users get started through training, paperwork, introductions, and familiarizing them with company culture. In customer roles, they handle user onboarding to guide new customers through using a product or service.
