Compliance Officers

More data on this career

Pay by education level. Among full-time, year-round workers ages 25 to 64 in the occupation group that includes compliance officers (7 related careers are counted together), median yearly pay is $60,900 with a high school diploma or GED, $69,000 with some college or an associate's degree, $86,300 with a bachelor's degree and $101,500 with a master's degree or higher (Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2024 dollars). Pay differs for many reasons besides education, such as experience, employer and location.

Industries that employ this career. The largest shares of workers in the occupation group that includes compliance officers (7 related careers are counted together) work in Public Administration (29%), Finance and Insurance (21%), Manufacturing (10%) and Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (9%) (Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2024).

Where the jobs are, and what they pay by industry. Nationwide, the industries that employ the most workers in the occupation group that includes compliance officers (7 related careers are counted together) are Federal Executive Branch (16% of the jobs counted, median pay $105,660), State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (11% of the jobs counted, median pay $67,390), Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (8% of the jobs counted, median pay $68,650), Management of Companies and Enterprises (6% of the jobs counted, median pay $88,660) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). Among large industries, the highest median pay is in Scientific Research and Development Services ($107,410), Federal Executive Branch ($105,660), Management of Companies and Enterprises ($88,660). Pay differs by industry for many reasons, including the mix of jobs and where employers are located.

What workers studied. Among workers in the occupation group that includes compliance officers (7 related careers are counted together) with a bachelor's degree or higher, the most common fields of the bachelor's degree are Business Management and Administration (10%), Criminal Justice and Fire Protection (5%), Psychology (5%) and Political Science and Government (4%) (Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2024).

Injury and illness rates. For the occupation group that includes compliance officers (7 related careers are counted together) (BLS category "Compliance officers"), employers reported 29.5 nonfatal injury and illness cases with days away from work per 10,000 full-time workers, compared with 94.6 for all U.S. workers; the median case kept the worker away 8 days (all workers: 8) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023-2024). Rates reflect the work setting as well as the occupation.

Union membership. In the broad group "Business and financial operations", which includes this career, 4.7% of wage and salary workers belong to a union (all U.S. workers: 10.0%); median weekly pay is $1,564 for union members and $1,657 for workers not in a union (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, 2025). This is a group figure, not specific to compliance officers.

Wages employers offered H-1B workers. For the occupation group that includes compliance officers (the Department reports one figure for the 6-digit occupation code, which covers 7 related careers), employers filed 1,129 certified Labor Condition Applications for H-1B workers covering 1,229 worker positions in FY2025, with a median lower-bound wage offered of $87,400 (the middle half ran from $68,800 to $112,700) (U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification). These are wages named in employers' applications to hire temporary foreign workers, usually in jobs that need at least a bachelor's degree. They are not what every worker in the occupation earns. The Department of Labor has not endorsed this presentation.

Employer benefits. In the broad group "Management, business, and financial", which includes this career, 91% of civilian workers had access to an employer retirement plan, 94% had access to employer medical care benefits, and 97% had paid sick leave, 97% paid vacation and 96% paid holidays (all civilian workers: 75%, 74%, 83%, 77% and 79%) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Compensation Survey, March 2026). This is a group figure, not specific to compliance officers, and having access to a benefit does not mean every worker uses it. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has not endorsed this presentation. Employers spent about $89.14 per hour worked on total compensation for the occupational group "Management, business and financial" in June 2026 ($59.62 in wages and salaries and $29.52 in benefits, 33.1% of the total; all civilian workers: $49.46, with 31.6% in benefits) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation).

Related careers. O*NET lists these occupations as similar to compliance officers in the work done and the skills used: Compliance Managers, Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs, Government Property Inspectors and Investigators, Environmental Compliance Inspectors, Regulatory Affairs Specialists, Paralegals and Legal Assistants, Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators, Equal Opportunity Representatives and Officers (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).

Pay by state. See what compliance officers earn in each state, with the pay range and number of jobs: Compliance Officers salary by state (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025).

Compare compliance officers with other careers (pay, growth, openings and education side by side).

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 PUMS (MajorPays' own estimates from the survey; Census is credited as the source of the original data and has not endorsed them); BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses; BLS Current Population Survey; BLS National Compensation Survey (employee benefits); HRSA National Center for Health Workforce Analysis; U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification (LCA disclosure data, FY2025). MajorPays has selected and reorganized these figures; these agencies have not approved or endorsed them. See it interactively →