Compliance Officer Salary in 2026: National, by State, City, Specialty & Real Value
A compliance officer in the United States earns a median of $80,730 a year, about $38.81 an hour, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025). Pay runs from roughly $48,220 at the 10th percentile to $133,720 at the 90th, and it swings further once you account for state, metro, setting, specialty, cost of living, and tax. About 417,070 compliance officers work nationwide. This guide is the complete picture: national and percentile pay, all 50 states ranked by real (cost-adjusted) value, top metros, settings, specialties, take-home after tax, the path in, the return on the degree, and answers to the questions people ask most.
- National pay overview
- Pay by experience
- Salary by state: all 50 states ranked by real value
- Highest-paying metros
- Salary by work setting
- How it compares to related careers
- Skills, certifications, and what they mean for pay
- Specialties and where the pay is
- What moves the pay
- Salary, hourly, and total compensation
- Take-home pay after tax
- How to maximize earnings
- How pay is changing
- Job outlook
- How to become a compliance officer
- Is it worth it? The return on the degree
- Frequently asked questions
- State guides and tools
National pay overview
The national median for compliance officers is $80,730 a year ($38.81 an hour), with a mean of $88,400. The full wage curve, from entry to senior:
| Percentile | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (entry) | $48,220 | $23.18 |
| 25th | $61,280 | $29.46 |
| 50th (median) | $80,730 | $38.81 |
| 75th | $109,010 | $52.41 |
| 90th (senior) | $133,720 | $64.29 |
The gap from the 10th to the 90th percentile is about $85,500. A single national number hides that range, which is why the rest of this guide breaks pay down by every factor that moves it, and then translates the headline into cost-adjusted, after-tax dollars.
The mean of $88,400 sits above the median, which tells you the top of the field pulls the average up: a meaningful share of compliance officers earn well into the upper percentiles through specialty, setting, geography, and seniority. The practical question is what you can earn given where you work, what you specialize in, and how you structure your hours, which matters far more than the field-wide average. Each section below answers one piece of that.
Pay by experience
BLS does not publish pay by years of experience, but the percentiles map closely to a career arc:
| Stage | Typical percentile | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| New graduate | 10th to 25th | $48,220 to $61,280 |
| Mid-career | ~50th | around $80,730 |
| Experienced | ~75th | around $109,010 |
| Senior / specialized / lead | 90th+ | $133,720 and up |
The climb from new graduate to senior is roughly $85,500. Early raises tend to come fastest as you move off new-grad pay; by mid-career the curve flattens, and the people who keep climbing usually do so by specializing, switching to a higher-paying setting or state, taking on lead and management duties, or adding hours through overtime and extra work. Geography and setting can outweigh experience entirely: an experienced compliance officer in a low-paying state can earn less than a new graduate in a top-paying one.
Salary by state: all 50 states ranked by real value
This is the table most compliance officer salary pages leave out. Below are every state and Washington, D.C., ranked by real value (the median adjusted for that state’s cost of living (BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024)) rather than by sticker pay. A high-paying state with high costs can leave you worse off than a moderate-paying, low-cost one. Tap a linked state for the full local breakdown.
| # | State | Median (nominal) | Cost level (US=100) | Real value | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $111,030 | 109.9 | $101,027 | 4,380 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $102,060 | 105.8 | $96,504 | 13,190 |
| 3 | Vermont | $90,420 | 98.0 | $92,305 | 1,960 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $100,000 | 108.8 | $91,908 | 13,310 |
| 5 | Delaware | $91,050 | 99.8 | $91,225 | 2,150 |
| 6 | North Dakota | $79,440 | 89.0 | $89,300 | 990 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $91,810 | 103.6 | $88,611 | 3,610 |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | $85,580 | 97.6 | $87,710 | 19,810 |
| 9 | California | $96,980 | 110.7 | $87,590 | 49,880 |
| 10 | Minnesota | $85,920 | 98.6 | $87,121 | 6,140 |
| 11 | Maine | $83,740 | 97.0 | $86,285 | 1,790 |
| 12 | Wyoming | $79,890 | 92.7 | $86,190 | 580 |
| 13 | Iowa | $75,620 | 87.8 | $86,165 | 3,660 |
| 14 | Rhode Island | $87,620 | 102.3 | $85,667 | 970 |
| 15 | Indiana | $78,770 | 93.3 | $84,400 | 5,120 |
| 16 | Wisconsin | $78,800 | 94.1 | $83,745 | 5,710 |
| 17 | New York | $90,080 | 107.9 | $83,468 | 23,500 |
| 18 | North Carolina | $78,500 | 94.3 | $83,222 | 11,320 |
| 19 | Washington | $88,790 | 107.0 | $82,971 | 11,130 |
| 20 | Alabama | $72,990 | 88.8 | $82,175 | 3,770 |
| 21 | Nebraska | $73,920 | 90.1 | $82,039 | 3,470 |
| 22 | South Dakota | $72,630 | 88.6 | $81,988 | 1,130 |
| 23 | Ohio | $75,030 | 92.8 | $80,874 | 11,240 |
| 24 | Maryland | $84,720 | 105.0 | $80,717 | 10,100 |
| 25 | Illinois | $80,550 | 100.0 | $80,584 | 10,650 |
| 26 | South Carolina | $75,460 | 93.7 | $80,492 | 4,760 |
| 27 | Michigan | $77,390 | 96.2 | $80,433 | 9,720 |
| 28 | Oregon | $82,990 | 103.4 | $80,291 | 5,360 |
| 29 | Colorado | $82,450 | 103.1 | $80,008 | 7,740 |
| 30 | Louisiana | $70,290 | 88.2 | $79,688 | 3,970 |
| 31 | Virginia | $80,380 | 101.1 | $79,502 | 15,190 |
| 32 | New Hampshire | $82,800 | 104.2 | $79,489 | 1,730 |
| 33 | Idaho | $75,450 | 95.5 | $79,010 | 1,660 |
| 34 | Nevada | $78,290 | 100.0 | $78,306 | 4,400 |
| 35 | Texas | $75,370 | 97.1 | $77,655 | 42,900 |
| 36 | Mississippi | $67,450 | 87.0 | $77,571 | 1,720 |
| 37 | Kansas | $69,740 | 90.1 | $77,430 | 3,560 |
| 38 | Kentucky | $69,240 | 90.2 | $76,798 | 4,360 |
| 39 | Hawaii | $82,590 | 110.0 | $75,115 | 1,270 |
| 40 | Alaska | $76,430 | 102.4 | $74,669 | 920 |
| 41 | Arizona | $74,920 | 100.7 | $74,416 | 12,430 |
| 42 | Arkansas | $64,680 | 86.9 | $74,399 | 3,120 |
| 43 | Missouri | $67,270 | 90.8 | $74,072 | 7,000 |
| 44 | New Mexico | $67,990 | 92.2 | $73,732 | 2,400 |
| 45 | Georgia | $70,200 | 96.3 | $72,902 | 14,390 |
| 46 | Florida | $74,920 | 103.4 | $72,447 | 29,680 |
| 47 | West Virginia | $64,270 | 89.5 | $71,812 | 1,720 |
| 48 | Oklahoma | $63,000 | 87.8 | $71,719 | 4,230 |
| 49 | Montana | $66,660 | 94.6 | $70,432 | 1,480 |
| 50 | Tennessee | $63,960 | 91.9 | $69,620 | 7,990 |
| 51 | Utah | $67,370 | 98.9 | $68,144 | 3,760 |
On real, cost-adjusted value, District of Columbia leads at $101,027, while Utah trails at $68,144. By raw sticker pay the order is different: District of Columbia ($111,030), Massachusetts ($102,060), and New Jersey ($100,000) pay the most nominally, but several of them slide down the list once high housing and prices are counted. That reordering is the single most useful thing this page does, and it is why national averages and sticker rankings can steer you wrong.
Concrete example of the flip: Hawaii ranks #17 by sticker pay ($82,590) but only #39 once its cost level of 110 is applied, because high prices eat the higher salary. Meanwhile Alabama looks middling on sticker (#37) yet climbs to #20 on real value, since a 72,990-dollar median goes much further at a cost level of 89. If you are willing to relocate, the real-value column, not the sticker column, is the one that should guide the decision.
The geographic pattern: the highest sticker pay clusters on the West Coast and in the Northeast, while the best real value often shows up in lower-cost states in the South, Midwest, and Mountain West where a strong salary meets cheap housing. There is no single best state, only the best fit for where you want to live and what your money will buy there.
Highest-paying metros
Within states, metros drive pay further. The largest compliance officer job markets by employment, with median pay:
| Metro | Median | Employed |
|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY | $101,050 | 23,380 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $94,810 | 17,700 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC | $100,200 | 13,820 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $77,760 | 12,530 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA | $103,940 | 10,920 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $79,770 | 10,530 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $72,810 | 9,170 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $78,860 | 8,450 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA | $83,000 | 8,370 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL | $82,020 | 8,320 |
The same cost-of-living rule applies inside a state: a higher-paying big metro can lose to a cheaper mid-size city once housing is counted. Big metros also hold the deepest job markets, so they pair the most pay with the most openings, while rural and smaller markets sometimes pay premiums to attract candidates. The state pages work the metro and cost math out city by city.
Salary by work setting
Where compliance officers work changes pay as much as geography. National medians by employer type:
| Setting | Employed (U.S.) | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) | 66,840 | $105,660 |
| State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 44,300 | $67,390 |
| Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 31,750 | $68,650 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 23,550 | $88,660 |
| Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (5221 and 5223 only) | 15,140 | $84,590 |
| Insurance Carriers | 12,050 | $81,010 |
| Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services | 11,540 | $81,180 |
The gap between the highest- and lowest-paying settings is real money over a career, and it usually comes with trade-offs in pace, caseload, autonomy, and schedule rather than in difficulty alone. The largest employer is not always the best payer, so it is worth weighing where the volume of jobs is against where the pay is when you choose a setting.
How it compares to related careers
It helps to see a compliance officer beside the roles people weigh against it, with pay set next to the education each requires:
| Role | National median | Education |
|---|---|---|
| Compliance Officer (this role) | $80,730 | Bachelor’s |
| Financial Examiner | $94,160 | Bachelor’s |
| Financial Manager | $166,570 | Bachelor’s + experience |
| Chief Executive | $213,990 | Bachelor’s + experience |
The higher-paid financial examiner ($94,160) sits $13,430 above, but on a longer or different training path. The right comparison is always pay set against the time, cost, and debt of the credential, not pay alone.
Skills, certifications, and what they mean for pay
There is no single license; what gates pay is the industry and the certifications you hold. A bachelor’s is typical, and credentials like CAMS (anti-money-laundering), CRCM (regulatory compliance), or CCEP signal expertise. The biggest pay differences come from the industry, finance, banking, healthcare, and pharmaceutical compliance pay above general roles, and from specialization in high-stakes areas like AML, securities, or data privacy.
Licensing is not just a hurdle, it shapes pay. Where a role can practice more independently or bill for more services, it tends to command more, and license portability between states affects how easily you can chase a higher-paying market. Always confirm the current rules with the relevant state board, since scope and requirements change and vary widely.
Specialties and where the pay is
Pay rises with industry and specialization. Compliance in banking, securities, healthcare, and pharmaceuticals pays above general corporate compliance, and high-demand niches, anti-money-laundering, data privacy, and regulatory affairs, command premiums. The path up runs from officer to compliance manager, director, and Chief Compliance Officer, where pay climbs well above the staff median.
The practical takeaway: within compliance officers, specialty and setting usually move pay more than another year of general experience. The top earners are rarely just the most tenured, they are the ones in the higher-paying focus areas, settings, or leadership and ownership roles.
If you are early in the field, the decisions with the biggest long-run payoff are which specialty to pursue and which setting to enter, because both compound over a career and are easier to choose early than to switch later. A credential that takes a year to earn can pay for itself many times over through higher pay and more job options, which is the same logic the ROI section applies to the degree itself.
What moves the pay
- State and metro, and crucially the cost of living that goes with them, which the real-value table reorders.
- Experience, which lifts pay steadily and then plateaus without a specialty or a step up.
- Work setting and employer, since some settings and employers pay well above others, as the settings table shows.
- Specialty and board certification, a clear premium in most of these fields.
- Hours and structure, since overtime, extra shifts, and contract or travel work can push total pay well above base.
Salary, hourly, and total compensation
The $80,730 median is base pay, and real total compensation often runs higher. Most compliance roles are salaried, with variable pay from annual bonuses and, at larger and public companies (especially in finance), some equity at senior levels. The biggest long-run lever is specializing in a high-stakes regulated industry and advancing toward compliance director and Chief Compliance Officer. When comparing offers, weigh the whole package, base, any bonus or equity, overtime or premiums where they apply, retirement match, and paid time off, since two offers with the same base can differ by thousands once the rest is counted.
Take-home pay after tax
Two compliance officers on the same $80,730 salary keep very different amounts depending on the state. Worked examples on the national median, single filer, 2026 federal plus FICA plus state:
| State | Gross | Est. take-home | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas (no state income tax) | $80,730 | $65,180 | 19.3% |
| New York | $80,730 | $61,344 | 24.0% |
| California | $80,730 | $61,645 | 23.6% |
That is roughly $3,535 a year more in take-home in no-tax Texas than in California on an identical salary, before cost of living is even counted. Nine states levy no income tax.
Take-home also scales with where you sit on the pay curve. In Texas, an entry-level compliance officer earning $61,280 nets about $51,277, while a senior one at $133,720 keeps about $102,151, since higher pay pushes more income into higher federal brackets. The effective rate climbs with income, so a raise is worth somewhat less on take-home than on the headline. Every state page includes a full breakdown and a paycheck calculator to run your own number.
How to maximize earnings
- Target a high-real-value state or metro using the table above, not the highest sticker.
- Move into the higher-paying setting and specialty for your field.
- Add board certification or a specialty credential, which pays a clear premium.
- Use overtime, contract, or travel work to lift total pay, and negotiate the full package.
- Consider leadership or ownership for the higher ceiling.
How pay is changing
Wages for compliance officers have broadly risen with demand and inflation, but the real story is in the mix: pay grows fastest where labor is scarce and where the role takes on more responsibility. Watch three things if you are planning a career here, the spread between settings (which keeps widening as specialized and higher-skill roles pull ahead), the value of cost-of-living arbitrage (a strong salary in a cheap state has rarely been worth more relative to expensive coastal markets), and the premium on specialty credentials. The figures on this page are the May 2025 BLS estimates, the most recent national data, and the state pages carry the same detail locally.
Job outlook
Employment of compliance officers is projected to grow about 3% from 2024 to 2034, about as fast as the average for all occupations, with roughly 33,300 openings a year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. As businesses and government agencies face complex, changing regulations, compliance officers are needed to interpret the rules and help employers avoid the heavy costs of noncompliance, keeping demand steady.
For context, the average growth rate across all U.S. occupations through 2034 is about 3%. A large share of yearly openings also comes from replacing workers who retire or move on, so real hiring tends to run ahead of the net-growth figure, and shortage and rural areas often pay the most to attract candidates.
How to become a compliance officer
Compliance is a bachelor’s-level field where industry and certification drive pay:
- Earn a bachelor’s in business, finance, law, or a related field.
- Learn the regulations for a target industry such as banking, healthcare, or securities.
- Earn a certification (CAMS, CRCM, or CCEP) to signal expertise and raise pay.
- Specialize in a high-stakes area and advance toward compliance manager, director, and Chief Compliance Officer.
Is it worth it? The return on the degree
A bachelor’s plus a compliance certification delivers a solid return against a median near $80,730, with stable, regulation-driven demand. The larger gains come from specializing in a high-stakes regulated industry and advancing toward compliance director and Chief Compliance Officer. Weigh program cost, your starting state and setting, and the specialties you can reach against the debt. The pay tables above, set next to the education column in the comparison section, are the honest way to run that math before committing.
Two levers change the answer most: the price of the program you choose, since cost varies enormously between public and private schools, and the state and setting you start in, since the same degree pays very differently across the by-state and settings tables above. A graduate who controls program cost and starts in a high-real-value state can clear the debt years faster than one who does neither, on the identical credential.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a compliance officer make?
The U.S. median is $80,730 a year, about $38.81 an hour (BLS, 2025), ranging from roughly $48,220 at the 10th percentile to $133,720 at the 90th.
What is the highest-paying state for compliance officers?
By sticker pay, District of Columbia ($111,030) leads. But adjusted for cost of living, District of Columbia delivers the most real value ($101,027). The full ranking is in the by-state table.
Do compliance officers make six figures?
Many do. The median is $80,730, and compliance officers in top-paying states, metros, and specialties often reach six figures.
What is the entry-level salary for compliance officers?
New graduates typically start around the 10th to 25th percentile, roughly $48,220 to $61,280, rising with experience, setting, and specialty.
Where do compliance officers earn the most after cost of living?
On real value, District of Columbia, Massachusetts, and Vermont top the list. High-sticker states often fall once their housing and prices are counted.
Can compliance officers increase pay with overtime or extra work?
Yes. At $38.81 an hour, overtime at time-and-a-half is about $58.22, and contract or travel roles pay higher hourly rates in exchange for fewer benefits, so total pay can run well above the salary median.
Do these roles pay more in states with no income tax?
On take-home, yes. On the median salary, a single filer keeps about $3,535 more a year in no-tax Texas than in California, before cost of living.
What education do you need to become a compliance officer?
A bachelor’s in business, finance, law, or a related field is typical; there is no single license. Certifications such as CAMS, CRCM, or CCEP are common and can raise pay and prospects.
Is compliance officer a good career?
For most, yes. At a median near $80,730, compliance offers stable demand across regulated industries and a clear path into management. Pay is strongest in finance, healthcare, and pharma and in specialized niches like AML and data privacy, and the ceiling at director and Chief Compliance Officer is high.
What setting pays compliance officers the most?
Nationally, federal executive branch (oews designation) and the higher-paying employer types in the settings table tend to lead, while others pay somewhat less. Specialty and setting matter as much as the employer category.
How long does it take to become a compliance officer?
About four years for a bachelor’s to enter. Certifications add a few months of study and some experience, and advancing into compliance management takes additional years.
What is the highest a compliance officer can earn?
The top 10% earn above $133,720, and the ceiling climbs higher with leadership, ownership, specialty certification, and high-cost metros, plus overtime, contract, and travel pay layered on top of base.
Is the compliance officer field oversaturated?
Employment of compliance officers is projected to grow about 3% from 2024 to 2034, about as fast as the average for all occupations, with roughly 33,300 openings a year, according to the U. Demand varies by region and setting, and rural and shortage areas often compete hardest on pay, so saturation is local rather than national.
Do compliance officers get paid salary or hourly?
Almost always salaried, with variable pay from annual bonuses and, at senior levels in larger companies (especially finance), some equity. Overtime is not the main lever.
Can compliance officers work part-time or flexibly?
Yes, with contract, consulting, and remote compliance roles available, and experienced officers often doing independent or fractional compliance advisory work for smaller firms.
What earns more than a compliance officer?
Financial Examiner, at a national median of $94,160, about $13,430 more, though on a longer or different training path.
How much do these roles vary by state?
A lot. State medians span more than $48,030, and after cost of living and state tax the real ranking shifts again. That is what the by-state and take-home sections are for.
State guides and tools
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 and Occupational Outlook Handbook (SOC 13-1041 and related codes); national, state, and metro estimates. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024. Take-home figures are 2026 estimates (federal, FICA, and state) for a single filer and will vary with deductions and filing status. See our methodology.