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The national median salary for Compliance Officers is $80,725 per year ($38.81/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $61,277 and $109,013 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $133,723 per year. There are approximately 417,070 compliance officers employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Examine, evaluate, and investigate eligibility for or conformity with laws and regulations governing contract compliance of licenses and permits, and perform other compliance and enforcement inspection and analysis activities not classified elsewhere.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+3.0%
About as fast as average
Annual openings
33K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
418K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
4% from new growth96% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Bachelor's degree
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999100
67K
$105,660
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999200
44K
$67,390
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999300
32K
$68,650
Management of Companies and Enterprises
NAICS 551100
24K
$88,660
Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (5221 and 5223 only)
NAICS 5220A1
15K
$84,590
Wage range across top 5 industries: $67,390 to $105,660 (57% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$23.18
$48,214
P25
$29.46
$61,277
P50MEDIAN
$38.81
$80,725
P75
$52.41
$109,013
P90
$64.29
$133,723
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · finance sector
Hot
Openings Rate
6.0%
Quits Rate
1.2%
Finance and Insurance openings surged to 428K (+98K) in March, pushing the openings rate to 6.0% -- the highest in any major sector. Quits ticked up to 1.2%. Demand for finance talent has reaccelerated sharply.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average compliance officers salary?
The national median salary for Compliance Officers is $80,725 per year ($38.81/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $61,277 and $109,013 annually.
How much do top-earning compliance officers make?
The 90th percentile salary for Compliance Officers is $133,723 per year ($64.29/hr). The 75th percentile is $109,013 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for compliance officers?
Entry-level Compliance Officers (10th percentile) earn approximately $48,214 per year ($23.18/hr). The 25th percentile is $61,277 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.