Compliance Officers: salary, outlook & degrees
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.
Middle half $61,280–$109,010. 417,070 jobs.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
73% hold a bachelor's or higher. Those with one: $75,174.
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers with at least a high school diploma; EducationGuide calculation
About 32,700 openings a year, including replacements.
BLS Employment Projections 2025-35
Considerable preparation (usually a bachelor's).
BLS; O*NET 31.0 job zone
Degrees that lead to this career
What workers ages 25-34 in this job studied, among those with a bachelor's or higher. This is what people actually did, not a requirement.
| Field of bachelor's degree | Share | Degree pages |
|---|---|---|
| Business Management And Administration | 7% | Business Administration |
| Criminal Justice And Fire Protection | 6% | Criminal Justice · Security / Homeland Security |
| Biology | 6% | Biology |
| Political Science And Government | 5% | Political Science |
| Psychology | 5% | Psychology |
| Finance | 4% | Finance · Insurance |
| Accounting | 4% | Accounting |
| Environmental Science | 3% | Environmental Science / Conservation |
| General Business | 3% | Business |
| Economics | 2% | Economics |
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata (ages 25-34, employed, bachelor's or higher; top 10 fields); EducationGuide calculation.
Pay by state and metro
| State | Median wage |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $111,030 |
| Massachusetts | $102,060 |
| New Jersey | $100,000 |
| California | $96,980 |
| Connecticut | $91,810 |
| Delaware | $91,050 |
| Vermont | $90,420 |
| New York | $90,080 |
| Washington | $88,790 |
| Rhode Island | $87,620 |
| Minnesota | $85,920 |
| Pennsylvania | $85,580 |
| Maryland | $84,720 |
| Maine | $83,740 |
| Oregon | $82,990 |
| New Hampshire | $82,800 |
| Hawaii | $82,590 |
| Colorado | $82,450 |
| Illinois | $80,550 |
| Virginia | $80,380 |
| Wyoming | $79,890 |
| North Dakota | $79,440 |
| Wisconsin | $78,800 |
| Indiana | $78,770 |
| North Carolina | $78,500 |
| Nevada | $78,290 |
| Michigan | $77,390 |
| Alaska | $76,430 |
| Iowa | $75,620 |
| South Carolina | $75,460 |
| Idaho | $75,450 |
| Texas | $75,370 |
| Ohio | $75,030 |
| Arizona | $74,920 |
| Florida | $74,920 |
| Nebraska | $73,920 |
| Alabama | $72,990 |
| South Dakota | $72,630 |
| GU | $71,930 |
| Louisiana | $70,290 |
| Georgia | $70,200 |
| Kansas | $69,740 |
| Kentucky | $69,240 |
| New Mexico | $67,990 |
| VI | $67,990 |
| Mississippi | $67,450 |
| Utah | $67,370 |
| Missouri | $67,270 |
| Montana | $66,660 |
| Arkansas | $64,680 |
| West Virginia | $64,270 |
| Tennessee | $63,960 |
| Oklahoma | $63,000 |
| PR | $48,950 |
Florida metro areas
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach$79,770
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater$75,920
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford$70,930
- Jacksonville$76,760
- Tallahassee$49,100
- Cape Coral-Fort Myers$72,480
- Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville$84,230
- North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota$68,310
Virginia metro areas
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria$100,200
- Richmond$77,060
- Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk$78,330
- Roanoke$64,390
- Charlottesville$78,540
- Lynchburg$63,780
- Kingsport-Bristol$63,860
- Harrisonburg$72,680
California metro areas
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim$94,810
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont$118,890
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad$101,230
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario$79,920
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom$95,220
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara$123,730
- Fresno$79,830
- El Centro$106,750
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: median annual wage, all workers in the job. Metro areas: the largest by employment.
What the work takes
Top skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
- Active Listening
- Writing
- Critical Thinking
Knowledge used
- Law and Government
- English Language
- Customer and Personal Service
- Public Safety and Security
- Computers and Electronics
Work styles
- Integrity
- Dependability
- Attention to Detail
- Cautiousness
- Self-Control
People in this job tend to have Conventional (organizing), Enterprising (leading) interests.
O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0): skills and knowledge by importance; work styles; interest high points.
Compliance Officers: questions
How much do compliance Officers make?
Compliance Officers earn a U.S. median $80,730 a year; the middle half earn $61,280 to $109,010 (BLS, May 2025). Workers ages 25-34 in this job earn a median $69,037 (Census ACS 2020-2024).
Is compliance Officers a growing field?
BLS projects growth of 3.8% from 2025 to 2035, with about 32,700 openings a year, including replacements.
What degree do you need to be a compliance Officer?
BLS lists the typical entry education as bachelor's degree. Among workers ages 25-34 with a bachelor's, the most common field of degree is business Management And Administration (7%).
How much do compliance Officers make in Florida?
The median in Florida is $74,920 a year (BLS, May 2025), compared with $80,730 nationally.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35); O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0); U.S. Census Bureau ACS microdata. SOC 13-1041. Method
Data: JSON · Markdown · all careers
Cite this: “Compliance Officers: salary, outlook and degrees,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/careers/compliance-officers.