What a compliance officer earns, by metro
Median pay for compliance officers runs from $36,400 in Aguadilla to $123,730 in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara — a 3.4× range across 526 metropolitan areas. The national median of $80,730 sits inside that range but describes no particular market.
Compliance Officer — nationalBLS OEWS · May 2025
$80,730Median annual
$38.81Median hourly
$48,22010th percentile
$133,72090th percentile
417,070Employed nationally
Median means half earn more and half earn less — it says nothing about
how far. The percentile columns are where the information is.
The band is wide — outcomes vary a lot
The top tenth of compliance officers earn $133,720 or more; the bottom tenth earn under $48,220. That is a 2.77× gap within the same occupation, in the same year. A spread this wide means the job title is not what determines pay — specialisation, employer type, seniority or book of business is. Expect the early years to sit near the bottom of the band rather than the middle, and treat the $80,730 median as a waypoint, not a destination.
Where the money is
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (CA) leads and Aguadilla (PR) trails, but the gap is modest. For a role like this the more useful comparison is not between cities but between the 10th and 90th percentile within one — see the band above.
Highest paying metros
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $123,730 | $59.49 | 0.88 | 2,690 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $118,890 | $57.16 | 1.18 | 7,500 |
| Bellingham WA | $109,550 | $52.67 | 2.6 | 640 |
| El Centro CA | $106,750 | $51.32 | 4.81 | 840 |
| Brunswick-St. Simons GA | $106,330 | $51.12 | 5.36 | 670 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $103,940 | $49.97 | 1.51 | 10,920 |
| Alaska nonmetropolitan area | $102,370 | $49.22 | 0.68 | 200 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad CA | $101,230 | $48.67 | 1.48 | 6,120 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $101,050 | $48.58 | 0.92 | 23,380 |
| Kennewick-Richland WA | $100,440 | $48.29 | 1.16 | 400 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $100,200 | $48.17 | 1.64 | 13,820 |
| Idaho Falls ID | $99,040 | $47.62 | 1.03 | 230 |
| Boulder CO | $98,350 | $47.29 | 0.93 | 480 |
| Laredo TX | $98,180 | $47.20 | 4.9 | 1,440 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury CT | $97,920 | $47.08 | 0.73 | 790 |
| Capital/Northern New York nonmetropolitan area | $97,470 | $46.86 | 1.8 | 670 |
| Brownsville-Harlingen TX | $97,470 | $46.86 | 2.15 | 910 |
| New Haven CT | $96,220 | $46.26 | 0.67 | 500 |
| West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area | $96,200 | $46.25 | 0.98 | 230 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $95,850 | $46.08 | 1.15 | 6,440 |
| Lexington Park MD | $95,700 | $46.01 | 1.17 | 220 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom CA | $95,220 | $45.78 | 0.97 | 2,820 |
| Northeast Maine nonmetropolitan area | $94,990 | $45.67 | 1.8 | 300 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $94,810 | $45.58 | 1.05 | 17,700 |
| Northeast Minnesota nonmetropolitan area | $94,520 | $45.44 | 0.86 | 100 |
Lowest paying metros
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aguadilla PR | $36,400 | $17.50 | 3.03 | 400 |
| Rome GA | $39,000 | $18.75 | 1.09 | 130 |
| Southeast Missouri nonmetropolitan area | $42,870 | $20.61 | 1.07 | 470 |
| Jefferson City MO | $46,040 | $22.14 | 2.97 | 640 |
| Ponce PR | $46,780 | $22.49 | 1.18 | 200 |
| Guayama PR | $47,050 | $22.62 | 0.95 | 30 |
| Hot Springs AR | $48,430 | $23.28 | 0.34 | 30 |
| Tallahassee FL | $49,100 | $23.61 | 3.41 | 1,700 |
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas PR | $49,190 | $23.65 | 2.43 | 4,500 |
| Arecibo PR | $49,360 | $23.73 | 0.73 | 70 |
Eagle Pass is the cluster
Eagle Pass has 7.32× the national concentration of compliance officers — the densest market in the country for this role, with 370 employed locally. Pay there is $88,100, which does not put it near the top of the pay table. Concentration and compensation are different things — a dense market is easier to get hired in and easier to move around within, but the competition that makes it dense also caps what employers need to offer.
Where the role is most concentrated
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagle Pass TX | $88,100 | $42.36 | 7.32 | 370 |
| Brunswick-St. Simons GA | $106,330 | $51.12 | 5.36 | 670 |
| Laredo TX | $98,180 | $47.20 | 4.9 | 1,440 |
| El Centro CA | $106,750 | $51.32 | 4.81 | 840 |
| Burlington-South Burlington VT | $93,430 | $44.92 | 4.48 | 1,440 |
| Border Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area | $75,360 | $36.23 | 3.42 | 430 |
| Tallahassee FL | $49,100 | $23.61 | 3.41 | 1,700 |
| Sierra Vista-Douglas AZ | $90,290 | $43.41 | 3.36 | 310 |
| Yuma AZ | $64,820 | $31.17 | 3.17 | 590 |
| Helena MT | $63,740 | $30.64 | 3.1 | 370 |
| Aguadilla PR | $36,400 | $17.50 | 3.03 | 400 |
| Jefferson City MO | $46,040 | $22.14 | 2.97 | 640 |
Largest employers by metro
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $101,050 | $48.58 | 0.92 | 23,380 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $94,810 | $45.58 | 1.05 | 17,700 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $100,200 | $48.17 | 1.64 | 13,820 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $77,760 | $37.38 | 1.15 | 12,530 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $103,940 | $49.97 | 1.51 | 10,920 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach FL | $79,770 | $38.35 | 1.39 | 10,530 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA | $72,810 | $35.01 | 1.18 | 9,170 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX | $78,860 | $37.91 | 0.96 | 8,450 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD | $83,000 | $39.90 | 1.08 | 8,370 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $82,020 | $39.43 | 0.69 | 8,320 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler AZ | $74,240 | $35.69 | 1.25 | 7,980 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $118,890 | $57.16 | 1.18 | 7,500 |
Current openings
Remote Compliance Officer
New York-Newark-Jersey CityLos Angeles-Long Beach-AnaheimWashington-Arlington-AlexandriaDallas-Fort Worth-ArlingtonBoston-Cambridge-NewtonMiami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm BeachAtlanta-Sandy Springs-RoswellHouston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
About this data
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 13-1041. OEWS surveys employers, so it reports what is actually paid rather than what job advertisements claim, and it excludes the self-employed. Estimates cover 526 of 528 metropolitan areas — near-complete coverage, which means the ranges above are reliable rather than drawn from a handful of markets. Read the methodology.