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.
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.
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.
| 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 |
| 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 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.
| 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 |
| 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 |
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.