Occupation salary profile

Compliance Officers

SOC 13-1041 BLS OEWS May 2025 H-1B LCAs, last 12 months

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. Excludes “Financial Examiners" (13-2061), “Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue Agents” (13-2081), “Occupational Health and Safety Specialists” (19-5011), “Occupational Health and Safety Technicians” (19-5012), “Transportation Security Screeners” (33-9093), “Agricultural Inspectors” (45-2011), “Construction and Building Inspectors” (47-4011), and “Transportation Inspectors” (53-6051).

National median · BLS
$80,730
▲ +2.95% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
$85,000
▼ -7.64% YoY · 1,067 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$88,400
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
417,070
Jobs (BLS)
Highest-paying state (cost-adjusted) Loading…
Most jobs Loading…
Highest-paying metro (cost-adjusted) Loading…

Check your salary

Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.

Pay range for Compliance Officers

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 1,067 certified Labor Condition Applications filed by sponsoring employers in the last 12 months.

Percentile All U.S. workers (BLS) H-1B sponsored
10th — entry pay$48,220$60,549
25th$61,280$68,000
Median (50th)$80,730$85,000
75th$109,010$112,736
90th — top pay$133,720$145,002
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $85,000 for Compliance Officers — 5.3% above the BLS national median of $80,730.

Hourly ⇄ annual pay

Type in either box; the other updates instantly.

Monthly—
Every 2 weeks—
Weekly—
Daily—
Based on hrs/week × weeks/year = 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Compliance Officers

BLS projects employment of compliance officers to grow 3.8% from 2025 to 2035, about the same as the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 32,700 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
436,400 → 453,100
+16,700 jobs
Projected change
+3.8%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
32,700
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Self-employed
0.7% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 4)
Considerable Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Fastest-growing jobs → Best-paying jobs that need a bachelor's degree →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035 · BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook →

H-1B sponsored pay

Pay by H-1B wage level

Employers assign every H-1B filing a Department of Labor prevailing-wage level, from Level I (entry) to Level IV (fully competent). Pay rises steeply with level.

H-1B median $85,000
Change vs prior year -7.64%
After inflation (CPI-U) -10.44%
Wage level LCAs Share P25 Median P75
Level I 261 24.5% $57,700 $62,587 $66,872
Level II 381 35.7% $72,322 $80,600 $94,300
Level III 199 18.7% $92,259 $100,000 $115,791
Level IV 214 20.1% $114,010 $135,000 $155,181
H-1B job titles

Salaries by job title in Compliance Officers

The 11 most-filed job titles inside SOC 13-1041, from 1,067 H-1B filings. Seniority words and level numbers are grouped (“Senior Data Engineer II” counts as Data Engineer). Tap a title for its full range, wage levels and the exact titles employers used.

Job title LCAs Share P25 Median P75 YoY
Regulatory Affairs Specialist 181 16.96% $72,862 $85,613 $105,000 -0.28%
Regulatory and Compliance Analyst 47 4.4% $65,000 $77,667 $86,115 -2.22%
Regulatory Affairs Associate 39 3.66% $64,028 $69,000 $80,600 -9.8%
Compliance Officer 37 3.47% $56,430 $63,600 $77,667 -2.15%
Regulatory Specialist 22 2.06% $67,912 $82,253 $110,750 -12.12%
Compliance Analyst 17 1.59% $53,560 $91,520 $93,600 +4.62%
Regulatory Affairs Analyst 14 1.31% $65,411 $72,742 $86,439 +2.05%
Clinical Regulatory Associate 14 1.31% $62,837 $72,322 $78,551 —
Compliance Specialist 13 1.22% $66,643 $81,682 $97,200 +9.09%
Principal Regulatory Affairs Specialist 12 1.12% $101,717 $122,762 $141,250 -14.37%
Quality Assurance Specialist 10 0.94% $60,600 $70,423 $87,020 —

Titles are cleaned from the employer's own LCA text (codes and typos removed, nothing invented). Rows need 10+ filings in this SOC.

Skills & tools

Skills needed for Compliance Officers

How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.

Top skills
  • Reading Comprehension4.0
  • Speaking3.9
  • Active Listening3.8
  • Writing3.8
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.6
  • Critical Thinking3.5
  • Social Perceptiveness3.5
  • Monitoring3.4
  • Complex Problem Solving3.3
  • Persuasion3.3
Top knowledge areas
  • Law and Government4.1
  • English Language4.0
  • Customer and Personal Service3.9
  • Public Safety and Security3.4
  • Computers and Electronics3.2
  • Administration and Management3.1
  • Administrative3.1
  • Education and Training3.0
Software and technology used
Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft WordMicrosoft AccessMicrosoft WindowsCommercial driver's license information system CDLISComputer-assisted testing softwareDatabase softwareDigital imaging system softwareDocument scanning softwareDriving simulatorsNational Driver Register NDRSafety Status Measurement System SafeStatTraffic record databases

Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

About the job

What compliance officers do

  • Warn violators of infractions or penalties.
  • Evaluate applications, records, or documents to gather information about eligibility or liability issues.
  • Advise licensees or other individuals or groups concerning licensing, permit, or passport regulations.
  • Prepare reports of activities, evaluations, recommendations, or decisions.
  • Report law or regulation violations to appropriate boards or agencies.
  • Confer with or interview officials, technical or professional specialists, or applicants to obtain information or to clarify facts relevant to licensing decisions.
  • Issue licenses to individuals meeting standards.
  • Collect fees for licenses.
Also called
Driver License ExaminerLicense ExaminerMotor Vehicle ClerkPublic Service Representative (PSR)Driver ExaminerDriver License AgentExaminerLicense Registration ExaminerLicensing AnalystTransportation Services Representative (TSR)
Specialties within this occupation
  • Environmental Compliance Inspectors
  • Equal Opportunity Representatives and Officers
  • Government Property Inspectors and Investigators
  • Coroners
  • Regulatory Affairs Specialists
  • Customs Brokers
More job titles for this occupation (80)
Agricultural Chemicals InspectorAgricultural Chemicals Registration SpecialistAir Permitting and Enforcement InspectorAir Pollution Compliance InspectorAir Pollution InspectorAuthorized InspectorCertified Driver Examiner (CDE)Certified Driver License Test AdministratorCertified Erosion, Sediment, and Storm Water Inspector (CESSWI)City SanitarianCompliance Administrator (Compliance Admin)Compliance AnalystCompliance ConsultantCompliance CoordinatorCompliance ExaminerCompliance InvestigatorCompliance OfficerCompliance ProfessionalCompliance RepresentativeCompliance Representative DealerCompliance SpecialistCosmetology InspectorDepartment of Motor Vehicles Clerk (DMV Clerk)Deportation ExaminerDriver License Reviewing OfficerDriver License TechnicianDriver's License ExaminerEEO Officer (Equal Employment Opportunity Officer)Enforcement OfficerEnvironmental AdvisorEnvironmental Compliance CoordinatorEnvironmental Compliance EngineerEnvironmental Compliance InspectorEnvironmental Compliance ManagerEnvironmental Compliance SpecialistEnvironmental Compliance TechnicianEnvironmental Field SpecialistEnvironmental Health and Safety Advisor (EH & S)Environmental InspectorEnvironmental Protection SpecialistEnvironmental Quality AnalystEqual Employment Opportunity InvestigatorEqual Employment Opportunity RepresentativeField ExaminerField InvestigatorForms ExaminerHazardous Waste Management SpecialistHazardous Waste SpecialistHealth InspectorImmigration InvestigatorImmigration OfficerIndustrial Waste InspectorIndustry Operations InvestigatorIT Compliance Analyst (Information Technology Compliance Analyst)License InspectorLicensing InspectorLicensing OfficerLicensing Registration ExaminerLicensing RepresentativeLicensing TechnicianMortician InvestigatorMotor Vehicle ExaminerMotor Vehicle InspectorNaturalization ExaminerPassport Application ExaminerPassport ClerkPublic Service Representative Specialist (PSR Specialist)Qualifications ExaminerRegulation OfficerRegulatory Compliance AnalystRegulatory Compliance SpecialistRisk and Compliance AnalystRoad Test ExaminerScales InspectorSecurity Compliance AnalystTest ExaminerTrade Compliance SpecialistWage and Hour InvestigatorWeight and Inspection CoordinatorWeights and Measures Sealer

Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.