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Compensation director salary
Average compensation director salary
$117,485
Average Compensation Director Salary
The Compensation Director position typically commands an average salary of $117,485 per year, translating to approximately $56 per hour. This salary varies based on a multitude of factors, including geographic location, years of experience, and the industry in which one works.
Salary Variations by State
Compensation Directors in states like California and New York often see higher salaries due to the cost of living and demand for experienced professionals. For instance, the highest-paying states include:
- California
- New York
- Texas
These regions not only offer competitive salaries but also a rich job market for individuals interested in compensation management.
Job Opportunities
Industries such as finance, technology, and healthcare tend to provide the highest salaries for Compensation Directors. As organizations increasingly recognize the importance of effective compensation strategies, the demand for skilled professionals in this field continues to grow. Exploring opportunities within reputable companies can lead to a rewarding career path.
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Where can a Compensation Director earn more?
Compensation director salary estimates from across the web
Average compensation director salary by state
The average compensation director salary in Idaho, Oregon, and New Hampshire are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average compensation director salary states are Alabama, Oklahoma, and Indiana.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for compensation directors
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | $136,326 | $65.54 |
| 2 | Mississippi | $123,567 | $59.41 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | $132,213 | $63.56 |
| 4 | New Hampshire | $132,464 | $63.68 |
| 5 | Idaho | $137,297 | $66.01 |
| 6 | Washington | $130,911 | $62.94 |
| 7 | Maine | $131,742 | $63.34 |
| 8 | Nevada | $126,269 | $60.71 |
| 9 | Alaska | $131,050 | $63.00 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | $123,398 | $59.33 |
| 11 | New Jersey | $126,225 | $60.69 |
| 12 | Tennessee | $124,263 | $59.74 |
| 13 | Delaware | $128,831 | $61.94 |
| 14 | North Dakota | $126,700 | $60.91 |
| 15 | Michigan | $119,052 | $57.24 |
| 16 | Vermont | $118,402 | $56.92 |
| 17 | Illinois | $115,105 | $55.34 |
| 18 | Virginia | $118,372 | $56.91 |
| 19 | West Virginia | $117,199 | $56.35 |
| 20 | Connecticut | $114,182 | $54.90 |
| 21 | Pennsylvania | $110,403 | $53.08 |
| 22 | Arkansas | $104,984 | $50.47 |
| 23 | Nebraska | $117,145 | $56.32 |
| 24 | Kansas | $114,833 | $55.21 |
| 25 | Arizona | $109,593 | $52.69 |
| 26 | Kentucky | $112,065 | $53.88 |
| 27 | New York | $113,229 | $54.44 |
| 28 | Ohio | $108,538 | $52.18 |
| 29 | North Carolina | $107,346 | $51.61 |
| 30 | Colorado | $108,934 | $52.37 |
| 31 | Wisconsin | $106,086 | $51.00 |
| 32 | New Mexico | $111,940 | $53.82 |
| 33 | Utah | $108,235 | $52.04 |
| 34 | Louisiana | $101,851 | $48.97 |
| 35 | District of Columbia | $106,760 | $51.33 |
| 36 | Maryland | $116,731 | $56.12 |
| 37 | Texas | $104,430 | $50.21 |
| 38 | California | $106,102 | $51.01 |
| 39 | Alabama | $99,459 | $47.82 |
| 40 | Oklahoma | $96,265 | $46.28 |
| 41 | Georgia | $101,474 | $48.79 |
| 42 | Minnesota | $103,903 | $49.95 |
| 43 | Missouri | $103,086 | $49.56 |
| 44 | Florida | $103,226 | $49.63 |
| 45 | Montana | $104,926 | $50.45 |
| 46 | Iowa | $90,310 | $43.42 |
| 47 | South Carolina | $102,468 | $49.26 |
| 48 | Wyoming | $100,773 | $48.45 |
| 49 | Indiana | $95,800 | $46.06 |
| 50 | South Dakota | $95,434 | $45.88 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $75,687 | $36.39 |
Highest paying cities for compensation directors
The highest-paying cities for compensation directors are Beaverton, OR, Portland, ME, and Seattle, WA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beaverton, OR | $136,095 | $65.43 |
| 2 | Portland, ME | $131,992 | $63.46 |
| 3 | Seattle, WA | $131,382 | $63.16 |
| 4 | Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ | $126,284 | $60.71 |
| 5 | Lebanon, TN | $125,246 | $60.21 |
| 6 | Boston, MA | $123,540 | $59.39 |
| 7 | Detroit, MI | $119,413 | $57.41 |
| 8 | Ashburn, VA | $118,770 | $57.10 |
| 9 | Omaha, NE | $117,462 | $56.47 |
| 10 | Chicago, IL | $115,727 | $55.64 |
| 11 | Greenwich, CT | $113,741 | $54.68 |
| 12 | New York, NY | $113,297 | $54.47 |
| 13 | Sacramento, CA | $111,946 | $53.82 |
| 14 | Philadelphia, PA | $110,842 | $53.29 |
| 15 | Cleveland, OH | $109,805 | $52.79 |
| 16 | Chandler, AZ | $109,587 | $52.69 |
| 17 | Highlands Ranch, CO | $108,897 | $52.35 |
| 18 | Washington, DC | $106,863 | $51.38 |
| 19 | Orlando, FL | $106,432 | $51.17 |
| 20 | Austin, TX | $105,269 | $50.61 |
Compensation director salary details
A compensation director's salary ranges from $85,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $160,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a compensation director's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $160,000 | $13,333 | $77 |
| 75th Percentile | $138,000 | $11,500 | $66 |
| Average | $117,485 | $9,790 | $56 |
| 25th Percentile | $99,000 | $8,250 | $48 |
| 10th Percentile | $85,000 | $7,083 | $41 |
Highest paying compensation director jobs
The highest paying types of compensation directors are director, benefit director, and hris manager.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hris Manager | $105,995 | $8,833 | $50.96 | 10,983 |
| Employee Benefits Coordinator | $42,484 | $3,540 | $20.42 | 22,910 |
| Benefits Consultant | $79,068 | $6,589 | $38.01 | 19,308 |
| Benefits Manager | $64,064 | $5,339 | $30.80 | 11,164 |
| Employee Benefits Manager | $85,621 | $7,135 | $41.16 | 13,906 |
| Benefits Counselor | $72,268 | $6,022 | $34.74 | 34,132 |
Top companies hiring compensation directors now:
Which companies pay compensation directors the most?
Compensation director salaries at Milbank and Sprinklr are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average compensation director salary at companies like Benihana and Flexport are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Milbank Tweed Hadley & Mc Cloy | $139,129 | $66.89 |
| 2 | Sprinklr | $128,246 | $61.66 |
| 3 | Benihana | $126,322 | $60.73 |
| 4 | Flexport | $126,259 | $60.70 |
| 5 | Instabase | $125,002 | $60.10 |
| 6 | Michaels Stores | $124,509 | $59.86 |
| 7 | Salesforce | $124,036 | $59.63 |
| 8 | Microsoft | $123,169 | $59.22 |
| 9 | Nike | $118,196 | $56.83 |
| 10 | Aon | $117,734 | $56.60 |
| 11 | Sumo Logic | $116,868 | $56.19 |
| 12 | Enel Green Power | $116,262 | $55.90 |
| 13 | Silicon Valley Bank | $115,267 | $55.42 |
| 14 | KPMG LLP | $114,597 | $55.09 |
| 15 | Zillow Group | $114,211 | $54.91 |
| 16 | Rosendin Electric | $112,945 | $54.30 |
| 17 | Alvarez & Marsal | $112,650 | $54.16 |
| 18 | DISCO | $112,467 | $54.07 |
| 19 | Arkema | $111,638 | $53.67 |
| 20 | Visa | $110,850 | $53.29 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Compensation Director salary by industry
The average compensation director salary varies across industries:
- The average compensation director salary in the professional industry is $111,148, the highest of any industry.
- The average compensation director salary in the finance industry is $103,513.
- Compensation directors in the transportation industry earn an average salary of $82,199, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for compensation directors
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Professional | $111,148 | $53.44 |
| 2 | Health Care | $103,513 | $49.77 |
| 3 | Manufacturing | $99,880 | $48.02 |
| 4 | Transportation | $82,199 | $39.52 |
High paying compensation director jobs
Compensation director salary trends
The average compensation director salary has risen by $30,834 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average compensation director earned $86,651 annually, but today, they earn $117,485 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for compensation directors over the last decade.
Compare compensation director salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average compensation director salary over time
Compare compensation director salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Compensation director salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $117,000 | $56.48 | +2.3% |
| 2024 | $115,000 | $55.19 | +1.0% |
| 2023 | $114,000 | $54.62 | +1.6% |
| 2022 | $112,000 | $53.77 | +2.4% |
| 2021 | $109,000 | $52.47 | +4.1% |
Recently added compensation director salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elliott Scott-HR Search & Recruitment | Director Compensation | San Jose, CA | 06/24/2025 | $180,000 |
| Creationtech | Director, Global Compensation & Benefits | Boston, MA | 06/20/2025 | $165,000 |
| Cushman & Wakefield | Director, Executive Compensation | New York, NY | 06/19/2025 | $178,500 |
| Cushman & Wakefield | Director, Executive Compensation | Chicago, IL | 06/19/2025 | $178,500 |
| United Negro College Fund | Director, Compensation and Benefits | Washington, DC | 06/16/2025 | $120,000 |
| Uncf | Director, Compensation and Benefits | Washington, DC | 06/16/2025 | $120,000 |
| Cohesity | Director of Global Compensation | Durham, CA | 06/15/2025 | $204,000 |
| Justworks | Director, Workers Compensation Underwriting | Tampa, FL | 06/14/2025 | $184,140 |
| Justworks | Director, Workers Compensation Underwriting | New York, NY | 06/14/2025 | $198,000 |
| Renaissance | Director Compensation & Benefits | Phoenix, AZ | 06/10/2025 | $160,300 |
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