Best states for a compliance officer

Q: What is the best state for compliance officers?

The best state to be a compliance officer is Rhode Island based on compliance officer salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for compliance officers?

The highest paying state for compliance officers is Arkansas based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for compliance officers?

The worst state for compliance officers is Florida, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

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Do you wonder which states in the U.S. are the best for compliance officers? If so, we have the full list of best to worst states for compliance officer jobs for you to check out and see if you think it's time to move and start anew. Not all states fare the same when it come to job opportunity and pay.Pay, benefits, and opportunities vary greatly by state, and it's no different for compliance officers. We found that Rhode Island is the best state in the nation for compliance officers, and people in Wilmington earn the most in the field.

To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for compliance officers.We found that the West is best for compliance officers, and the Northeast is the worst. Wilmington, DE is the best city in the country for compliance officer jobs, where as Rhode Island is the best state in the country.

10 best states for compliance officers in 2026

1. Rhode Island
Total compliance officer jobs: 173
Average annual salary: $79,308
Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $118,000
Location Quotient:
1.25
Compliance officer jobs in Rhode Island
2. New Jersey
Total compliance officer jobs: 1,233
Average annual salary: $74,906
Lowest 10 percent earn: $49,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $113,000
Location Quotient:
1.37
Compliance officer jobs in New Jersey
3. Minnesota
Total compliance officer jobs: 1,192
Average annual salary: $70,965
Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $105,000
Location Quotient:
1.58
Compliance officer jobs in Minnesota
4. Massachusetts
Total compliance officer jobs: 1,542
Average annual salary: $72,636
Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $108,000
Location Quotient:
1.48
Compliance officer jobs in Massachusetts
5. Connecticut
Total compliance officer jobs: 397
Average annual salary: $80,785
Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $121,000
Location Quotient:
1.06
Compliance officer jobs in Connecticut
6. New York
Total compliance officer jobs: 1,973
Average annual salary: $74,283
Lowest 10 percent earn: $49,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $112,000
Location Quotient:
1.36
Compliance officer jobs in New York
7. New Hampshire
Total compliance officer jobs: 201
Average annual salary: $79,317
Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $117,000
Location Quotient:
1.01
Compliance officer jobs in New Hampshire
8. Delaware
Total compliance officer jobs: 43
Average annual salary: $84,994
Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $129,000
Location Quotient:
0.3
Compliance officer jobs in Delaware
9. Vermont
Total compliance officer jobs: 94
Average annual salary: $70,781
Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $105,000
Location Quotient:
1.08
Compliance officer jobs in Vermont
10. District of Columbia
Total compliance officer jobs: 134
Average annual salary: $82,835
Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $127,000
Location Quotient:
0.7
Compliance officer jobs in District of Columbia

Compliance officer jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a compliance officer

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a compliance officer

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	Rhode Island	$79,308	$53,000	1,059,639	173
2	New Jersey	$74,906	$49,000	9,005,644	1,233
3	Minnesota	$70,965	$47,000	5,576,606	1,192
4	Massachusetts	$72,636	$48,000	6,859,819	1,542
5	Connecticut	$80,785	$53,000	3,588,184	397
6	New York	$74,283	$49,000	19,849,399	1,973
7	New Hampshire	$79,317	$53,000	1,342,795	201
8	Delaware	$84,994	$55,000	961,939	43
9	Vermont	$70,781	$47,000	623,657	94
10	District of Columbia	$82,835	$53,000	693,972	134
11	Illinois	$64,597	$42,000	12,802,023	1,805
12	Nevada	$60,123	$38,000	2,998,039	364
13	Virginia	$64,924	$41,000	8,470,020	1,451
14	Maryland	$67,363	$44,000	6,052,177	890
15	Pennsylvania	$66,943	$44,000	12,805,537	1,241
16	Ohio	$67,612	$44,000	11,658,609	1,036
17	Missouri	$64,915	$42,000	6,113,532	691
18	Colorado	$61,606	$40,000	5,607,154	843
19	North Dakota	$55,951	$37,000	755,393	146
20	Maine	$58,795	$39,000	1,335,907	183
21	Michigan	$60,685	$40,000	9,962,311	881
22	Nebraska	$57,360	$37,000	1,920,076	300
23	California	$70,200	$44,000	39,536,653	1,389
24	South Carolina	$61,640	$38,000	5,024,369	457
25	Wisconsin	$56,656	$37,000	5,795,483	648
26	Washington	$58,346	$37,000	7,405,743	911
27	West Virginia	$58,050	$37,000	1,815,857	152
28	Iowa	$54,726	$36,000	3,145,711	458
29	Texas	$57,661	$35,000	28,304,596	2,151
30	Arizona	$52,175	$33,000	7,016,270	966
31	Oregon	$56,924	$36,000	4,142,776	463
32	North Carolina	$50,551	$31,000	10,273,419	1,387
33	Kentucky	$54,687	$35,000	4,454,189	370
34	Louisiana	$53,573	$32,000	4,684,333	361
35	Alaska	$58,703	$45,000	739,795	26
36	South Dakota	$52,127	$34,000	869,666	119
37	Montana	$55,420	$37,000	1,050,493	32
38	New Mexico	$50,142	$31,000	2,088,070	241
39	Idaho	$47,116	$30,000	1,716,943	330
40	Kansas	$51,943	$33,000	2,913,123	316
41	Alabama	$48,540	$30,000	4,874,747	516
42	Mississippi	$47,304	$29,000	2,984,100	291
43	Hawaii	$58,039	$44,000	1,427,538	14
44	Utah	$52,216	$34,000	3,101,833	103
45	Oklahoma	$49,099	$31,000	3,930,864	341
46	Tennessee	$48,846	$31,000	6,715,984	584
47	Indiana	$47,213	$30,000	6,666,818	789
48	Georgia	$45,817	$28,000	10,429,379	1,403
49	Arkansas	$44,230	$28,000	3,004,279	289
50	Wyoming	$48,121	$31,000	579,315	15
51	Florida	$45,147	$27,000	20,984,400	463

Highest paying states for compliance officers

Rank	State	Avg. Compliance Officer Salary
1	Rhode Island	$79,308
2	New Jersey	$74,906
3	Minnesota	$70,965
4	Massachusetts	$72,636
5	Connecticut	$80,785
6	New York	$74,283
7	New Hampshire	$79,317
8	Delaware	$84,994
9	Vermont	$70,781
10	District of Columbia	$82,835
11	Illinois	$64,597
12	Nevada	$60,123
13	Virginia	$64,924
14	Maryland	$67,363
15	Pennsylvania	$66,943
16	Ohio	$67,612
17	Missouri	$64,915
18	Colorado	$61,606
19	North Dakota	$55,951
20	Maine	$58,795
21	Michigan	$60,685
22	Nebraska	$57,360
23	California	$70,200
24	South Carolina	$61,640
25	Wisconsin	$56,656
26	Washington	$58,346
27	West Virginia	$58,050
28	Iowa	$54,726
29	Texas	$57,661
30	Arizona	$52,175
31	Oregon	$56,924
32	North Carolina	$50,551
33	Kentucky	$54,687
34	Louisiana	$53,573
35	Alaska	$58,703
36	South Dakota	$52,127
37	Montana	$55,420
38	New Mexico	$50,142
39	Idaho	$47,116
40	Kansas	$51,943
41	Alabama	$48,540
42	Mississippi	$47,304
43	Hawaii	$58,039
44	Utah	$52,216
45	Oklahoma	$49,099
46	Tennessee	$48,846
47	Indiana	$47,213
48	Georgia	$45,817
49	Arkansas	$44,230
50	Wyoming	$48,121
51	Florida	$45,147

Compliance officer best states FAQs

What is the best state for compliance officers?

What is the highest paying state for compliance officers?

What is the worst state for compliance officers?

Have more questions? See all answers to common business and financial questions.

Search for compliance officer jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse business and financial jobs

Total compliance officer jobs:	173
Average annual salary:	$79,308
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$53,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$118,000
Location Quotient:	1.25

Best states for a compliance officer

10 best states for compliance officers in 2026

1. Rhode Island

2. New Jersey

3. Minnesota

4. Massachusetts

5. Connecticut

6. New York

7. New Hampshire

8. Delaware

9. Vermont

10. District of Columbia