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Compliance specialist salary
Average compliance specialist salary
$57,330
Understanding Compliance Specialist Salaries
As of October 2025, the average salary for a Compliance Specialist in the United States is approximately $57,330 annually. Factors influencing this figure include experience, education, and the specific industry. Entry-level positions may start around $42,000, while those with extensive experience can earn upwards of $78,000.
Salary Variation by Location
Geographical location significantly impacts salary levels. States such as California and New York offer some of the highest wages for Compliance Specialists, often due to the higher cost of living and greater regulatory demands. For instance, in California, average salaries may exceed $65,000.
Opportunities for Advancement
Compliance Specialists can enhance their earning potential through additional certifications and specialized training in areas such as risk management and regulatory affairs. This path not only improves salary prospects but also opens doors to higher-level positions, such as Compliance Manager or Director of Compliance.
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Where can a Compliance Specialist earn more?
Compliance specialist salaries by experience level
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level compliance specialist | $39,100 | $18.81 |
| Mid-level compliance specialist | $59,400 | $28.57 |
| Senior-level compliance specialist | $98,300 | $47.27 |
Compliance specialist salary estimates from across the web
Average compliance specialist salary by state
The average compliance specialist salary in Delaware, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average compliance specialist salary states are Alabama, Mississippi, and Utah.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for compliance specialists
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Delaware | $77,096 | $37.07 |
| 2 | District of Columbia | $74,008 | $35.58 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $68,650 | $33.00 |
| 4 | Rhode Island | $76,180 | $36.63 |
| 5 | North Dakota | $65,242 | $31.37 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $68,925 | $33.14 |
| 7 | California | $68,834 | $33.09 |
| 8 | New Jersey | $69,405 | $33.37 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | $61,664 | $29.65 |
| 10 | Hawaii | $67,855 | $32.62 |
| 11 | Vermont | $63,383 | $30.47 |
| 12 | Wyoming | $56,709 | $27.26 |
| 13 | New Hampshire | $70,269 | $33.78 |
| 14 | New York | $61,978 | $29.80 |
| 15 | Illinois | $59,928 | $28.81 |
| 16 | North Carolina | $57,130 | $27.47 |
| 17 | Minnesota | $61,192 | $29.42 |
| 18 | Oregon | $60,213 | $28.95 |
| 19 | Nevada | $57,245 | $27.52 |
| 20 | Iowa | $54,210 | $26.06 |
| 21 | Nebraska | $55,276 | $26.57 |
| 22 | Washington | $58,023 | $27.90 |
| 23 | Maryland | $61,827 | $29.72 |
| 24 | Virginia | $58,063 | $27.91 |
| 25 | Alaska | $55,851 | $26.85 |
| 26 | Michigan | $55,335 | $26.60 |
| 27 | Indiana | $54,992 | $26.44 |
| 28 | Texas | $54,662 | $26.28 |
| 29 | Missouri | $57,300 | $27.55 |
| 30 | Ohio | $55,119 | $26.50 |
| 31 | Montana | $53,105 | $25.53 |
| 32 | Arizona | $50,744 | $24.40 |
| 33 | West Virginia | $53,065 | $25.51 |
| 34 | Colorado | $54,022 | $25.97 |
| 35 | Wisconsin | $52,652 | $25.31 |
| 36 | South Dakota | $50,060 | $24.07 |
| 37 | Florida | $47,042 | $22.62 |
| 38 | Louisiana | $50,656 | $24.35 |
| 39 | Kentucky | $51,506 | $24.76 |
| 40 | Maine | $51,797 | $24.90 |
| 41 | Tennessee | $48,446 | $23.29 |
| 42 | Kansas | $49,762 | $23.92 |
| 43 | Utah | $44,554 | $21.42 |
| 44 | Georgia | $43,789 | $21.05 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $48,729 | $23.43 |
| 46 | Alabama | $46,464 | $22.34 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $41,940 | $20.16 |
| 48 | Oklahoma | $46,586 | $22.40 |
| 49 | New Mexico | $46,960 | $22.58 |
| 50 | Idaho | $42,599 | $20.48 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $44,919 | $21.60 |
Highest paying cities for compliance specialists
The highest-paying cities for compliance specialists are San Francisco, CA, Washington, DC, and Framingham, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $74,626 | $35.88 |
| 2 | Washington, DC | $73,997 | $35.58 |
| 3 | Framingham, MA | $68,733 | $33.04 |
| 4 | Hartford, CT | $68,342 | $32.86 |
| 5 | Philadelphia, PA | $62,278 | $29.94 |
| 6 | New York, NY | $62,201 | $29.90 |
| 7 | Baltimore, MD | $62,108 | $29.86 |
| 8 | Saint Paul, MN | $61,266 | $29.45 |
| 9 | Salem, OR | $60,362 | $29.02 |
| 10 | Chicago, IL | $60,244 | $28.96 |
| 11 | Arlington, VA | $59,627 | $28.67 |
| 12 | Seattle, WA | $58,487 | $28.12 |
| 13 | Raleigh, NC | $58,287 | $28.02 |
| 14 | Saint Louis, MO | $57,609 | $27.70 |
| 15 | Detroit, MI | $55,422 | $26.65 |
| 16 | San Antonio, TX | $55,371 | $26.62 |
| 17 | Lincoln, NE | $55,094 | $26.49 |
| 18 | Indianapolis, IN | $54,680 | $26.29 |
| 19 | Columbus, OH | $54,620 | $26.26 |
| 20 | Fort Collins, CO | $54,226 | $26.07 |
Compliance Specialists are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Compliance specialist salary details
A compliance specialist's salary ranges from $38,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $85,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a compliance specialist's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $85,000 | $7,083 | $41 |
| 75th Percentile | $70,000 | $5,833 | $34 |
| Average | $57,330 | $4,778 | $28 |
| 25th Percentile | $46,000 | $3,833 | $22 |
| 10th Percentile | $38,000 | $3,167 | $18 |
Highest paying compliance specialist jobs
The highest paying types of compliance specialists are compliance director, chief compliance officer, and compliance manager.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lead Auditor | $85,352 | $7,113 | $41.03 | 20,504 |
| Chief Compliance Officer | $102,166 | $8,514 | $49.12 | 76,701 |
| Compliance Officer | $64,058 | $5,338 | $30.80 | 69,161 |
| Compliance Manager | $95,130 | $7,928 | $45.74 | 19,088 |
| Compliance Coordinator | $49,472 | $4,123 | $23.78 | 33,823 |
| Compliance Auditor | $64,606 | $5,384 | $31.06 | 33,704 |
Top companies hiring compliance specialists now:
Which companies pay compliance specialists the most?
Compliance specialist salaries at Meta and Google are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average compliance specialist salary at companies like Apple and PayPal are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta | $115,876 | $55.71 |
| 2 | $115,538 | $55.55 | |
| 3 | Apple | $107,678 | $51.77 |
| 4 | PayPal | $107,374 | $51.62 |
| 5 | SiFive | $102,810 | $49.43 |
| 6 | Entegris | $101,375 | $48.74 |
| 7 | BMO Capital Markets | $99,136 | $47.66 |
| 8 | American Century Investments | $98,942 | $47.57 |
| 9 | Cowen | $97,524 | $46.89 |
| 10 | Intel | $97,002 | $46.64 |
| 11 | AQR Capital Management | $96,099 | $46.20 |
| 12 | BNY Mellon | $95,796 | $46.06 |
| 13 | Cisco | $95,494 | $45.91 |
| 14 | Marcus & Millichap | $94,794 | $45.57 |
| 15 | Masimo | $92,957 | $44.69 |
| 16 | First Republic Bank | $92,738 | $44.59 |
| 17 | Adobe | $92,382 | $44.41 |
| 18 | Arkema | $91,995 | $44.23 |
| 19 | Idera | $91,887 | $44.18 |
| 20 | McKinsey & Company Inc | $91,656 | $44.07 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Compliance Specialist salary by industry
The average compliance specialist salary varies across industries:
- The average compliance specialist salary in the pharmaceutical industry is $73,015, the highest of any industry.
- The average compliance specialist salary in the finance industry is $71,720.
- Compliance specialists in the retail industry earn an average salary of $57,911, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for compliance specialists
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pharmaceutical | $73,015 | $35.10 |
| 2 | Finance | $71,720 | $34.48 |
| 3 | Manufacturing | $67,976 | $32.68 |
| 4 | Professional | $64,697 | $31.10 |
| 5 | Health Care | $63,638 | $30.60 |
| 6 | Insurance | $63,239 | $30.40 |
| 7 | Retail | $57,911 | $27.84 |
High paying compliance specialist jobs
Compliance specialist salary trends
The average compliance specialist salary has risen by $8,353 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average compliance specialist earned $48,977 annually, but today, they earn $57,330 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for compliance specialists over the last decade.
Compare compliance specialist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average compliance specialist salary over time
Compare compliance specialist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Compliance specialist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $57,300 | $27.56 | +2.9% |
| 2024 | $55,700 | $26.77 | +0.3% |
| 2023 | $55,500 | $26.69 | +1.4% |
| 2022 | $54,700 | $26.31 | +2.0% |
| 2021 | $53,700 | $25.79 | +1.4% |
Recently added compliance specialist salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital One | Compliance Advisory Specialist II | Richmond, VA | 06/30/2025 | $94,600 |
| American Century Companies | Compliance Consultant-Financial Marketing | Kansas City, MO | 06/30/2025 | $110,000 |
| Wheels | Compliance Specialist I | Des Plaines, IL | 06/30/2025 | $36,700 |
| American Family Insurance | Business Compliance Specialist | Boston, MA | 06/30/2025 | $61,000 |
| Blue Origin | FAA Compliance Specialist III-New Glenn | Seattle, WA | 06/30/2025 | $117,498 |
| Covermymeds | Trade Compliance Specialist | Shepherdsville, KY | 06/30/2025 | $63,500 |
| Strideinc | Special Education Compliance Specialist | Lewisville, TX | 06/30/2025 | $52,000 |
| Learning Care Group | Cacfp Compliance Specialist | Los Angeles, CA | 06/29/2025 | $55,619 |
| Keen | Trade Compliance Specialist | Portland, OR | 06/29/2025 | $69,000 |
| Auburn University | Specialist, Clery Compliance | Auburn, AL | 06/29/2025 | $48,520 |
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