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Legal compliance officer salary
Average legal compliance officer salary
$91,936
Understanding Legal Compliance Officer Salaries
As of October 2025, the average salary for a Legal Compliance Officer stands at $91,936 annually. This figure can vary significantly based on factors such as geographic location, industry specialization, and years of experience. For instance, professionals in larger metropolitan areas often see higher salaries due to increased demand and cost of living adjustments.
In addition to location, experience plays a crucial role in determining salary levels. Entry-level positions may offer lower compensation, while seasoned professionals with specialized skills command significantly higher wages. The highest-paying states for Legal Compliance Officers include California, New York, and Texas, reflecting the demand for compliance expertise in various sectors.
For individuals seeking to maximize their earning potential, pursuing advanced certifications or degrees in compliance law can enhance job prospects and salary opportunities. Additionally, roles in highly regulated industries, such as finance and healthcare, often provide better compensation packages. Understanding these dynamics is essential for career advancement in legal compliance.
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Where can a Legal Compliance Officer earn more?
Legal compliance officer salaries by experience level
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level legal compliance officer | $62,700 | $30.17 |
| Mid-level legal compliance officer | $95,300 | $45.81 |
| Senior-level legal compliance officer | $158,000 | $75.80 |
Legal compliance officer salary estimates from across the web
Average legal compliance officer salary by state
The average legal compliance officer salary in New Jersey, Delaware, and Connecticut are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average legal compliance officer salary states are Hawaii, Alabama, and Mississippi.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for legal compliance officers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Jersey | $127,845 | $61.46 |
| 2 | Rhode Island | $114,778 | $55.18 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $107,971 | $51.91 |
| 4 | New Hampshire | $113,280 | $54.46 |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | $101,974 | $49.03 |
| 6 | California | $100,202 | $48.17 |
| 7 | Delaware | $123,175 | $59.22 |
| 8 | Nevada | $87,659 | $42.14 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $119,834 | $57.61 |
| 10 | New York | $94,164 | $45.27 |
| 11 | Vermont | $101,294 | $48.70 |
| 12 | Maryland | $97,073 | $46.67 |
| 13 | Illinois | $86,642 | $41.65 |
| 14 | Arizona | $84,069 | $40.42 |
| 15 | Ohio | $95,270 | $45.80 |
| 16 | District of Columbia | $107,652 | $51.76 |
| 17 | Minnesota | $83,104 | $39.95 |
| 18 | Washington | $88,601 | $42.60 |
| 19 | North Carolina | $79,991 | $38.46 |
| 20 | Maine | $83,942 | $40.36 |
| 21 | Virginia | $99,470 | $47.82 |
| 22 | Michigan | $92,005 | $44.23 |
| 23 | South Carolina | $84,691 | $40.72 |
| 24 | West Virginia | $82,690 | $39.75 |
| 25 | Idaho | $73,512 | $35.34 |
| 26 | Nebraska | $77,282 | $37.15 |
| 27 | Oregon | $85,852 | $41.27 |
| 28 | North Dakota | $72,347 | $34.78 |
| 29 | Wisconsin | $76,387 | $36.72 |
| 30 | Texas | $74,172 | $35.66 |
| 31 | Missouri | $73,783 | $35.47 |
| 32 | Iowa | $71,688 | $34.47 |
| 33 | New Mexico | $71,513 | $34.38 |
| 34 | Colorado | $72,041 | $34.64 |
| 35 | Kentucky | $74,532 | $35.83 |
| 36 | Georgia | $68,961 | $33.15 |
| 37 | Tennessee | $66,045 | $31.75 |
| 38 | Louisiana | $71,403 | $34.33 |
| 39 | South Dakota | $65,253 | $31.37 |
| 40 | Utah | $71,230 | $34.25 |
| 41 | Montana | $70,867 | $34.07 |
| 42 | Mississippi | $61,154 | $29.40 |
| 43 | Alabama | $63,459 | $30.51 |
| 44 | Indiana | $64,364 | $30.94 |
| 45 | Oklahoma | $60,858 | $29.26 |
| 46 | Florida | $67,255 | $32.33 |
| 47 | Kansas | $64,247 | $30.89 |
| 48 | Alaska | $66,610 | $32.02 |
| 49 | Hawaii | $64,203 | $30.87 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $54,980 | $26.43 |
| 51 | Wyoming | $59,663 | $28.68 |
Highest paying cities for legal compliance officers
The highest-paying cities for legal compliance officers are Clifton, NJ, Ridgefield, CT, and San Francisco, CA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clifton, NJ | $128,948 | $61.99 |
| 2 | Ridgefield, CT | $120,647 | $58.00 |
| 3 | San Francisco, CA | $111,696 | $53.70 |
| 4 | Washington, DC | $107,859 | $51.86 |
| 5 | Boston, MA | $107,822 | $51.84 |
| 6 | Baltimore, MD | $97,648 | $46.95 |
| 7 | New York, NY | $94,658 | $45.51 |
| 8 | Blacksburg, VA | $90,945 | $43.72 |
| 9 | Olympia, WA | $90,465 | $43.49 |
| 10 | Charlotte, NC | $76,653 | $36.85 |
| 11 | Austin, TX | $75,101 | $36.11 |
| 12 | Salt Lake City, UT | $70,426 | $33.86 |
| 13 | Atlanta, GA | $69,040 | $33.19 |
| 14 | Melbourne, FL | $67,734 | $32.56 |
Legal compliance officer salary details
A legal compliance officer's salary ranges from $52,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $161,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a legal compliance officer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $161,000 | $13,417 | $77 |
| 75th Percentile | $123,000 | $10,250 | $59 |
| Average | $91,936 | $7,661 | $44 |
| 25th Percentile | $68,000 | $5,667 | $33 |
| 10th Percentile | $52,000 | $4,333 | $25 |
Highest paying legal compliance officer jobs
The highest paying types of legal compliance officers are legal counsel, head of ethics and compliance, and customs compliance director.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manager, Quality Management, Corporate Compliance | $104,264 | $8,689 | $50.13 | 144,702 |
| Legal Counsel | $132,867 | $11,072 | $63.88 | 10,337 |
| Head Of Ethics And Compliance | $132,706 | $11,059 | $63.80 | 23,686 |
| Corporate Operations Compliance Manager | $101,650 | $8,471 | $48.87 | 87,662 |
| Compliance Program Manager | $98,403 | $8,200 | $47.31 | 103,257 |
| Compliance Analyst | $59,108 | $4,926 | $28.42 | 26,138 |
Top companies hiring legal compliance officers now:
Which companies pay legal compliance officers the most?
Legal compliance officer salaries at CITGO Petroleum and Open Society Foundations are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average legal compliance officer salary at companies like Public Interest Communications and Boehringer Ingelheim are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CITGO Petroleum | $147,958 | $71.13 |
| 2 | Open Society Foundations | $137,014 | $65.87 |
| 3 | Public Interest Communications | $135,843 | $65.31 |
| 4 | Boehringer Ingelheim | $133,985 | $64.42 |
| 5 | Evercore | $131,633 | $63.29 |
| 6 | Colfax Corporation | $128,216 | $61.64 |
| 7 | Torc Robotics | $125,499 | $60.34 |
| 8 | Chain | $124,055 | $59.64 |
| 9 | Morgan Stanley | $122,926 | $59.10 |
| 10 | Southwest Key Programs | $121,508 | $58.42 |
| 11 | Blackstone Group | $119,915 | $57.65 |
| 12 | Oddup | $116,590 | $56.05 |
| 13 | Louis Dreyfus Company | $116,590 | $56.05 |
| 14 | DiversyFund | $116,590 | $56.05 |
| 15 | Jobble | $116,576 | $56.05 |
| 16 | Eleanor Health | $116,555 | $56.04 |
| 17 | Itransition | $115,873 | $55.71 |
| 18 | Africa Health Holdings Ltd | $115,362 | $55.46 |
| 19 | KIND Snacks | $114,741 | $55.16 |
| 20 | MyEyeDr | $113,581 | $54.61 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Legal Compliance Officer salary by industry
The average legal compliance officer salary varies across industries:
- The average legal compliance officer salary in the manufacturing industry is $126,995, the highest of any industry.
- The average legal compliance officer salary in the finance industry is $126,979.
- Legal compliance officers in the professional industry earn an average salary of $95,389, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for legal compliance officers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manufacturing | $126,995 | $61.06 |
| 2 | Pharmaceutical | $126,979 | $61.05 |
| 3 | Finance | $99,935 | $48.05 |
| 4 | Professional | $95,389 | $45.86 |
High paying legal compliance officer jobs
Legal compliance officer salary trends
The average legal compliance officer salary has risen by $13,396 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average legal compliance officer earned $78,540 annually, but today, they earn $91,936 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for legal compliance officers over the last decade.
Compare legal compliance officer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average legal compliance officer salary over time
Compare legal compliance officer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Legal compliance officer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $91,900 | $44.20 | +2.9% |
| 2025 | $89,300 | $42.93 | +0.3% |
| 2024 | $89,000 | $42.81 | +1.4% |
| 2023 | $87,800 | $42.19 | +2.0% |
| 2022 | $86,000 | $41.37 | +1.4% |
Recently added legal compliance officer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GBC Food Services | Legal and Risk Officer | Richardson, TX | 06/25/2025 | $70,000 |
| Bavarian Nordic Gmbh | Head of Legal and Compliance, North America | Durham, NC | 05/27/2025 | $230,000 |
| Atlantic Group | Legal and Compliance Officer | Greenwich, CT | 03/25/2025 | $200,000 |
| Clair | Head of Legal and Compliance | New York, NY | 01/16/2025 | $225,000 |
| Penumbra | Legal Compliance Officer | Alameda, CA | 12/15/2024 | $125,000 |
| Avicenna Technical University | Legal Compliance Officer | Burnsville, MN | 12/05/2024 | $60,210 |
| Avicenna Technical University | Legal Compliance Officer | Burnsville, MN | 12/03/2024 | $60,210 |
| Bachi.Tech Corporation | Legal Compliance Officer | Jersey City, NJ | 10/22/2024 | $77,929 |
| Colfax Oncology, LLC | Legal & Compliance Associate | Clifton, NJ | 09/12/2024 | $93,662 |
| Wong & Associates, Lawyers, P.C. | Legal Compliance Associate | Diamond Bar, CA | 05/30/2024 | $87,091 |
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