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Regulatory affairs director salary

Average regulatory affairs director salary

$122,617

$58.95 hourly rate

Entry-level regulatory affairs director salary
$81,000 yearly salary
Updated January 8, 2025

Average Regulatory Affairs Director Salary

The salary of a Regulatory Affairs Director varies significantly based on factors such as location, industry, and years of experience. Currently, the national average stands at $122,617 annually. In high-demand states, salaries can exceed this average, particularly in sectors like biotechnology and pharmaceuticals.

Salary by State

For example, states such as California and Massachusetts offer some of the highest salaries for this position. The demand for expertise in regulatory compliance continues to rise, leading to competitive compensation packages. Many companies are looking for professionals with advanced degrees and extensive experience in navigating regulatory frameworks.

Industries with the Highest Salaries

Industries such as healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology tend to offer the most lucrative opportunities. As companies strive to meet regulatory standards, the role of a Regulatory Affairs Director becomes increasingly crucial, ensuring that products meet legal requirements and market entry criteria.

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Where can a Regulatory Affairs Director earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
167k
147k
127k
107k
87k
67k
47k
27k
Columbus, OH$141,440
North Miami Beach, FL$57,475
Compare salary by company
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175k
155k
135k
115k
95k
Coty$147,735
Sony Pictures$125,309

Regulatory affairs director salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, SalaryExpert, Comparably and Payscale, the average salary for a regulatory affairs director typically falls between $122,617 and $202,852.
zippia
$122,617yearly
comparably[1]
$147,037yearly
Salary.com[2]
$202,852yearly
payscale[3]
$153,634yearly
SalaryExpert[4]
$154,994yearly

Average regulatory affairs director salary by state

The average regulatory affairs director salary in Massachusetts, Vermont, and Maryland are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average regulatory affairs director salary states are Georgia, Tennessee, and Iowa.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for regulatory affairs directors

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Massachusetts$138,505$66.59
2Vermont$137,460$66.09
3Mississippi$116,853$56.18
4Utah$125,492$60.33
5New Jersey$127,661$61.38
6Rhode Island$124,500$59.86
7California$129,499$62.26
8Maine$130,486$62.73
9West Virginia$109,425$52.61
10Maryland$134,991$64.90
11Washington$125,106$60.15
12New York$124,953$60.07
13Alaska$121,279$58.31
14North Carolina$119,644$57.52
15Ohio$115,098$55.34
16Pennsylvania$112,755$54.21
17South Carolina$106,270$51.09
18Idaho$122,285$58.79
19Nebraska$114,865$55.22
20Wisconsin$109,788$52.78
21South Dakota$103,958$49.98
22Indiana$111,375$53.55
23North Dakota$112,891$54.27
24Louisiana$103,639$49.83
25Arizona$106,216$51.07
26Montana$109,178$52.49
27Kentucky$107,316$51.59
28Alabama$100,145$48.15
29District of Columbia$104,994$50.48
30New Hampshire$106,128$51.02
31Connecticut$104,364$50.17
32Oregon$104,507$50.24
33Oklahoma$99,793$47.98
34Virginia$107,457$51.66
35Arkansas$102,668$49.36
36New Mexico$105,168$50.56
37Minnesota$101,615$48.85
38Missouri$104,445$50.21
39Illinois$99,957$48.06
40Delaware$101,261$48.68
41Texas$100,181$48.16
42Colorado$99,435$47.81
43Michigan$101,110$48.61
44Tennessee$97,417$46.84
45Nevada$101,774$48.93
46Georgia$98,337$47.28
47Wyoming$98,338$47.28
48Iowa$96,368$46.33
49Florida$66,429$31.94
50Kansas$94,715$45.54
51Hawaii$71,138$34.20

Highest paying cities for regulatory affairs directors

The highest-paying cities for regulatory affairs directors are Sacramento, CA, Boston, MA, and Rockville, MD.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Sacramento, CA$141,440$68.00
2Boston, MA$139,420$67.03
3Rockville, MD$135,304$65.05
4Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ$128,233$61.65
5Albany, NY$126,733$60.93
6Seattle, WA$125,857$60.51
7Durham, NC$120,947$58.15
8Columbus, OH$114,973$55.28
9Philadelphia, PA$113,147$54.40
10Richmond, VA$107,331$51.60
11Phoenix, AZ$106,524$51.21
12Washington, DC$104,972$50.47
13Hartford, CT$104,928$50.45
14Chicago, IL$100,217$48.18
15Atlanta, GA$99,697$47.93
16Colorado Springs, CO$99,523$47.85
17North Miami Beach, FL$57,475$27.63

Regulatory affairs director salary details

A regulatory affairs director's salary ranges from $81,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $184,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average regulatory affairs director salary graph
Average regulatory affairs director salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a regulatory affairs director's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$184,000$15,333$88
75th Percentile$152,000$12,667$73
Average$122,617$10,218$59
25th Percentile$98,000$8,167$47
10th Percentile$81,000$6,750$39

Highest paying regulatory affairs director jobs

The highest paying types of regulatory affairs directors are regulatory affairs manager, director, and compliance director.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Compliance Manager$95,130$7,928$45.7419,088
Compliance Director$103,517$8,626$49.7720,942
Director$113,489$9,457$54.56230,711
Regulatory Affairs Manager$117,714$9,810$56.5912,569

Top companies hiring regulatory affairs directors now:

  1. UC Health jobs (3)
  2. AstraZeneca jobs (7)
  3. Eli Lilly and Company jobs (3)
  4. Sanofi US jobs (4)
  5. Pfizer jobs (4)

Which companies pay regulatory affairs directors the most?

Regulatory affairs director salaries at Coty and Bloomberg are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average regulatory affairs director salary at companies like UC Health and Exelixis are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Coty$147,735$71.03
2Bloomberg$147,448$70.89
3UC Health$143,325$68.91
4Exelixis$140,042$67.33
5VIVUS$137,527$66.12
6Deutsche Bank$136,109$65.44
7Foundation Medicine$134,009$64.43
8Northwell Health$133,353$64.11
9Expedia Group$133,116$64.00
10Sutro Biopharma$132,778$63.84
11Biogen$131,626$63.28
12Pwc$131,243$63.10
13AstraZeneca$130,730$62.85
14Silicon Valley Bank$130,414$62.70
15Horizon Pharma USA, Inc.$127,970$61.52
16AIG$127,825$61.45
17Eli Lilly and Company$126,328$60.73
18AbbVie$126,278$60.71
19Bristol-Myers Squibb$125,887$60.52
20Sony Pictures$125,309$60.24

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$125,000$122,600$120,200$117,800$115,400$113,000
MaleFemale

Regulatory Affairs Director salary by industry

The average regulatory affairs director salary varies across industries:

  • The average regulatory affairs director salary in the pharmaceutical industry is $111,416, the highest of any industry.
  • The average regulatory affairs director salary in the finance industry is $104,824.
  • Regulatory affairs directors in the insurance industry earn an average salary of $92,509, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for regulatory affairs directors

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Pharmaceutical$111,416$53.57
2Health Care$104,824$50.40
3Retail$98,855$47.53
4Insurance$92,509$44.48

High paying regulatory affairs director jobs

Regulatory affairs director salary trends

The average regulatory affairs director salary has risen by $15,095 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average regulatory affairs director earned $107,522 annually, but today, they earn $122,617 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for regulatory affairs directors over the last decade.

Compare regulatory affairs director salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average regulatory affairs director salary over time

Compare regulatory affairs director salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Regulatory affairs director salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$123,000$58.95+4.1%
2024$118,000$56.55+1.3%
2023$116,000$55.82+1.7%
2022$114,000$54.85+0.6%
2021$113,000$54.51+0.1%

Recently added regulatory affairs director salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
ExelixisAssociate Regulatory Affairs CMC DirectorKing of Prussia, PA06/30/2025$166,000
Weiman Products LLCRegulatory Affairs LeadGurnee, IL06/29/2025$84,000
Purposebuilt Brands Inc.Regulatory Affairs LeadGurnee, IL06/29/2025$84,000
Caldera MedicalDirector of Regulatory AffairsWestlake Village, CA06/29/2025$150,000
Johnson & JohnsonDirector, Global Regulatory Affairs (Business Integration Lead)Raritan, NJ06/28/2025$160,000
MerckPrincipal Scientist (Director)-Regulatory Affairs-CmcJackson, MS06/28/2025$187,000
MerckPrincipal Scientist (Director)-Regulatory Affairs-CmcBismarck, ND06/28/2025$187,000
MerckPrincipal Scientist (Director)-Regulatory Affairs-CmcOlympia, WA06/28/2025$187,000
MerckPrincipal Scientist (Director)-Regulatory Affairs-CmcTrenton, NJ06/28/2025$187,000
MerckPrincipal Scientist (Director)-Regulatory Affairs-CmcAnnapolis, MD06/28/2025$187,000

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