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Compliance investigator salary
Average compliance investigator salary
$58,594
Average Compliance Investigator Salary
The average salary for a compliance investigator is approximately $58,594 annually, translating to about $28 per hour. However, this figure can vary significantly depending on factors such as geographic location, years of experience, and specific industry sectors. In states like California and New York, compliance investigators often earn higher salaries due to the cost of living and demand for compliance expertise.
Compliance Investigator Salaries by Experience Level
Entry-level compliance investigators typically earn less, starting around $45,000, while those with several years of experience can see their salaries rise to over $75,000, especially in specialized roles. This variation underscores the importance of gaining relevant experience and skills to enhance earning potential.
Where Can a Compliance Investigator Earn More?
States such as California, New York, and Texas consistently rank among the highest paying for compliance investigators. Job seekers should consider relocating to these areas to maximize salary opportunities. Additionally, industries such as finance and healthcare tend to offer more lucrative positions due to the complexity of compliance regulations.
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Where can a Compliance Investigator earn more?
Compliance investigator salaries by experience level
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level compliance investigator | $40,000 | $19.23 |
| Mid-level compliance investigator | $60,700 | $29.20 |
| Senior-level compliance investigator | $100,000 | $48.31 |
Compliance investigator salary estimates from across the web
Average compliance investigator salary by state
The average compliance investigator salary in Delaware, Connecticut, and California are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average compliance investigator salary states are Mississippi, Idaho, and Ohio.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for compliance investigators
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Delaware | $80,100 | $38.51 |
| 2 | California | $76,598 | $36.83 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $70,781 | $34.03 |
| 4 | New York | $71,901 | $34.57 |
| 5 | Washington | $69,632 | $33.48 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $77,291 | $37.16 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $74,443 | $35.79 |
| 8 | District of Columbia | $70,549 | $33.92 |
| 9 | Maryland | $68,972 | $33.16 |
| 10 | New Hampshire | $74,496 | $35.82 |
| 11 | Nebraska | $61,173 | $29.41 |
| 12 | Oregon | $64,701 | $31.11 |
| 13 | Virginia | $66,441 | $31.94 |
| 14 | Texas | $60,546 | $29.11 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $62,387 | $29.99 |
| 16 | Arizona | $59,064 | $28.40 |
| 17 | New Jersey | $63,905 | $30.72 |
| 18 | Minnesota | $58,118 | $27.94 |
| 19 | Vermont | $67,549 | $32.48 |
| 20 | Michigan | $60,885 | $29.27 |
| 21 | Nevada | $59,731 | $28.72 |
| 22 | Colorado | $61,103 | $29.38 |
| 23 | Alaska | $58,112 | $27.94 |
| 24 | South Carolina | $60,824 | $29.24 |
| 25 | Montana | $56,474 | $27.15 |
| 26 | North Carolina | $54,538 | $26.22 |
| 27 | Utah | $53,998 | $25.96 |
| 28 | Florida | $53,714 | $25.82 |
| 29 | Maine | $55,984 | $26.92 |
| 30 | Illinois | $54,200 | $26.06 |
| 31 | Louisiana | $53,732 | $25.83 |
| 32 | West Virginia | $54,577 | $26.24 |
| 33 | Iowa | $53,043 | $25.50 |
| 34 | Missouri | $52,920 | $25.44 |
| 35 | Hawaii | $57,260 | $27.53 |
| 36 | North Dakota | $52,374 | $25.18 |
| 37 | Kentucky | $51,855 | $24.93 |
| 38 | South Dakota | $50,261 | $24.16 |
| 39 | Wisconsin | $51,997 | $25.00 |
| 40 | Alabama | $48,711 | $23.42 |
| 41 | New Mexico | $50,798 | $24.42 |
| 42 | Tennessee | $49,083 | $23.60 |
| 43 | Wyoming | $48,929 | $23.52 |
| 44 | Kansas | $48,339 | $23.24 |
| 45 | Oklahoma | $49,683 | $23.89 |
| 46 | Georgia | $44,761 | $21.52 |
| 47 | Ohio | $46,754 | $22.48 |
| 48 | Indiana | $46,160 | $22.19 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $47,596 | $22.88 |
| 50 | Idaho | $47,346 | $22.76 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $44,135 | $21.22 |
Highest paying cities for compliance investigators
The highest-paying cities for compliance investigators are Menlo Park, CA, New York, NY, and Boston, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Menlo Park, CA | $83,304 | $40.05 |
| 2 | New York, NY | $72,131 | $34.68 |
| 3 | Boston, MA | $70,687 | $33.98 |
| 4 | Seattle, WA | $70,177 | $33.74 |
| 5 | Baltimore, MD | $69,212 | $33.27 |
| 6 | Carson City, NV | $64,470 | $31.00 |
| 7 | Colorado Springs, CO | $61,099 | $29.37 |
| 8 | Omaha, NE | $60,947 | $29.30 |
| 9 | San Antonio, TX | $60,755 | $29.21 |
| 10 | Phoenix, AZ | $59,287 | $28.50 |
| 11 | Chicago, IL | $54,452 | $26.18 |
| 12 | Tampa, FL | $54,019 | $25.97 |
| 13 | Provo, UT | $53,795 | $25.86 |
| 14 | Baton Rouge, LA | $53,687 | $25.81 |
| 15 | Charlotte, NC | $53,271 | $25.61 |
| 16 | Charleston, WV | $53,013 | $25.49 |
| 17 | Des Moines, IA | $52,802 | $25.39 |
| 18 | Bismarck, ND | $52,198 | $25.10 |
| 19 | Cheyenne, WY | $48,557 | $23.34 |
| 20 | Twin Falls, ID | $47,023 | $22.61 |
Compliance investigator salary details
A compliance investigator's salary ranges from $42,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $80,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a compliance investigator's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $80,000 | $6,667 | $38 |
| 75th Percentile | $69,000 | $5,750 | $33 |
| Average | $58,594 | $4,883 | $28 |
| 25th Percentile | $49,000 | $4,083 | $24 |
| 10th Percentile | $42,000 | $3,500 | $20 |
Highest paying compliance investigator jobs
The highest paying types of compliance investigators are chief compliance officer, corporate compliance officer, and bank compliance officer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regulatory Compliance Officer | $75,293 | $6,274 | $36.20 | 73,358 |
| Chief Compliance Officer | $102,166 | $8,514 | $49.12 | 76,701 |
| Compliance Officer | $64,058 | $5,338 | $30.80 | 69,161 |
| Compliance Analyst | $59,108 | $4,926 | $28.42 | 26,138 |
| Investigator | $71,406 | $5,950 | $34.33 | 5,085 |
| Compliance Coordinator | $49,472 | $4,123 | $23.78 | 33,823 |
Top companies hiring compliance investigators now:
Which companies pay compliance investigators the most?
Compliance investigator salaries at Meta and PayPal are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average compliance investigator salary at companies like Goldman Sachs and Halliburton are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta | $117,089 | $56.29 |
| 2 | PayPal | $109,906 | $52.84 |
| 3 | Goldman Sachs | $78,160 | $37.58 |
| 4 | Halliburton | $77,437 | $37.23 |
| 5 | University of California-Berkeley | $77,160 | $37.10 |
| 6 | Morgan Stanley | $74,695 | $35.91 |
| 7 | AlixPartners | $74,484 | $35.81 |
| 8 | Stanford University | $71,427 | $34.34 |
| 9 | Lincoln Memorial University | $71,182 | $34.22 |
| 10 | Sutton Bank | $70,051 | $33.68 |
| 11 | Lenovo | $69,726 | $33.52 |
| 12 | HCSC | $68,366 | $32.87 |
| 13 | Risk Management Resources Inc | $67,991 | $32.69 |
| 14 | ICU Medical | $67,882 | $32.64 |
| 15 | Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. | $63,276 | $30.42 |
| 16 | Chicago Public Schools | $63,017 | $30.30 |
| 17 | King County | $62,853 | $30.22 |
| 18 | Parkland Hospital | $62,809 | $30.20 |
| 19 | Novi Community School District | $62,367 | $29.98 |
| 20 | Services for the UnderServed | $61,351 | $29.50 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Compliance Investigator salary by industry
The average compliance investigator salary varies across industries:
- The average compliance investigator salary in the pharmaceutical industry is $75,235, the highest of any industry.
- The average compliance investigator salary in the finance industry is $63,261.
- Compliance investigators in the professional industry earn an average salary of $55,151, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for compliance investigators
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pharmaceutical | $75,235 | $36.17 |
| 2 | Finance | $63,261 | $30.41 |
| 3 | Hospitality | $60,035 | $28.86 |
| 4 | Government | $56,656 | $27.24 |
| 5 | Professional | $55,151 | $26.51 |
High paying compliance investigator jobs
Compliance investigator salary trends
The average compliance investigator salary has risen by $8,538 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average compliance investigator earned $50,056 annually, but today, they earn $58,594 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for compliance investigators over the last decade.
Compare compliance investigator salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average compliance investigator salary over time
Compare compliance investigator salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Compliance investigator salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $58,600 | $28.17 | +2.9% |
| 2024 | $56,900 | $27.36 | +0.3% |
| 2023 | $56,700 | $27.28 | +1.4% |
| 2022 | $55,900 | $26.89 | +2.0% |
| 2021 | $54,800 | $26.36 | +1.4% |
Recently added compliance investigator salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of Gainesville | Compliance Investigator | Gainesville, FL | 06/30/2025 | $52,000 |
| State of Washington | L&I Dosh Industrial Hygiene Compliance Investigator 3 (Cishi3) REG 4 | Ione, WA | 06/25/2025 | $78,468 |
| Charles River Laboratories | Compliance Investigator | Memphis, TN | 05/17/2025 | $78,700 |
| Us Department of Transportation | Compliance Investigator (Open To Both U.S. Citizens and Federal Employees) | Washington, DC | 05/14/2025 | $50,775 |
| Prairie View A&M University | Compliance Investigator I (Civil Rights and Title IX Investigator) | Prairie View, TX | 05/05/2025 | $52,670 |
| Orlando Economic Partnership | Contract Compliance Investigator I/II/III (MBE) | Orlando, FL | 04/28/2025 | $52,613 |
| Bank of Montreal | Anti Money Laundering Investigator, US Sanctions Compliance & Watch List Management | Chicago, IL | 04/28/2025 | $44,000 |
| BMO (Bank of Montreal | Anti Money Laundering Investigator, US Sanctions Compliance & Watch List Management | Tempe, AZ | 04/26/2025 | $44,000 |
| BMO Financial Group | Anti Money Laundering Investigator, US Sanctions Compliance & Watch List Management | Omaha, NE | 04/26/2025 | $44,000 |
| BMO Financial Group | Anti Money Laundering Investigator, US Sanctions Compliance & Watch List Management | Chicago, IL | 04/26/2025 | $44,000 |
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