Compliance Officers earn a median of $80,730 per year ($38.81/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to grow 3.8% through 2035, with about 32,700 openings a year (BLS EP, 2025–2035). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
- SOC 13-1041
- Business and Financial Operations
- Last updated October 15, 2026
At a glance
Compliance Officer in four numbers
- Median pay
- $80,730a year, or $38.81/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $48KTop 10% $134K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +3.8%About as fast as averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+3.8%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +3.8% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 32,700436,400 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 2025436.4K
- Projected 2035453.1K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 436.4K Projected 2035 453.1K - Typical education
- Bachelor'sneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
Also advertised as: Driver Examiner, Driver License Agent, Driver License Examiner, Examiner, License Examiner, License Registration Examiner.
Pay
How much do compliance officers make?
Compliance Officers earn a median of $80,730 a year ($38.81 an hour, or about $6,730 a month); the lowest-paid 10% earn less than $48,220 and the top 10% more than $133,720 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
The best-paying state is District of Columbia, with a median of $111,030. See Compliance officer salary in District of Columbia and every other state. By city, pay is highest around San Jose ($128,480 average): salary in every city.
Every compliance officer in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$80,730
Middle half earn $61,280 to $109,010
- 10th
- $48,220
- 25th
- $61,280
- 75th
- $109,010
- 90th
- $133,720
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $48,220 |
| 25th | $61,280 |
| Median | $80,730 |
| 75th | $109,010 |
| 90th | $133,720 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $80,730
- Median hourly wage
- $38.81/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $88,400
- People employed
- 417,070
Versus all US occupations
At $80,730, Compliance Officers earn 58% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $29,750 a year.
Versus business and financial operations occupations
The median is typical for the Business and Financial Operations group, where the middle occupation pays $80,730.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $133,720 or more while the bottom 10% earn $48,220, a gap of 2.8×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 60% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
District of Columbia pays the most at $111,030, and still leads at $101,027 once local prices are taken into account.
Pay by state
Which states pay compliance officers the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1District of Columbia | $111,030 | $101,027 | 4,380 |
| 2Massachusetts | $102,060 | $96,504 | 13,190 |
| 3New Jersey | $100,000 | $91,908 | 13,310 |
| 4California | $96,980 | $87,590 | 49,880 |
| 5Connecticut | $91,810 | $88,611 | 3,610 |
| 6Delaware | $91,050 | $91,225 | 2,150 |
| 7Vermont | $90,420 | $92,305 | 1,960 |
| 8New York | $90,080 | $83,468 | 23,500 |
| 9Washington | $88,790 | $82,971 | 11,130 |
| 10Rhode Island | $87,620 | $85,667 | 970 |
Job outlook
Is compliance officer a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
About as fast as average. +3.8% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Compliance Officers | +3.8% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
About as fast as average
BLS projects employment of Compliance Officers to change 3.8% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 16,700 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 32,700 openings are projected each year, 7.5% of the 436,400 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Demand for compliance officers will stem from the need for businesses and government agencies to comply with various laws and regulations. Compliance officers will be needed to understand the complexities of these regulations and to help their employers avoid the costs associated with noncompliance.
AI exposure: very high
BLS places this occupation in its very high relative AI exposure category, among the occupations most exposed to current AI.
Getting in
How to become a compliance officer
There is no compliance officer licence in the United States and no required certification. What is genuinely regulated is the designation: several federal rules require a regulated firm to name a specific individual as responsible for compliance, and that named person carries the obligation even though no credential is needed to hold the post. A bank's anti-money-laundering programme must include the designation of an individual responsible for coordinating and monitoring day-to-day compliance, and an SEC-registered investment adviser may not lawfully give advice unless it has designated a chief compliance officer. Neither rule names an exam, a degree or a licence. The credentials the field advertises, CCEP and CAMS among them, are voluntary and issued by private associations.
The credential path, step by step
- Understand that what the law requires is a designation, not a credential
For banks, 31 CFR 1020.210 requires an anti-money-laundering programme to include, at a minimum, a system of internal controls, independent testing, training for appropriate personnel, risk-based customer due diligence, and "designation of an individual or individuals responsible for coordinating and monitoring day-to-day compliance", the role usually titled BSA officer. For investment advisers, SEC rule 275.206(4)-7 makes it unlawful for a registered adviser to provide investment advice unless it adopts and implements written compliance policies and procedures, reviews them at least annually, and designates a supervised person as chief compliance officer responsible for administering them.
- Note what those rules deliberately do not say
Neither rule specifies an educational qualification, an examination or a licence for the designated person. The regulatory expectation is competence and authority within the firm, assessed through supervision and examination of the firm, rather than a credential granted in advance. This is why compliance hiring is driven by domain experience in one regulated sector rather than by a transferable qualification.
- Build depth in one regulated domain rather than breadth across several
The obligations follow the sector: bank secrecy and anti-money-laundering rules for depository institutions, the Advisers Act compliance rule for investment advisers, and separate regimes for healthcare, government contracting, export control and others. The designation you might one day hold is defined by that sector's regulator, so the experience that qualifies you is sector-specific.
- Add a voluntary certification only where the sector expects it
The Compliance Certification Board's CCEP, administered through the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics, requires at least one year in a full-time compliance position or 1,500 hours of direct compliance job duties earned within the two years before application, with duties matching its published content outline, followed by a 115-question examination taken in two hours. ACAMS's CAMS requires ACAMS membership and 40 eligibility credits, which can be earned through education (10 for an associate degree, 20 for a bachelor's, 30 for a master's, 40 for a JD or PhD, in any field from an accredited institution), work experience at 10 credits per year, and financial-crime-related training at 1 credit per hour.
- How long the training takes
There is no required programme, no accredited curriculum and no licensing pathway. The only stated time requirements come from the voluntary credentials: the CCEP asks for one year in a full-time compliance role or 1,500 hours of direct compliance duties within the previous two years, and the CAMS credit system awards 10 credits per year of work experience against a 40-credit threshold that a bachelor's degree alone half fills.
- Continuing education
Not required
Nothing attaches to the regulatory designation itself. Each voluntary certification sets its own recertification cycle and credit requirements, and the firm-level obligation is different in kind: 31 CFR 1020.210 requires the institution to provide training for appropriate personnel as part of its anti-money-laundering programme, and rule 275.206(4)-7 requires an adviser to review the adequacy of its policies and procedures at least annually.
Licensing and state variation
Not a state license
No state licenses compliance officers. The requirements attach to the regulated entity and to the federal or state regulator that supervises it, so what changes your obligations is the industry you work in, not the state you live in. Where a compliance role does carry a personal registration, it is because of the underlying activity rather than the compliance title: a compliance officer at a broker-dealer who supervises registered persons, for instance, is registered because of that supervisory role.
Who governs the credential
- Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN)
Writes the anti-money-laundering programme rules that require a bank to designate an individual or individuals responsible for coordinating and monitoring day-to-day compliance. It designates no one itself and issues no credential to the person named.
- US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Requires every registered investment adviser to designate a supervised person as chief compliance officer to administer its written compliance policies and procedures. The rule sets no qualification for that individual.
- Compliance Certification Board (CCB)
Awards the Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional (CCEP), a voluntary certification administered through the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics with an experience prerequisite and a written examination.
- Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS)
Awards the Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS), a voluntary certification open to members who accumulate 40 eligibility credits from education, work experience and financial-crime training.
Credential detail for compliance officers is researched by hand from the bodies that issue it, not derived from BLS or O*NET. Sources last checked August 23, 2026. Requirements change: confirm with your own state board before enrolling in anything.
- eCFR, 31 CFR 1020.210: Anti-money laundering program requirements for banks · checked August 23, 2026
- eCFR, 17 CFR 275.206(4)-7: Compliance procedures and practices · checked August 23, 2026
- SCCE / Compliance Certification Board: Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional (CCEP) · checked August 23, 2026
- SCCE: Certification Exam Information · checked August 23, 2026
- ACAMS: CAMS Certification · checked August 23, 2026
- ACAMS: CAMS exam eligibility rules · checked August 23, 2026
What the federal data says
Compliance officers typically need a bachelor’s degree to enter the occupation. They often receive training on the job. Employers may prefer or require candidates to have experience related to the position.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Considerable preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
Full BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook entryThe work
What does a compliance officer do?
Examine, evaluate, and investigate eligibility for or conformity with laws and regulations governing contract compliance of licenses and permits, and perform other compliance and enforcement inspection and analysis activities not classified elsewhere.
Compliance officers make sure that people and organizations meet legal and regulatory requirements.
Day-to-day tasks
- Warn violators of infractions or penalties.
- Advise licensees or other individuals or groups concerning licensing, permit, or passport regulations.
- Evaluate applications, records, or documents to gather information about eligibility or liability issues.
- Report law or regulation violations to appropriate boards or agencies.
- Confer with or interview officials, technical or professional specialists, or applicants to obtain information or to clarify facts relevant to licensing decisions.
- Prepare reports of activities, evaluations, recommendations, or decisions.
- Identify compliance issues that require follow-up or investigation.
- Keep informed regarding pending industry changes, trends, or best practices.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Working conditions and hours
Most compliance officers work full time, standard schedules. They sometimes need to work longer hours, such as when conducting research for an investigation.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayOutdoors in all weather
NeverEvery day
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantConstant contact with other people.
Face-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayDealing with the public
Not importantExtremely importantDealing with customers or the public is very important.
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayConflict situations
NeverEvery dayHandling conflict situations at least monthly.
Cost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lot
Schedules: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025–2035 edition. Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Where compliance officers work
Share of jobs by employer type
- Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals35%
- Finance and insurance12%
- Professional, scientific, and technical services9%
- Healthcare and social assistance8%
- Manufacturing5%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals | 35% |
| Finance and insurance | 12% |
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | 9% |
| Healthcare and social assistance | 8% |
| Manufacturing | 5% |
Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025–2035 edition
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Reading Comprehension4.0
- Speaking3.9
- Active Listening3.8
- Writing3.8
- Critical Thinking3.5
- Monitoring3.4
- Active Learning3.0
- Learning Strategies2.9
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 4.0 |
| Speaking | 3.9 |
| Active Listening | 3.8 |
| Writing | 3.8 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.5 |
| Monitoring | 3.4 |
| Active Learning | 3.0 |
| Learning Strategies | 2.9 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.6
- Social Perceptiveness3.5
- Persuasion3.3
- Complex Problem Solving3.3
- Time Management3.3
- Coordination3.1
- Negotiation3.1
- Service Orientation3.1
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.6 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.5 |
| Persuasion | 3.3 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.3 |
| Time Management | 3.3 |
| Coordination | 3.1 |
| Negotiation | 3.1 |
| Service Orientation | 3.1 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Operating system software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Computer based training software
- Graphics or photo imaging software
- Optical character reader OCR or scanning software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
The workforce
Who works as a compliance officer?
Women make up 52.7% of compliance officers, against 47.1% of all employed people: more women than in the workforce as a whole.
29.2% are 55 or older (23.2% across all jobs), so a larger-than-usual share of the workforce reaches retirement age over the next decade. Those exits are counted in the BLS openings figure.
The median worker is 47.3 years old (all workers: 42.1).
- Women
- 52.7%All workers 47.1% · BLS CPS, 2025
- Median age
- 47.3All workers 42.1 · BLS CPS, 2025
- Aged 55+
- 29.2%All workers 23.2% · BLS CPS, 2025
- Employed (CPS)
- 312,000BLS CPS, 2025
| Group | Share of compliance officers | All employed people |
|---|---|---|
| Women | 52.7% | 47.1% |
| White | 72.6% | 75.7% |
| Black or African American | 11.9% | 12.7% |
| Asian | 12.3% | 7.5% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 13.9% | 20.0% |
| Aged 55 and over | 29.2% | 23.2% |
| Aged 16 to 24 | 4.2% | 12.2% |
Current Population Survey annual averages, 2025 (BLS tables 11 and 11b). Race groups can overlap with Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, so they do not sum to 100%.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a compliance officer?
O*NET Occupational Interests (RIASEC), scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Compliance Officer |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 3 |
| Investigative | 3 |
| Artistic | 1 |
| Social | 3 |
| Enterprising | 4 |
| Conventional | 6 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around organising, following procedures and working precisely with data, combined with leading, persuading, selling and making decisions.
- Conventional6.3
- Enterprising4.1
- Investigative3.1
- Social3.0
- Realistic2.5
- Artistic1.0
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Compliance Officer
O*NET related occupations
- Management
- Office and Administrative Support
Eligibility Interviewer, Government Programs
$54,210median a year
Most earn $39K to $75K
+1.6%High school - Business and Financial Operations
Government Property Inspector and Investigator
$80,730median a year
Most earn $48K to $134K
+3.8%Bachelor's - Business and Financial Operations
- Business and Financial Operations
- Legal
More business and financial operations careers
Median annual pay, with compliance officers highlighted
- Financial Advisor$105,070
- Accountant$83,680
- Insurance Underwriter$81,370
- Coroner$80,730
- Compliance Officer$80,730
- Claims Adjuster, Examiner, and Investigator$78,000
- Loan Officer$76,690
- Human Resources Specialist$75,940
- Appraiser and Assessor of Real Estate$67,960
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Financial Advisor | $105,070 |
| Accountant | $83,680 |
| Insurance Underwriter | $81,370 |
| Coroner | $80,730 |
| Compliance Officer | $80,730 |
| Claims Adjuster, Examiner, and Investigator | $78,000 |
| Loan Officer | $76,690 |
| Human Resources Specialist | $75,940 |
| Appraiser and Assessor of Real Estate | $67,960 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Specialty careers within compliance officer
Distinct careers BLS counts inside this occupation, each with its own profile.
Lists Compliance Officer appears on
Questions
Compliance Officer: frequently asked questions
How much do compliance officers make?
Compliance Officers earn a median of $80,730 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). That is 58% above the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $38.81/hr. The middle half earn between $61,280 and $109,010. The top 10% earn $133,720 or more.
How much do compliance officers make an hour?
The median hourly wage for compliance officers is $38.81 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). On a full-year basis the $80,730 annual median works out to about $6,730 a month before tax.
What is the starting salary for a compliance officer?
BLS does not publish a starting salary. The nearest measure is the low end of the pay range: the lowest-paid 10% of compliance officers earn less than $48,220 a year and the bottom quarter less than $61,280 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). New workers often start near that end, but where a particular job starts depends on the employer, the state and the credentials you bring, so read these as the bottom of the range rather than a guaranteed entry wage.
Do compliance officers make $100k?
Some do. $100,000 sits between the median ($80,730) and the 75th percentile ($109,010), so roughly a quarter to a half of compliance officers earn more than that (BLS OEWS, May 2025). In 3 states the median itself is above $100,000: District of Columbia ($111,030), Massachusetts ($102,060), New Jersey ($100,000).
Which states pay compliance officers the most?
The highest state medians for Compliance Officers are District of Columbia ($111,030), Massachusetts ($102,060), New Jersey ($100,000) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What kind of compliance officer earns the most?
BLS does not split compliance officers' pay by specialty or employer, but its range shows how far the top end runs: the highest-paid 10% earn more than $133,720, against a median of $80,730 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Location moves pay the most in the published data: the best-paying states are District of Columbia ($111,030), Massachusetts ($102,060), New Jersey ($100,000). BLS also counts 7 specialty careers inside this occupation (AML investigator, cannabis compliance manager, crypto compliance officer, export compliance specialist), which share its federal pay figures.
Do you need a degree to become a compliance officer?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Compliance Officers, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as considerable preparation. BLS also lists moderate-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training.
Is compliance officer a growing career?
It is stable rather than fast-growing: employment is projected to change 3.8% over 2025–2035, about the same as the 3.5% projected across all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 32,700 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a compliance officer do?
Compliance officers make sure that people and organizations meet legal and regulatory requirements. A core O*NET task: warn violators of infractions or penalties. Employers most often ask for Data base user interface and query software, Electronic mail software, Office suite software.
What personality type suits a compliance officer?
O*NET scores Compliance Officers highest on the Conventional, Enterprising and Investigative interest areas, so the work mixes organising, following procedures and working precisely with data with leading, persuading, selling and making decisions. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ESTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.
How long does it take to become a compliance officer?
There is no required programme, no accredited curriculum and no licensing pathway. The only stated time requirements come from the voluntary credentials: the CCEP asks for one year in a full-time compliance role or 1,500 hours of direct compliance duties within the previous two years, and the CAMS credit system awards 10 credits per year of work experience against a 40-credit threshold that a bachelor's degree alone half fills.
Do you need a license to work as a compliance officer?
Not a state license. No state licenses compliance officers. The requirements attach to the regulated entity and to the federal or state regulator that supervises it, so what changes your obligations is the industry you work in, not the state you live in. Where a compliance role does carry a personal registration, it is because of the underlying activity rather than the compliance title: a compliance officer at a broker-dealer who supervises registered persons, for instance, is registered because of that supervisory role.
What percentage of compliance officers are women?
Women make up 52.7% of compliance officers, against 47.1% of all employed people: more women than in the workforce as a whole. 29.2% are 55 or older (23.2% across all jobs), so a larger-than-usual share of the workforce reaches retirement age over the next decade. Those exits are counted in the BLS openings figure. The median worker is 47.3 years old (all workers: 42.1). Source: BLS Current Population Survey, 2025 annual averages.