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.
Equal Opportunity Representative and Officer Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
The median pay for Equal Opportunity Representatives and Officers is $80,730 a year ($38.81/hr), according to BLS OEWS, May 2025. Employment is projected to grow 3.0% through 2034, with about 33,300 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
SOC 13-1041Business and Financial OperationsLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $80,730
- Projected growth
- +3.0%
- Openings a year
- 33,300
- Typical education
- Bachelor's
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Affirmative Action Officer (AA Officer), Civil Rights Investigator, Civil Rights Representative, Complaint Investigations Officer, Equal Employment Opportunity Officer (EEO Officer), Equal Employment Opportunity Representative (EEO Representative).
How much do Equal Opportunity Representatives and Officers make?
10th percentile$48,220
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$61,280
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$80,730
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$109,010
Upper quartile
90th percentile$133,720
Top-paid tenth
| 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, Equal Opportunity Representatives and 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 67% of the 923 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.
Which states pay Equal Opportunity Representatives and Officers the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $111,030 | $101,027 | 4,380 |
| Massachusetts | $102,060 | $96,504 | 13,190 |
| New Jersey | $100,000 | $91,908 | 13,310 |
| California | $96,980 | $87,590 | 49,880 |
| Connecticut | $91,810 | $88,611 | 3,610 |
| Delaware | $91,050 | $91,225 | 2,150 |
| Vermont | $90,420 | $92,305 | 1,960 |
| New York | $90,080 | $83,468 | 23,500 |
| Washington | $88,790 | $82,971 | 11,130 |
| Rhode Island | $87,620 | $85,667 | 970 |
Is Equal Opportunity Representative and Officer a growing career?
Equal Opportunity Representatives and Officers3.0%
All US occupations3.1%
+3.0% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
About as fast as average
BLS projects employment of Equal Opportunity Representatives and Officers to change 3.0% over 2024–2034, against 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 12,300 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 33,300 openings are projected each year, 8.0% of the 418,000 jobs that existed in 2024. 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.
How to become an Equal Opportunity Representative and Officer
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.
| Typical entry-level education | Bachelor's degree |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Medium preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | None |
| Typical on-the-job training | Moderate-term on-the-job training |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as equal opportunity representatives and officers.
- Bachelor's Degree65.8%
- Some College Courses14.1%
- Master's Degree11.9%
- Post-Baccalaureate Certificate4.4%
- First Professional Degree2.8%
What does an Equal Opportunity Representative and Officer do?
Monitor and evaluate compliance with equal opportunity laws, guidelines, and policies to ensure that employment practices and contracting arrangements give equal opportunity without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability.
Compliance officers make sure that people and organizations meet legal and regulatory requirements.
Day-to-day tasks
- Investigate employment practices or alleged violations of laws to document and correct discriminatory factors.
- Interpret civil rights laws and equal opportunity regulations for individuals or employers.
- Prepare reports related to investigations of equal opportunity complaints.
- Interview persons involved in equal opportunity complaints to verify case information.
- Study equal opportunity complaints to clarify issues.
- Monitor the implementation and impact of guidelines for nondiscriminatory employment practices.
- Meet with persons involved in equal opportunity complaints to arbitrate and settle disputes.
- Conduct surveys and evaluate findings to determine if systematic discrimination exists.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Where equal opportunity representatives and officers work
| Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals | 37% |
|---|---|
| Finance and insurance | 12% |
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | 9% |
| Healthcare and social assistance | 8% |
| Manufacturing | 4% |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition.
Core skills
- Active Listening4.3/5
- Reading Comprehension4.1/5
- Speaking4.0/5
- Critical Thinking4.0/5
- Writing3.9/5
- Active Learning3.8/5
- Monitoring3.4/5
- Learning Strategies3.0/5
Transferable skills
- Social Perceptiveness4.0/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.8/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.6/5
- Persuasion3.3/5
- Systems Analysis3.3/5
- Systems Evaluation3.3/5
- Coordination3.1/5
- Service Orientation3.1/5
Tools and software
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Document management software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Analytical or scientific software
- Compliance software
- Human resources software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits an Equal Opportunity Representative and Officer?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realistic1.2
Investigative3.0
Artistic1.7
Socialprimary4.2
Enterprisingprimary5.4
Conventionalprimary5.2
Day to day this is work built around leading, persuading, selling and making decisions, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
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.
Equal Opportunity Representative and Officer: frequently asked questions
How much do Equal Opportunity Representatives and Officers make?
Equal Opportunity Representatives and 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.
Do you need a degree to become an Equal Opportunity Representative and Officer?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Equal Opportunity Representatives and Officers, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as medium preparation. BLS also lists moderate-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 65.8% hold bachelor's degree.
Is Equal Opportunity Representative and Officer a growing career?
It is stable rather than fast-growing: employment is projected to change 3.0% over 2024–2034, about the same as the 3.1% projected across all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 33,300 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does an Equal Opportunity Representative and Officer do?
Compliance officers make sure that people and organizations meet legal and regulatory requirements. A core O*NET task: investigate employment practices or alleged violations of laws to document and correct discriminatory factors. Employers most often ask for Data base user interface and query software, Document management software, Electronic mail software.
Which states pay Equal Opportunity Representatives and Officers the most?
The highest state medians for Equal Opportunity Representatives and Officers are District of Columbia ($111,030), Massachusetts ($102,060), New Jersey ($100,000) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits an Equal Opportunity Representative and Officer?
O*NET scores Equal Opportunity Representatives and Officers highest on the Enterprising, Conventional and Social interest areas, so the work mixes leading, persuading, selling and making decisions with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ESFJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.