Compliance Officer salary: $179,000 median total compensation
Compliance Officer roles run the control side of legal risk: policy design, training, monitoring and testing, hotline intake, third-party diligence and regulator reporting. A JD is common but not required, which widens the candidate pool and holds the median below counsel titles at equivalent seniority.
National median
$179,000
base + bonus + equity
Highest-paying metro
San Francisco
$223,000 median
Best after cost of living
Austin
$162,000 adjusted
Compliance Officer salary by city
Total compensation medians as of August 2026. Adjusted column normalizes each metro to a national cost-of-living index of 100.
| Metro | Median total | Typical range | COL adjusted | YoY | Open roles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | $223,000 | $174K – $303K | $123,000 | +7.0% | 848 |
| New York, NY | $209,000 | $163K – $284K | $124,000 | +6.7% | 797 |
| Seattle, WA | $203,000 | $158K – $276K | $134,000 | +6.3% | 772 |
| Boston, MA | $191,000 | $149K – $260K | $129,000 | +6.2% | 728 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $186,000 | $145K – $253K | $127,000 | +6.1% | 709 |
| Washington, DC | $185,000 | $144K – $252K | $129,000 | +6.0% | 702 |
| Austin, TX | $175,000 | $137K – $238K | $162,000 | +5.2% | 664 |
| Denver, CO | $171,000 | $133K – $233K | $147,000 | +5.4% | 652 |
| Chicago, IL | $170,000 | $133K – $231K | $152,000 | +5.3% | 645 |
| Dallas, TX | $165,000 | $129K – $224K | $162,000 | +5.0% | 626 |
| Atlanta, GA | $163,000 | $127K – $222K | $158,000 | +5.0% | 620 |
| Raleigh, NC | $158,000 | $123K – $215K | $160,000 | +4.9% | 601 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $156,000 | $122K – $212K | $150,000 | +5.1% | 595 |
| Tampa, FL | $153,000 | $119K – $208K | $151,000 | +5.0% | 582 |
What moves Compliance Officer pay
- Regulated industry — banking, healthcare, insurance and pharma pay a distinct premium
- Whether the seat is a designated CCO with personal regulatory accountability
- AML/BSA, FCPA or HIPAA program ownership
- Certifications (CCEP, CAMS) and audit or examination track record
How this title compares
Median total compensation across the in-house legal ladder, national figures.
Compliance Officer salary: common questions
- What is the average Compliance Officer salary in the US?
- The national median total compensation for compliance officers is $179,000 as of August 2026, spanning $153,000 in lower-cost metros to $223,000 in San Francisco.
- What does a compliance officer role actually do?
- Runs the compliance program, training, monitoring and reporting. Compliance Officer roles run the control side of legal risk: policy design, training, monitoring and testing, hotline intake, third-party diligence and regulator reporting. A JD is common but not required, which widens the candidate pool and holds the median below counsel titles at equivalent seniority.
- Which cities pay compliance officers best?
- San Francisco ($223,000), New York ($209,000), Seattle ($203,000), Boston ($191,000), Los Angeles ($186,000). On a cost-of-living adjusted basis, lower-cost metros often net more.
- How is this Compliance Officer salary data calculated?
- Figures are total compensation medians (base plus bonus plus equity) derived from MaxMyPay's legal and compliance benchmark set across 14 US metros, scaled by role seniority and adjusted for metro cost of living. They are directional market estimates as of August 2026, not offers.
Is your Compliance Officer package at market?
A median is not your number. MaxMyPay builds a personalized valuation range from your own resume and experience, then shows what that exact profile earns in every metro we track.