SOC 13-1041.00

    Compliance Officers

    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.

    Median pay
    $80,730
    Growth
    +3.8%
    As fast as average
    Openings a year
    32,700
    Typical education
    Bachelor's degree

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $48,220
    Median
    $80,730
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $133,720
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    417,070 people work in this occupation.

    In short

    Compliance officers investigate and evaluate adherence to laws, permits, and regulations. They earn a median annual salary of $80,730, with opportunities spanning various industries to ensure organizations operate within legal boundaries.

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What compliance officers do

    Job Zone 4: Considerable preparation

    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.

    Most need a bachelor's degree and several years of related experience.

    What the work is like

    Compliance officers spend their days gathering, processing, and evaluating information to ensure organizations adhere to government laws, permits, and contract guidelines. They document their findings, solve complex problems, and make critical decisions regarding regulatory conformity. This role requires frequent communication, both internally with supervisors and peers, and externally with the public or outside organizations.

    To succeed in this field, individuals need strong skills in reading comprehension, active listening, critical thinking, and speaking. They must be persuasive and socially perceptive when addressing compliance issues. Essential knowledge areas include law and government, administration, customer service, public safety, and computers. Because the work involves enforcing rules, it appeals to those with conventional interests who value structure. Key work styles for this career include integrity, dependability, attention to detail, cautiousness, and stress tolerance.

    How to get there

    Entering this career typically requires a bachelor's degree along with several years of work experience in a related field. Students preparing for this path often major in fields such as criminal justice and corrections, health and medical administrative services, natural resources conservation and research, public health, human resources management, environmental policy, or environmental geosciences.

    Depending on the state, some workers may need to obtain a license. Professionals can also pursue certifications to demonstrate specialized expertise. Examples of these credentials include Anti-Bribery Management - Lead Auditor, Anti-Bribery Management - Lead Implementer, and Anti-Bribery Management - Practitioner, all offered by TRECCERT.

    Pay and outlook explained

    The median annual wage for compliance officers is $80,730. Salaries vary based on experience and industry, with the lowest 10 percent earning under $48,220 and the highest 10 percent earning over $133,720.

    There are 417,070 people employed in this occupation. Between 2025 and 2035, employment is projected to grow by 3.8 percent, which is as fast as the average for all occupations. Job seekers can expect about 32,700 openings to become available each year during this period.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R)
    25 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    35 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    0 / 100
    Social (S)
    33 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    51 / 100
    Conventional (C) · strongest
    89 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code CEI. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Getting Information
    91
    Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
    87
    Documenting/Recording Information
    87
    Processing Information
    84
    Communicating with People Outside the Organization
    84
    Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
    81
    Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    80
    Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
    80
    Working with Computers
    80
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    76
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Reading Comprehension
    • Speaking
    • Active Listening
    • Writing
    • Judgment and Decision Making
    • Critical Thinking
    • Social Perceptiveness
    • Monitoring
    • Complex Problem Solving
    • Persuasion

    Knowledge

    • Law and Government
    • English Language
    • Customer and Personal Service
    • Public Safety and Security
    • Computers and Electronics
    • Administration and Management
    • Administrative
    • Education and Training
    • Telecommunications
    • Psychology

    Abilities

    • Oral Comprehension
    • Oral Expression
    • Written Comprehension
    • Written Expression
    • Deductive Reasoning
    • Information Ordering
    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Inductive Reasoning
    • Near Vision
    • Speech Clarity

    Work styles

    • Integrity
    • Dependability
    • Attention to Detail
    • Cautiousness
    • Self-Control
    • Perseverance
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Cooperation
    • Sincerity
    • Self-Confidence

    Also called

    Air Pollution Compliance Inspector · Certified Driver Examiner (CDE) · Certified Driver License Test Administrator · Compliance Administrator (Compliance Admin) · Compliance Analyst · Compliance Consultant · Compliance Coordinator · Compliance Examiner · Compliance Investigator · Compliance Officer

    Career pathway

    From your interests to compliance officers

    Interests that fit the work, the career, majors that lead there and colleges whose graduates in those majors earn the most. Hover or focus a step to follow one path.

    1. Interests

    2. This career

      • Compliance Officers$80,730 median pay

    3. Majors

    4. Colleges

    College Scorecard program outcomes

    Colleges with strong outcomes

    Programs that lead to this career, ranked by what their graduates earn four years after finishing. Earnings are for graduates who received federal aid.

    1. 1Georgetown University-DC logo
      Georgetown University-DC

      Washington, DC · Health and Medical Administrative Services · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $143,686
      Median debt
      $11,000
    2. 2Cornell University-New York logo
      Cornell University-New York

      Ithaca, NY · Human Resources Management and Services · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $74,192
      4 yrs after
      $112,713
      Median debt
      $12,000
    3. 3University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Main Campus logo
      University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Main Campus

      Chapel Hill, NC · Health and Medical Administrative Services · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $44,456
      4 yrs after
      $110,204
      Median debt
      Not reported
    4. 4Northwestern University-Illinois logo
      Northwestern University-Illinois

      Evanston, IL · Human Resources Management and Services · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $98,392
      4 yrs after
      $108,498
      Median debt
      Not reported
    5. 5Calumet College of Saint Joseph logo
      Calumet College of Saint Joseph

      Whiting, IN · Criminal Justice and Corrections · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $54,078
      4 yrs after
      $106,465
      Median debt
      $20,417
    6. 6University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Main Campus logo
      University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Main Campus

      Ann Arbor, MI · Human Resources Management and Services · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $69,663
      4 yrs after
      $99,594
      Median debt
      $20,596
    7. 7
      George Washington University

      Washington, DC · Human Resources Management and Services · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $58,393
      4 yrs after
      $97,126
      Median debt
      $20,000
    8. 8Brigham Young University-Provo BYU Utah logo
      Brigham Young University-Provo BYU Utah

      Provo, UT · Human Resources Management and Services · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $66,527
      4 yrs after
      $96,354
      Median debt
      Not reported

    Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025. Programs with few graduates are not listed.

    NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk

    Majors that lead here

    Related programs by four-digit CIP code. They are common routes in, not the only ones.

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What compliance officers may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Certifications

    Core certifications employers recognise for this work. Showing 12 of 13.

    Search all certifications on CareerOneStop

    Training

    Programs of study that prepare people for this work.

    • Energy and Environmental Policy
    • Environmental Geosciences
    • Environmental Science
    • Environmental Studies
    • Environmental/Natural Resources Law Enforcement and Protective Services
    • Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General
    • Labor and Industrial Relations
    • Medical Staff Services Technology/Technician
    • Patient Safety and Healthcare Quality
    • Regulatory Science/Affairs
    • Suspension and Debarment Investigation

    Find training near you on CareerOneStop

    Licenses by state

    31 states list a license for this work. Open your state for the license and the agency that issues it.

    Check license requirements on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 9, 2026.

    Your plan

    Build my pathway plan

    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

    All careers

    Questions about compliance officers

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What is the typical education required to become a compliance officer?

    Most compliance officers need a bachelor's degree to enter the field. Additionally, candidates usually need several years of related work experience to prepare for the role.

    What are some common job titles for people in this field?

    People in this occupation may work under titles such as Compliance Analyst, Compliance Coordinator, Compliance Investigator, Compliance Examiner, or Air Pollution Compliance Inspector.

    What are the job prospects and annual openings for this career?

    The field is projected to grow 3.8 percent from 2025 to 2035, which is as fast as the average for all jobs. This growth and normal turnover are expected to result in 32,700 job openings each year.

    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 9, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.