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Best states for Compliance Officers in 2026: cost-of-living adjusted ranking
$86,840
Compliance Officers earn $82,024 nationally in 2025. See which states offer the best COL-adjusted pay in 2026, with a full state ranking table.
TL;DR
The national median wage for Compliance Officers is $82,024 in 2025. That number means almost nothing without a cost-of-living adjustment. A $90,000 offer in California and a $72,000 offer in Indiana can flip positions once you adjust for local prices. This article ranks states by COL-adjusted purchasing power so you can make a direct comparison. Start with the state table in section 4, then use the calculator linked at the bottom to model your specific situation.
The Number (With Source)
Compliance Officers (SOC 13-1041) earned a national median annual wage of $82,024 in May 2025, with a mean of $88,396 across an employed base of 417,020 workers (BLS OES, oes_131041.htm, retrieved 2026).
Median is the right figure here. Mean is pulled up by high earners in financial-services hubs like New York and San Francisco. From this point, we use $82k as shorthand for the national median.
The occupation covers workers who examine and evaluate compliance with laws, regulations, and internal policies. It spans finance, healthcare, manufacturing, and government. O*NET classifies it at Job Zone 4, requiring a bachelor's degree and moderate on-the-job training (O*NET 13-1041.00).
The national median is your baseline. Every state comparison in this article is measured against $82,024.
What the Number Does Not Say
The BLS OES figure is a point-in-time snapshot. It captures base wages only. Bonuses, equity, and benefits are excluded.
More importantly, OES reports nominal wages. A Compliance Officer earning $95,000 in Massachusetts and one earning $68,000 in Mississippi are not separated by $27,000 in real living standard. Once rent, taxes, and goods prices enter the calculation, the gap narrows or reverses.
BLS also suppresses state-level medians when the sample is too small or the estimate is statistically unreliable. For states where the median is suppressed, we note that explicitly below rather than substituting the mean.
The nominal figure is the starting point. The COL-adjusted figure is what you spend.
The Decision Frame: COL-Adjusted State Rankings
How We Built the Adjustment
We used three inputs for every state:
- Nominal median wage: BLS OES May 2025, state-level, SOC 13-1041
- Regional Price Parity (RPP): Bureau of Economic Analysis 2023 RPP index, the most recent year available. The US average is set to 100.0.
- COL-adjusted equivalent:
Nominal Wage / (RPP / 100)= purchasing power in national-average-cost dollars
A state with RPP 115 is 15% more expensive than the US average. Dividing the nominal wage by 1.15 converts it to what that salary buys in a median-cost environment.
Reading the Table
The table below ranks states by COL-adjusted median, descending. We include the nominal median for reference. States with suppressed BLS medians are flagged. This is the figure to use when comparing offers across state lines.
| State | Nominal Median | BEA RPP | COL-Adjusted Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa | $75,800 | 88.8 | $85,360 |
| Indiana | $71,200 | 89.3 | $79,730 |
| Tennessee | $72,400 | 90.4 | $80,090 |
| Missouri | $70,900 | 89.9 | $78,870 |
| Kansas | $71,600 | 89.5 | $79,980 |
| Texas | $82,500 | 95.0 | $86,840 |
| Georgia | $78,300 | 92.8 | $84,380 |
| North Carolina | $75,600 | 93.1 | $81,200 |
| Ohio | $73,200 | 91.6 | $79,910 |
| Virginia | $90,100 | 103.7 | $86,790 |
| Colorado | $88,400 | 106.2 | $83,240 |
| Minnesota | $86,200 | 101.5 | $84,930 |
| Wisconsin | $72,100 | 93.5 | $77,110 |
| Pennsylvania | $79,400 | 98.0 | $81,020 |
| Florida | $73,800 | 99.5 | $74,170 |
| Illinois | $83,300 | 101.4 | $82,150 |
| Maryland | $95,600 | 111.0 | $86,130 |
| New Jersey | $98,200 | 115.2 | $85,240 |
| New York | $101,400 | 119.7 | $84,710 |
| Massachusetts | $100,300 | 121.4 | $82,620 |
| California | $104,900 | 125.1 | $83,850 |
| Washington | $97,200 | 114.8 | $84,670 |
| Connecticut | $96,100 | 116.6 | $82,420 |
Texas ($86,840), Virginia ($86,790), and Iowa ($85,360) lead the COL-adjusted ranking. New York's $101,400 nominal wage lands at $84,710 adjusted. California's $104,900 lands at $83,850.
The high-nominal states are not the high-value states once purchasing power is applied.
The Leaders, Explained
Texas tops the ranking because it combines a nominal wage well above the national median with an RPP below 100. There is no state income tax. The metro areas with the largest Compliance Officer concentrations, Dallas and Houston, have nominal medians closer to $87,000-$92,000 at the metro level. See our Compliance Officers salary page for metro-level breakdowns.
Virginia benefits from a dense federal contractor ecosystem around the DC corridor. Northern Virginia firms in defense, finance, and government services pay at or above $95,000 nominal. The statewide RPP of 103.7 keeps the purchasing power competitive.
Iowa and Georgia share a similar profile: wages slightly below the national nominal median, but RPP well below 100, which pushes adjusted purchasing power above the national average.
The Laggards, Explained
Florida shows a COL-adjusted figure of $74,170, the lowest in the table. Florida's RPP has risen sharply post-2020 due to migration-driven housing inflation, but wages for compliance roles have not moved proportionally. The state's lack of income tax helps at the margin, but not enough to offset the price pressure in the major metros.
Wisconsin adjusted to $77,110. Nominal wages are low and RPP, while below average, is not low enough to compensate.
Three Non-Pay Factors for Relocation Decisions
When two states are within $3,000 of each other in COL-adjusted terms, non-pay factors should drive the decision. Prioritize these:
- State income tax: Texas, Florida, and Washington have none. California tops out at 13.3%. On a $90,000 salary, that gap is roughly $5,000-$9,000 in take-home pay annually.
- Industry density: Compliance Officers in financial services earn more than those in government or manufacturing. New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut cluster financial-services roles. Virginia clusters federal/defense. Check the local industry mix before comparing offers.
- Career network: A lower-paid role at a Tier-1 financial institution in New York or a major tech firm in Seattle may produce a faster 5-year trajectory than a higher-paying role in a thinner market.
For a full relocation calculation, use our cost-of-living adjustment calculator.
Employment Outlook
The BLS projects Compliance Officer employment to grow 2.9% from 2024 to 2034, reaching approximately 430,000 workers from a base of 418,000 (BLS Employment Projections). That is classified as average growth. It is slower than the broader professional services sector.
The implication: the market is not expanding fast enough to shift geographic supply-demand imbalances quickly. States where Compliance Officers are scarce relative to demand will maintain wage premiums. Virginia's federal corridor and Texas's financial and energy sectors fall into that category.
Compliance Officer employment growth is steady but not exceptional. Location choice matters more than timing in this market.
Sources and Methodology
| Source | Observation Date | How We Used It |
|---|---|---|
| BLS OES SOC 13-1041 | May 2025 | National and state nominal median wages |
| BEA Regional Price Parities | 2023 (most recent) | RPP index for COL adjustment, US = 100 |
| O*NET 13-1041.00 | Accessed 2026 | Occupation definition, education, Job Zone |
| BLS Employment Projections | 2024-2034 cycle | 10-year growth rate and employment totals |
Methodology note: COL-adjusted median = state nominal median / (state RPP / 100). BEA RPP is the most recent publicly available state-level price parity. We did not apply state income tax adjustments to the ranked figures; tax treatment is discussed qualitatively in section 4.
Where state-level BLS medians are suppressed, we do not substitute the mean. We note the suppression and exclude that state from the ranked table.
FAQ
What is the average salary for a Compliance Officer in 2025?
The national median is $82,024 and the mean is $88,396 (BLS OES, May 2025, SOC 13-1041). The median is the more reliable benchmark because the mean is pulled upward by a smaller number of high earners in financial services hubs. If you are in a general industry role outside major metro areas, your offer is likely to land below the mean and near or below the median.
Which state pays Compliance Officers the most after adjusting for cost of living?
Texas leads the COL-adjusted ranking at an estimated $86,840 in purchasing-power-equivalent dollars, followed closely by Virginia at $86,790. Both states benefit from above-average nominal wages and manageable price levels. Texas adds the advantage of no state income tax. California and New York post higher nominal wages but drop to the middle of the adjusted ranking once local prices are applied.
Is the Compliance Officer job market growing?
Growth is projected at 2.9% from 2024 to 2034, which BLS classifies as average. Total employment is expected to reach approximately 430,000 from a current base of 418,000. The occupation does not carry a BLS Bright Outlook designation. Regulatory complexity in finance and healthcare is the primary demand driver; budget constraints in government compliance departments offset some of that growth.
Do I need a specific degree to become a Compliance Officer?
The standard entry point is a bachelor's degree, per O*NET Job Zone 4 classification. No specific major is required, but business, finance, law, and public policy are common paths. Most roles also specify moderate on-the-job training, meaning you develop specialized compliance knowledge after hire. For a detailed path, see our guide to how to become a Compliance Officer.
How much more does a Compliance Officer make in New York vs. Texas?
In nominal terms, New York's state median is approximately $101,400 versus Texas's $82,500, a gap of roughly $18,900. After COL adjustment, Texas's $86,840 purchasing-power equivalent exceeds New York's $84,710. Add New York City's state and local income tax burden (combined marginal rates above 10% for this income range) and the gap inverts further in Texas's favor for most mid-career Compliance Officers.
What industries hire the most Compliance Officers?
The three largest employing industries are financial services and banking, healthcare, and government. Financial-services roles tend to pay the highest nominal wages. Government roles offer stability and defined-benefit retirement plans but typically pay below the private-sector median. Healthcare compliance is the fastest-growing subsector by volume. Industry mix explains much of the state-level variation: states heavy in financial services show higher nominal medians, which may or may not survive the COL adjustment.
For occupation-level salary data by state and metro area, visit the Compliance Officers salary page.