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Compliance Officers

Typical education: Bachelor's degreeModerate pressure

What they 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.

Kinds of work

  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.
  • Enterprising: Leading, persuading, selling and starting new projects or businesses.

Moderate pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $80,730 Median per year · $38.81/hr Most earn $48,220–$133,720

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Collect fees for licenses.
  • Visit establishments to verify that valid licenses or permits are displayed and that licensing standards are being upheld.
  • Prepare reports of activities, evaluations, recommendations, or decisions.
  • Prepare correspondence to inform concerned parties of licensing decisions or appeals processes.
  • Evaluate applications, records, or documents to gather information about eligibility or liability issues.
  • Advise licensees or other individuals or groups concerning licensing, permit, or passport regulations.

Job outlook

United States
4% more jobs by 2035, about as fast as average · about 32,700 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Federal government, excluding postal service16.4%
  • State government, excluding education and hospitals10.9%
  • Local government, excluding education and hospitals7.5%
  • Management of companies and enterprises5.0%
  • Credit intermediation and related activities3.6%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: Bachelor's degree

Compliance officers usually need a bachelor's degree, and many start in an entry-level compliance or regulatory role before taking on this job. We don't have a reliable figure for how much prior work experience people typically have, so treat the timing below as a rough guide.

  1. Bachelor's degree in business, finance, law, political science, or a related field

    4 years

    College builds the reading, writing, and rule-following skills that compliance work depends on, and it is the education most job postings expect.

  2. Regulatory Affairs Specialist

    1-3 years

    In this role you learn how rules, permits, and licensing requirements apply to a real business or agency, which prepares you for investigating and checking compliance on your own.

  3. Compliance Officer

    Ongoing

    You examine records, check that people and organizations follow laws and regulations, and investigate problems when they come up.

Where it can lead

  1. Compliance Manager

    3-5 years of experience first

    You lead a team, set compliance plans and procedures, and handle larger or higher-risk issues, which usually requires a strong track record as a compliance officer.

  2. Director of Compliance

    5-10 years of experience first

    You oversee the whole compliance program for an organization and report to senior leaders, which takes years of hands-on experience and leadership skills.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take math, English, and social studies classesStrong reading, math, and writing skills help you understand rules and explain your findings clearly.
  • Join a debate, mock trial, or student government clubThese groups teach you to read rules, weigh evidence, and speak up about fairness.
  • Get a starter job with clear rules, like a cashier or shift workerFollowing workplace policies and keeping accurate records early on builds habits compliance officers use every day.
  • Volunteer with a local organization that follows regulations, such as a food bank or hospitalYou'll see how rules and paperwork work in practice and how organizations keep track of them.
  • Practice keeping organized recordsTracking school projects, budgets, or club finances helps you build the careful attention to detail this job needs.

In college

  • Choose a major in business, finance, accounting, law, or political scienceThese majors cover the rules, regulations, and reporting standards that compliance officers work with.
  • Get an internship in a regulated industryBanks, insurers, hospitals, and government agencies often have compliance teams where you can see the job up close.
  • Take classes in statistics, data analysis, or spreadsheetsCompliance work often means reviewing large amounts of records and spotting unusual patterns.
  • Join a student organization focused on law, business ethics, or financeYou'll build networks, practice explaining rules to others, and meet people who work in the field.
  • Look into a certification in compliance or auditing while you studyMany certifications are open to people with a degree and some work experience, and they show employers you are serious about the field.

Tips for getting started

  • Take writing, statistics, and any law or government classes, since compliance work means reading rules carefully and explaining findings clearly.
  • Look for internships or part-time jobs in banking, insurance, healthcare, or government offices, where compliance rules matter a lot.
  • Pay attention to how rules change in the news, such as privacy or financial regulations, and practice explaining what they mean to people who are not experts.

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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