Compensation and Benefits Managers Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $146K, rent takes 21% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,931/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new compensation and benefits managers typically earn — is $92K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $5,528/month. At HUD’s $1,931/month FMR, rent would take 35% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $146K locally vs. $149K nationally, a 2% difference.

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington pays $146K median vs. the U.S. average of $149K — that’s -2%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 103.09), the purchasing-power equivalent is $142K — below the national median.

The median is $145,930 a year, that works out to about $70 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $92,140, and experienced compensation and benefits managers can clear $224,190. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $9,208/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,931/month, which eats 21% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington has a Regional Price Parity of 103.09 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median compensation and benefits managers salary is worth about $141,556 in national-average purchasing power.

The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.