Compensation and Benefits Managers Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $162K, rent takes 19.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,865/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new compensation and benefits managers typically earn — is $97K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $5,801/month. At HUD’s $1,865/month FMR, rent would take 32% 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 — $162K locally vs. $149K nationally, a 9% difference.

Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford pays $162K median vs. the U.S. average of $149K — that’s +9%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 102.75), the purchasing-power equivalent is $158K — still ahead of the national median.

The median is $162,480 a year, that works out to about $78 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $96,690, and experienced compensation and benefits managers can clear $285,840. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $9,417/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,865/month, which eats 19.8% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford has a Regional Price Parity of 102.75 (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 $158,131 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.