Compliance Officers Salary
Compliance Officers in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC make a median of $83,780 a year, or about $40.28 an hour. The range runs from $50K at the entry level to $141K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 97.57), that's roughly $85,867 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,711/month, about 31.7% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $84K get you in Durham-Chapel Hill?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Durham-Chapel Hill’s Regional Price Parity (97.57). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About compliance officers
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What this looks like in Durham-Chapel Hill
Compliance officers pay in Durham-Chapel Hill tracks closely to the national median, $84K locally vs. $81K nationwide, a 4% difference. Rent runs $1,711/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 32.3% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Cost of living (RPP 97.57) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Pay and costs are both near average, leaving limited margin for savings at the median wage.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for compliance officers in metros near Durham-Chapel Hill, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia | $87K | $89K |
| Raleigh-Cary | $80K | $81K |
| Winston-Salem | $75K | $81K |
| Greensboro-High Point | $72K | $77K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
Entry-level compliance officers (10th percentile) start around $50K. Mid-career wages sit at $84K. Top earners bring in $141K or more, a $91K spread from bottom to top.
Compliance Officers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Compliance Officers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $111K | +38% | 4,380 |
| Massachusetts | $102K | +26% | 13,190 |
| New Jersey | $100K | +24% | 13,310 |
| California | $97K | +20% | 49,880 |
| Connecticut | $92K | +14% | 3,610 |
| Delaware | $91K | +13% | 2,150 |
| Vermont | $90K | +12% | 1,960 |
| New York | $90K | +12% | 23,500 |
| Washington | $89K | +10% | 11,130 |
| Rhode Island | $88K | +9% | 970 |
| Minnesota | $86K | +6% | 6,140 |
| Pennsylvania | $86K | +6% | 19,810 |
| Maryland | $85K | +5% | 10,100 |
| Maine | $84K | +4% | 1,790 |
| Oregon | $83K | +3% | 5,360 |
| New Hampshire | $83K | +3% | 1,730 |
| Hawaii | $83K | +2% | 1,270 |
| Colorado | $82K | +2% | 7,740 |
| Illinois | $81K | -0% | 10,650 |
| Virginia | $80K | -0% | 15,190 |
| Wyoming | $80K | -1% | 580 |
| North Dakota | $79K | -2% | 990 |
| Wisconsin | $79K | -2% | 5,710 |
| Indiana | $79K | -2% | 5,120 |
| North Carolina | $79K | -3% | 11,320 |
| Nevada | $78K | -3% | 4,400 |
| Michigan | $77K | -4% | 9,720 |
| Alaska | $76K | -5% | 920 |
| Iowa | $76K | -6% | 3,660 |
| South Carolina | $75K | -7% | 4,760 |
| Idaho | $75K | -7% | 1,660 |
| Texas | $75K | -7% | 42,900 |
| Ohio | $75K | -7% | 11,240 |
| Florida | $75K | -7% | 29,680 |
| Arizona | $75K | -7% | 12,430 |
| Nebraska | $74K | -8% | 3,470 |
| Alabama | $73K | -10% | 3,770 |
| South Dakota | $73K | -10% | 1,130 |
| Louisiana | $70K | -13% | 3,970 |
| Georgia | $70K | -13% | 14,390 |
| Kansas | $70K | -14% | 3,560 |
| Kentucky | $69K | -14% | 4,360 |
| New Mexico | $68K | -16% | 2,400 |
| Mississippi | $67K | -16% | 1,720 |
| Utah | $67K | -17% | 3,760 |
| Missouri | $67K | -17% | 7,000 |
| Montana | $67K | -17% | 1,480 |
| Arkansas | $65K | -20% | 3,120 |
| West Virginia | $64K | -20% | 1,720 |
| Tennessee | $64K | -21% | 7,990 |
| Oklahoma | $63K | -22% | 4,230 |
Showing 1–10 of 51 (all 50 states + DC)
Track compliance officers salary changes
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Frequently asked questions
Can a compliance officer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Durham-Chapel Hill?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $84K, rent takes 32.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,711/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,600/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for compliance officers in Durham-Chapel Hill?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new compliance officers typically earn — is $50K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,999/month. At HUD’s $1,711/month FMR, rent would take 57% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is compliance officer a high-paying job in Durham-Chapel Hill?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $84K locally vs. $81K nationally, a 4% difference.
How does Durham-Chapel Hill compare to the national average for compliance officers?
Durham-Chapel Hill pays $84K median vs. the U.S. average of $81K — that’s +4%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 97.57), the purchasing-power equivalent is $86K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do compliance officers make in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC?
The median is $83,780 a year, that works out to about $40 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $49,990, and experienced compliance officers can clear $141,360. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $84K enough to live in Durham-Chapel Hill?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,296/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,711/month, which eats 32.3% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a compliance officers salary go in Durham-Chapel Hill?
Durham-Chapel Hill has a Regional Price Parity of 97.57 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median compliance officers salary is worth about $85,867 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do compliance officers get paid the most?
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.