Compliance Officer Salary
Compliance Officers in Merced, CA make a median of $84,020 a year, or about $40.39 an hour. The range runs from $54K at the entry level to $138K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.28), that's roughly $85,490 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,503/month, or 28.5% of estimated take-home pay.
Where the paycheck goes
What $84K actually covers in Merced, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Merced’s Regional Price Parity (98.28). 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 Merced
Compliance officers pay in Merced tracks closely to the national median, $84K locally vs. $81K nationwide, a 4% difference. Rent runs $1,503/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 28.4% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Cost of living (RPP 98.28) 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 Merced, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $95K | $83K |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $119K | $103K |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | $101K | $90K |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | $80K | $75K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Merced, CA
Entry-level compliance officers (10th percentile) start around $54K. Mid-career wages sit at $84K. Top earners bring in $138K or more, a $84K 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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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a compliance officer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Merced?
Yes — at the median salary of $84K, rent takes 28.4% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,503/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for compliance officers in Merced?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new compliance officers typically earn — is $54K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,641/month. At HUD’s $1,503/month FMR, rent would take 41% 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 Merced?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $84K locally vs. $81K nationally, a 4% difference.
How does Merced compare to the national average for compliance officers?
Merced pays $84K median vs. the U.S. average of $81K — that’s +4%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.28), the purchasing-power equivalent is $85K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do compliance officers make in Merced, CA?
The median is $84,020 a year, that works out to about $40 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $53,730, and experienced compliance officers can clear $137,500. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $84K enough to live in Merced?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,295/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,503/month, which eats 28.4% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a compliance officers salary go in Merced?
Merced has a Regional Price Parity of 98.28 (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 $85,490 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.