Occupations · Business and Financial Operations
Compliance Officers
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.
O*NET 30.3 Database (USDOL/ETA) · occupation code 13-1041.00
What it pays
A single “average salary” hides the spread. This is the whole distribution — the gap between the bottom and top bar is usually the number that matters.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 · national, cross-industry · annual wage
Pay over time
Median up 68% between 2003 and 2024, before inflation. The band shows the 10th to 90th percentile.
BLS OEWS, one release per year. Before May 2011 only national estimates were published, so geography detail starts there.
Where the jobs are
| Metro area | Median wage | Employed |
|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | $93,320 | 22,410 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $90,370 | 16,220 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $102,500 | 14,110 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $77,860 | 12,810 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $75,540 | 10,760 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $96,280 | 9,930 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $81,730 | 8,690 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $64,470 | 8,690 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | $75,630 | 8,430 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | $80,970 | 7,830 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ | $72,980 | 7,770 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA | $104,000 | 7,350 |
BLS OEWS May 2024, metropolitan estimates · the 12 areas with the most people in this occupation
Typical education to enter: Bachelor's degree · BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
What people in this job actually do
Ordered by how important the work is rated.
- Issue licenses to individuals meeting standards.
- Collect fees for licenses.
- Warn violators of infractions or penalties.
- Administer oral, written, road, or flight tests to license applicants.
- Evaluate applications, records, or documents to gather information about eligibility or liability issues.
- Visit establishments to verify that valid licenses or permits are displayed and that licensing standards are being upheld.
- Advise licensees or other individuals or groups concerning licensing, permit, or passport regulations.
- Prepare reports of activities, evaluations, recommendations, or decisions.
- Score tests and observe equipment operation and control to rate ability of applicants.
- Report law or regulation violations to appropriate boards or agencies.
- Prepare correspondence to inform concerned parties of licensing decisions or appeals processes.
- Confer with or interview officials, technical or professional specialists, or applicants to obtain information or to clarify facts relevant to licensing decisions.
O*NET 30.3 task ratings, importance scale
Skills that matter most
Importance, rated 1 to 5.
O*NET 30.3 skills, importance scale
Software and tools
A dot marks what O*NET flags as in demand.
O*NET 30.3 software skills · hot-technology flag
What this work is actually like
Conditions rated against the average across all occupations — only what makes this job different is listed.
O*NET 30.3 Job Zones
Working conditions that stand out
O*NET 30.3 work context, frequency scale · observed 2020-11
How people actually get in
Share of workers by the education they hold.
Averaged across the 1 earlier occupation codes this job was merged from.
O*NET 25.0 education, training and experience · observed 2015-07
What kind of person the work suits
Occupational interest profile, rated 1 to 7.
O*NET 30.2 occupational interests (RIASEC)
What you take with you
Skills rated for how well they transfer into other occupations.
O*NET 30.3 transferable skills, importance scale
Knowledge the work draws on
Abilities it leans on
O*NET 30.3 abilities and knowledge, importance scale
How this job is advertised
The same work is posted under many titles — this is what to search for.
O*NET 30.3 job titles reported for this occupation
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What changed since 2015
Comparing O*NET release 20.1 (2015-10-01) with 30.3 (2026-05-01). Signs, not colour alone, carry the meaning.
Now listed 4
Diff across the O*NET releases held here in full since October 2015, following occupations through merges and retirements. O*NET re-surveys occupations on a rolling cycle, so “no change” can also mean “not re-surveyed”.
Related jobs
O*NET 30.3 related occupations
Also called
O*NET 30.3 alternative titles
The same work in Europe
| ESCO occupation | ISCO | Match |
|---|---|---|
| licensing officer | 3354.2 | exact |
| compliance engineer | 2149.2.7.1 | close |
Official ESCO ↔ O*NET crosswalk (ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA)
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