Compensation and Benefits Managers Salary: $179,559 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 20,070 compensation and benefits managers nationally earn a mean of $179,559. Employment in the series shown fell about 5% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 1.1% annual decline.
Key Statistics
Compensation and Benefits Managers: what the data shows
Common questions about compensation and benefits managers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a compensation and benefits managers?
Compensation and Benefits Managers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 11-3111.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 20,070 workers.
What does a compensation and benefits managers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Working with Computers, Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a compensation and benefits managers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $140,360 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $179,559 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $98,819 |
| 25th percentile | $125,678 |
| Median (50th) | $163,720 |
| 75th percentile | $218,660 |
What education do you need?
For Compensation and Benefits Managers, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Writing, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Judgment and Decision Making, Critical Thinking, and knowledge areas including Personnel and Human Resources, English Language, Administration and Management, Customer and Personal Service. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is compensation and benefits managers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 1.1% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -5.4%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -10.5%.
Current U.S. headcount: 20,070.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do compensation and benefits managerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 20,070 | 18.9% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 17,900 | 16.9% |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 4,560 | 4.3% |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 4,560 | 4.3% |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 4,560 | 4.3% |
| Finance and Insurance | 3,820 | 3.6% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Compensation and Benefits Managers in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Database Administrators | 73,180 | $104,620 |
| Sales Managers | 603,710 | $138,060 |
| Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary | 319,630 | $104,070 |
| Education Administrators, Postsecondary | 176,420 | $103,960 |
| Public Relations Managers | 76,060 | $138,520 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Compensation and Benefits Managers workforce.
Employment Over Time
20,070 Workforce in 2023
The Compensation and Benefits Managers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Compensation and Benefits Managers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$179,559 Average Wage
In 2023, Compensation and Benefits Managers earned an average of $179,559.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Compensation and Benefits Managers.
Salary distribution for Compensation and Benefits Managers.
Employment Growth Projections
-1.1% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
10,195 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -5.4%
9,643 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -10.5%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Compensation and Benefits Managers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Compensation and Benefits Managers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Compensation and Benefits Managers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Compensation and Benefits Managers.
Wage Trends by Industry
5.6% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Compensation and Benefits Managers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Compensation and Benefits Managers.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 2,840 employees, $176,290 avg wage
- TX: 1,950 employees, $147,660 avg wage
- NY: 1,760 employees, $191,790 avg wage
- FL: 1,480 employees, $125,240 avg wage
- GA: 870 employees, $151,440 avg wage
- NJ: 810 employees, $190,280 avg wage
- NC: 750 employees, $137,820 avg wage
- PA: 710 employees, $137,790 avg wage
- MA: 670 employees, $190,710 avg wage
- IL: 520 employees, $142,010 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Compensation and Benefits Managers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 1,960 employees, $200,630 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 920 employees, $162,130 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 710 employees, $153,710 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 650 employees, $159,610 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 610 employees, $190,440 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 580 employees, $192,230 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 490 employees, $178,710 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 480 employees, $147,850 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 470 employees, $147,510 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 440 employees, $145,930 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Compensation and Benefits Managers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Compensation and Benefits Managers in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Compensation and Benefits Managers in 2023 was 20,070 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Compensation and Benefits Managers.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Compensation and Benefits Managers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Compensation and Benefits Managers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Compensation and Benefits Managers in 2023 were Business Administration, Management, Business.
Common majors for Compensation and Benefits Managers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Compensation and Benefits Managers workers.
Education level distribution for Compensation and Benefits Managers.
Skills
Compensation and Benefits Managers need many skills, but most especially Writing, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Judgment and Decision Making.
Required skills for Compensation and Benefits Managers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Compensation and Benefits Managers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Compensation and Benefits Managers include Personnel and Human Resources, English Language, Administration and Management, Customer and Personal Service, Economics and Accounting.
Knowledge areas required for Compensation and Benefits Managers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Compensation and Benefits Managers include Written Expression, Written Comprehension, Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension, Speech Clarity.
Required abilities for Compensation and Benefits Managers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Compensation and Benefits Managers.
Daily Activities
Compensation and Benefits Managers spend their time on activities such as Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Working with Computers, Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems.
Most important work activities for Compensation and Benefits Managers.
About
Compensation and Benefits Managers
The average yearly wage for Compensation and Benefits Managers was $179,559 in 2023.
SOC Code
11-3111 - Compensation and Benefits Managers
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Compensation and Benefits Managers reports an average salary of $179,559, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 20,070 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -1.1%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.