SALARY DATA — SOC 13-1141
Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists
13-0000 Business and Financial Operations Occupations
The 90/10 ratio for Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists is 2.61× — the national median is $78,210 but top decile earns $128,920. The spread exists; it's concentrated in geography, specialization, and industry sector. Knowing which end of the band you're on is the whole negotiation.
BLS OEWS reference period: May 2025. Employment: 112,380.
Wage distribution — the receipts
National OEWS annual wage percentiles. "vs. median" column shows each percentile relative to the occupation's own national median — this is where your position in the band lives. Source and series IDs: methodology page.
| Percentile | Annual wage | vs. median | Hourly (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th pct — bottom decile | $49,480 | -37% | ~$24 |
| 25th pct — lower quartile | $60,890 | -22% | ~$29 |
| Median — 50th pct | $78,210 | — | $37.60/hr |
| Mean — average | $84,330 | +8% | $40.54/hr |
| 75th pct — upper quartile | $100,400 | +28% | ~$48 |
| 90th pct — top decile | $128,920 | +65% | ~$62 |
Source: BLS OEWS national estimates. Annual wage ÷ 2,080 hrs = hourly estimate. Hourly-median is direct from OEWS when available; others are estimates only.
Pay by metro area
BLS publishes May 2025 wage estimates for Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists in 226 metro areas; the 10 with the most jobs are below, ranked by employment.
| Metro | Jobs | Median | 10th pct | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 9,900 | $89,130 | $63,370 | $138,070 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 4,070 | $97,310 | $60,220 | $149,990 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 3,500 | $79,990 | $53,000 | $130,020 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 3,070 | $74,860 | $53,670 | $122,480 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 2,630 | $99,150 | $63,660 | $163,490 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 2,620 | $91,660 | $60,560 | $139,780 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 2,480 | $75,620 | $50,120 | $132,810 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 2,440 | $102,780 | $74,570 | $165,600 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 2,220 | $85,910 | $61,400 | $153,730 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 1,750 | $76,720 | $45,000 | $119,190 |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 — metropolitan area estimates (oesm25ma/MSA_M2025_dl.xlsx). Jobs are rounded to the nearest ten and exclude the self-employed; a dash means BLS suppressed that percentile.
Pay by industry
Across 131 detailed industries with a publishable estimate, the 5 that employ the most Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists are below, with the median wage each one pays.
| Industry | NAICS | Jobs | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities | 524200 | 17,100 | $74,290 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 551100 | 13,920 | $84,240 |
| Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 999300 | 8,060 | $79,690 |
| Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services | 541600 | 7,620 | $76,860 |
| State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 999200 | 5,950 | $66,820 |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 — national 4-digit NAICS industry estimates (oesm25in4/nat4d_M2025_dl.xlsx), all ownerships combined. Industries where BLS suppresses the wage are omitted rather than shown as zero.
What it pays vs. what it buys
The wage is only half the number. Below, the metro median for Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists is divided by that metro's BEA Regional Price Parity — the federal measure of what a dollar actually buys there. Nominal is what the job pays. Real is what it buys at local prices. Which reorders the answer: Seattle ranks #10 of 47 on the paycheck and #25 once you spend it.
| Metro | Nominal | Prices | Real | Rank shift |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $102,780 | 106.2 | $96,793 | — |
| Boston | $99,150 | 103.6 | $95,668 | — |
| Denver | $92,560 | 99.4 | $93,150 | +1 |
| San Diego | $90,070 | 99.6 | $90,412 | +2 |
| Washington | $91,660 | 102.3 | $89,618 | — |
| Portland | $89,040 | 100.1 | $88,941 | +2 |
| Sacramento | $87,910 | 100.3 | $87,675 | +2 |
| Los Angeles | $97,310 | 113.6 | $85,686 | -5 |
| Hartford | $85,420 | 100.8 | $84,704 | +2 |
| Cleveland | $78,570 | 93.9 | $83,654 | +8 |
Top 10 of 47 metros by real wage. Rank shift = places gained or lost against the nominal ranking. Memphis gains 13 places. Sources: BLS OEWS May 2025 metropolitan estimates; BEA Regional Price Parities (national = 100). Metros where BLS suppresses the estimate are omitted rather than shown as zero. Full data at /salaries-metro.json.
Is this job growing or dying?
BLS projects employment in Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists to move from 118,100 to 125,200 over 2025–2035 — +6% , with about 9,000 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted . Typical entry requirement: bachelor's degree, plus less than 5 years of related experience.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2 (2025–2035). Openings count growth and replacement need together, which is why a shrinking occupation can still hire. Full data at /employment-projections.json.
Salary FAQ
- What is the median salary for Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists?
- The median annual salary for Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists is $78,210, and the mean is $84,330 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025).
- What is the salary range for Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists?
- Most Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists earn between $49,480 and $128,920 a year. The wage gap inside the occupation is a 2.61× ratio — workers at the 90th percentile earn 2.61 times those at the 10th (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
- Where does pay for Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists fall the most after adjusting for cost of living?
- Local prices reorder the ranking. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ranks #10 by nominal pay but #25 of 47 metros once local prices are applied (BEA Regional Price Parities).
- Is employment for Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists growing or shrinking?
- BLS projects Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists employment to grow 6% over the 2025–2035 window, with about 9,000 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted (BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035).
- How many Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists jobs are there in the US?
- BLS counts about 112,380 workers in Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists nationally (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Figures from this page's OEWS / Employment Projections / BEA data, above. Methodology at /methodology#oews-salaries.
Related occupations
Other Business and Financial Operations Occupations whose national median wage is closest to that of Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists: same SOC major group, nearest median first.
- Insurance Appraisers, Auto Damage $78,240
- Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators $78,000
- Buyers and Purchasing Agents $77,710
- Cost Estimators $78,740
- Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists $78,760
- Loan Officers $76,690
- Human Resources Specialists $75,940
- Compliance Officers $80,730
The national wage distribution and the metro and industry tables above are BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates for Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists (SOC 13-1141): percentiles from the OEWS API series, metro and industry rows from the published bulk tables — how they are fetched, what OEWS leaves out (equity, bonuses, benefits) and how the 90/10 ratio is read are documented at /methodology#oews-salaries and #oews-breakdown. The other sections keep their own sources and periods: the cost-adjusted metro table divides OEWS metro medians by BEA Regional Price Parities (/methodology#burnout-index); the outlook and its FAQ entry are BLS Employment Projections for 2025–2035.
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Raw JSON: /salaries/compensation-benefits-and-job-analysis-specialists-13-1141.json · License: CC BY 4.0 · Source: BLS OEWS · Cite as: Office Blues OEWS Salary Data, Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists, officeblues.net/salaries/compensation-benefits-and-job-analysis-specialists-13-1141
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