Side-by-side distribution
Compliance
$144,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 36.9%
- Live roles
- 756
Counsel
$214,525
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 54.3%
- Live roles
- 1,275
Highest-paying jobs
Compliance Advisory Manager
Chief Compliance Officer
Engineering Manager, GRC Platform
Engineering Manager, Fraud & Compliance
GRC Program Manager, US Government Compliance
Trade Import / Export Compliance Manager – Technology & SaaS Industry Experience
Chief Compliance Officer - NLG Capital
Staff Product Manager, Security and Compliance (Public Sector)
Senior Payments Compliance Manager
Group Product Manager, Compliance Agent Experience
Highest-paying jobs
Senior Legal Counsel
Employment Counsel [6 Month Contract]
Director, Corporate Counsel
Director, Investments Counsel
General Counsel
Senior Counsel, Real Estate
Real Estate Associate / Special Counsel (Lender-Side Focus)
REIT Special Counsel / Senior Associate
Real Estate Senior Associate / Special Counsel ("Dirt" Focus)
Associate General Counsel, Commercial (Silicon)
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
The Symicor Group
|
$90,000 | 13 |
|
Coinbase
|
$188,700 | 10 |
Anduril Industries
|
$150,000 | 6 |
Brex
|
$178,500 | 4 |
Upstart
|
$155,525 | 4 |
| SE Sezzle | $24,600 | 4 |
|
OpenAI
|
$234,000 | 3 |
Block
|
$214,700 | 3 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| TM Tyson & Mendes LLP | $175,000 | 32 |
|
Axiom Talent Platform
|
$190,500 | 18 |
|
Brex
|
$245,000 | 16 |
Alliance Defending Freedom
|
$212,500 | 13 |
|
Anthropic
|
$300,000 | 12 |
Crusoe
|
$245,500 | 11 |
Barnes & Thornburg LLP
|
$275,000 | 10 |
DigitalOcean
|
$216,450 | 10 |
Compliance salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | $196,600 | 12 |
| Denver | $183,850 | 4 |
| San Francisco | $178,500 | 45 |
| Austin | $168,000 | 3 |
| New York | $157,375 | 50 |
| Atlanta | $155,500 | 3 |
| Los Angeles | $139,500 | 4 |
| Chicago | $135,000 | 12 |
| Boston | $112,000 | 5 |
| London | $99,000 | 7 |
Counsel salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $245,000 | 150 |
| Seattle | $243,250 | 40 |
| Singapore | $234,000 | 8 |
| Dublin | $226,962 | 3 |
| New York | $222,000 | 185 |
| Los Angeles | $217,025 | 26 |
| Chicago | $215,775 | 22 |
| Austin | $215,000 | 14 |
| Boston | $202,500 | 17 |
| Denver | $198,750 | 18 |
Compliance vs Counsel: which pays more?
The median for Compliance is $144,000 per year (typically $102,500–$172,500), versus $214,525 for Counsel ($181,400–$251,819). That puts Counsel about 49% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Compliance and Counsel are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.