Side-by-side distribution
Compliance
$124,150
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 31%
- Live roles
- 2,188
General Counsel
$236,694
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 53.4%
- Live roles
- 427
Highest-paying jobs
Compliance Advisory Manager
Chief Compliance Officer
Chief Healthcare Compliance Officer, Genentech
Engineering Manager, GRC Platform
Engineering Manager, Fraud & Compliance
Executive Director U.S. and Above Markets Compliance Officer
Principal Healthcare Compliance Manager, Healthcare Compliance Office (HCO), Advisory
California Compliance Officer
Product Manager Principal, Tax Reporting Compliance
GRC Program Manager, US Government Compliance
Highest-paying jobs
Chief Legal Officer
SVP, Deputy General Counsel
General Counsel
Associate General Counsel, Commercial – Infrastructure
Associate General Counsel, Commercial (Silicon)
Senior Director Assistant General Counsel, Privacy
Senior Director, Assistant General Counsel – Market Access Legal
Assistant General Counsel, M&A
General Counsel
General Counsel
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| TB TD Bank | $118,300 | 24 |
The Symicor Group
|
$90,000 | 13 |
Coinbase
|
$188,700 | 10 |
BMO
|
$108,900 | 10 |
CVS Health
|
$120,677 | 9 |
Northrop Grumman
|
$112,400 | 9 |
KeyBank
|
$98,000 | 8 |
Transamerica
|
$95,000 | 8 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| TT The Trade Desk | $214,050 | 5 |
LPL Financial
|
$227,115 | 4 |
| SO State of Oklahoma | $92,795 | 4 |
Higgsfield
|
$285,000 | 3 |
Abridge
|
$260,000 | 3 |
Fireblocks
|
$257,000 | 3 |
Neuberger Berman
|
$250,000 | 3 |
micro1
|
$228,800 | 3 |
Compliance salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | $182,500 | 20 |
| San Francisco | $179,250 | 54 |
| Austin | $147,500 | 12 |
| New York | $146,100 | 107 |
| Los Angeles | $141,601 | 10 |
| Chicago | $138,351 | 54 |
| Boston | $135,000 | 25 |
| Atlanta | $134,601 | 26 |
| Denver | $109,070 | 24 |
| Toronto | $100,374 | 27 |
General Counsel salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $273,103 | 22 |
| Austin | $269,000 | 4 |
| Atlanta | $236,809 | 8 |
| Los Angeles | $233,699 | 16 |
| New York | $232,325 | 54 |
| Boston | $229,381 | 11 |
| Singapore | $228,800 | 3 |
| Denver | $219,350 | 6 |
| Chicago | $214,045 | 18 |
Compliance vs General Counsel: which pays more?
The median for Compliance is $124,150 per year (typically $95,580–$160,000), versus $236,694 for General Counsel ($195,450–$280,050). That puts General Counsel about 91% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Compliance and General 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.