Side-by-side distribution
Compliance
$138,750
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 38.1%
- Live roles
- 712
General Counsel
$263,750
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 61.1%
- Live roles
- 185
Highest-paying jobs
Regulatory & Security Compliance Manager
Compliance Analyst
Compliance Advisory Manager
Senior GRC Analyst
Chief Compliance Officer
Engineering Manager, GRC Platform
Engineering Manager, Fraud & Compliance
Chief Compliance Officer
Senior Manager, GRC Subject Matter Experts, Product
GRC Program Manager, US Government Compliance
Highest-paying jobs
Chief Legal Officer (CLO) ($1M-$5M salary)
General Counsel
Chief Legal Officer
Chief Legal Officer
Chief Legal Officer (Pacific Northwest or Hybrid) (964-SLS)
General Counsel
Deputy General Counsel
Associate General Counsel, Product & Commercial
Deputy General Counsel
Associate General Counsel, Hardware IP
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
The Symicor Group
|
$90,000 | 13 |
Coinbase
|
$185,833 | 6 |
Harvey
|
$234,500 | 4 |
iCapital
|
$162,500 | 4 |
Remote
|
$136,178 | 4 |
Whoop
|
$135,000 | 4 |
City Wide Facility Solutions
|
$46,800 | 4 |
Block
|
$214,700 | 3 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
FutureSight
|
$5,988 | 10 |
| TT The Trade Desk | $214,050 | 4 |
Hadrian Automation
|
$312,500 | 3 |
| SA Scale AI | $297,900 | 3 |
Fireblocks
|
$257,000 | 3 |
Robinhood
|
$236,000 | 3 |
|
STR
|
$355,000 | 2 |
The New York Times
|
$290,000 | 2 |
Compliance salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | $182,575 | 14 |
| San Francisco | $176,654 | 34 |
| Los Angeles | $145,500 | 10 |
| New York | $145,000 | 44 |
| Boston | $134,968 | 10 |
| Denver | $110,640 | 7 |
| Chicago | $102,500 | 7 |
| Toronto | $87,500 | 5 |
| London | $74,011 | 8 |
General Counsel salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $253,500 | 23 |
| New York | $250,000 | 37 |
| Los Angeles | $229,325 | 10 |
| Boston | $216,345 | 4 |
| Chicago | $214,050 | 7 |
| Austin | $180,000 | 3 |
Compliance vs General Counsel: which pays more?
The median for Compliance is $138,750 per year (typically $97,500–$172,000), versus $263,750 for General Counsel ($214,050–$297,600). That puts General Counsel about 90% 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.