2027 Salary Guide · Legal & Compliance
O*NET classifies regulatory affairs specialists within Compliance Officers, an occupation with a median of $80,730 in May 2025, about $86,000 for 2027. Product submission work for drug and device makers is specialized, so this guide places the title between that median and the 90th percentile of $133,720. Regulatory affairs managers are counted in a different, higher-paid BLS group.
Career path
The first three steps use the Compliance Officers percentiles. Managers and directors are classified under Managers, All Other, as O*NET's Regulatory Affairs Managers.
About $61,000 to $81,000 (25th percentile to median)
Compiles submission documents, tracks product registrations and maintains labeling files. O*NET's sample titles include RA associate and regulatory submissions associate.
About $81,000 to $109,000 (median to 75th percentile)
Prepares and manages submissions such as FDA 510(k) premarket notifications, and answers agency questions about them.
About $109,000 to $134,000 (75th to 90th percentile)
Sets the regulatory strategy for a product line and leads meetings and correspondence with agencies.
Median $141,900 (Managers, All Other)
Leads the regulatory function. O*NET's sample titles for the manager occupation include RA manager, global RA director and RA vice president.
Pay distribution
The bar shows all compliance officers, a group that also includes licensing examiners and inspectors. The shaded band, the median to the 90th percentile, reflects the specialized product and submission work of regulatory affairs.
Typical for the Regulatory Affairs Specialist title: $80,730 to $133,720 (50th to 90th percentile of Compliance Officers)
| Percentile | BLS, May 2025 | 2027 planning estimate |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $48,220 | $51,500 |
| 25th percentile | $61,280 | $65,000 |
| Median | $80,730 | $86,000 |
| 75th percentile | $109,010 | $116,000 |
| 90th percentile | $133,720 | $142,000 |
Pay drivers
Drugs, biologics, medical devices, food and cosmetics each follow their own FDA pathways. Device specialists work on submissions such as the 510(k), which FDA describes as a premarket submission showing a device is as safe and effective as a legally marketed device.
Companies that sell abroad need people who know more than one regulatory system. O*NET lists global RA manager and global RA director among the manager titles.
Many specialists hold degrees in life sciences, pharmacy or engineering, which helps on technical sections of a submission.
Compliance officer medians run from $62,210 in Nashville to $118,890 in the Bay Area, and life-science hubs sit at the top of that list.
Local pay
The Bay Area ($118,890), Boston ($103,940) and San Diego ($101,230), three major biotech and medical device centers, post the highest compliance officer medians among the 29 metros. These figures cover the whole occupation, so specialist roles in these metros can sit above the local median.
| Metro area | Median | 10th – 90th | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco Bay Area | $118,890 +47% | $64,850 – $179,150 | 7,500 |
| Boston | $103,940 +29% | $65,040 – $162,390 | 10,920 |
| San Diego | $101,230 +25% | $57,050 – $148,470 | 6,120 |
| New York City | $101,050 +25% | $58,990 – $160,670 | 23,380 |
| Washington, DC | $100,200 +24% | $60,710 – $148,700 | 13,820 |
| Seattle | $95,850 +19% | $63,510 – $149,050 | 6,440 |
| Los Angeles | $94,810 +17% | $55,740 – $146,350 | 17,700 |
| Hartford | $93,890 +16% | $59,120 – $135,190 | 1,390 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul | $91,150 +13% | $57,710 – $134,930 | 4,610 |
| Providence | $87,620 +9% | $56,070 – $133,490 | 1,480 |
| Metro area | Median | 10th – 90th | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | $86,720 +7% | $48,490 – $141,780 | 3,240 |
| Portland | $86,600 +7% | $55,500 – $132,700 | 3,090 |
| Denver | $83,580 +4% | $60,990 – $136,870 | 4,830 |
| Philadelphia | $83,000 +3% | $51,680 – $134,500 | 8,370 |
| Buffalo | $82,450 +2% | $48,290 – $120,470 | 2,180 |
| Chicago | $82,020 +2% | $52,720 – $133,490 | 8,320 |
| Detroit | $81,250 +1% | $49,090 – $122,830 | 5,180 |
| Albany | $81,190 +1% | $56,530 – $125,560 | 1,710 |
| Baltimore | $80,520 +-0% | $55,710 – $128,610 | 5,030 |
| Miami | $79,770 -1% | $45,880 – $127,940 | 10,530 |
| Raleigh | $79,570 -1% | $48,770 – $132,180 | 2,200 |
| Houston | $78,860 -2% | $45,170 – $132,850 | 8,450 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth | $77,760 -4% | $47,320 – $132,830 | 12,530 |
| Tampa | $75,920 -6% | $46,090 – $125,430 | 4,110 |
| Phoenix | $74,240 -8% | $47,920 – $129,570 | 7,980 |
| Atlanta | $72,810 -10% | $45,760 – $141,150 | 9,170 |
| Austin | $70,720 -12% | $47,610 – $119,530 | 3,670 |
| Pittsburgh | $70,560 -13% | $47,600 – $119,100 | 2,730 |
| Nashville | $62,210 -23% | $44,730 – $117,610 | 3,200 |
BLS metro estimates, May 2025. Percent compares the metro median with the national median. "Jobs" is BLS estimated employment in the metro; blank where BLS does not publish it.
Compare
The compliance officer median trails biomedical engineers ($109,370) and quality engineers ($102,440), two groups regulatory specialists work with on device submissions. The specialist band, though, reaches $133,720 at the 90th percentile.
| Role | BLS median | 2027 estimate | Outlook |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regulatory Affairs Specialist | $80,730 | $86,000 | Average |
| Compliance Officer | $80,730 | $86,000 | Average |
| Privacy Officer | $141,900 | $151,000 | Faster than average |
| Biomedical Engineer | $109,370 | $116,500 | Much faster than average |
| Quality Engineer | $102,440 | $109,000 | Much faster than average |
Outlook
BLS projects 3% to 4% growth and about 32,700 openings a year for compliance officers as a whole. It does not project regulatory affairs separately.
BLS Employment Projections via O*NET OnLine. Projections cover Compliance Officers as a whole.
FAQ
BLS does not publish regulatory affairs separately. The title is classified under Compliance Officers, median $80,730 in May 2025, and this guide places specialist roles between that median and the 90th percentile of $133,720, an estimate rather than a measured figure. For 2027 planning, that band is about $86,000 to $142,000.
O*NET classifies regulatory affairs managers under Managers, All Other, which had a median of $141,900 and a 75th percentile of $186,300 in May 2025. That group mixes many kinds of managers, so treat it as a broad benchmark rather than a measured regulatory affairs figure.
Entry roles, often titled regulatory affairs associate, map to the lower half of the compliance officer range: $61,280 at the 25th percentile to $80,730 at the median in May 2025. In life-science hubs the floor is higher; the 25th percentile was $84,000 in the Bay Area and $80,640 in Boston.
Pay by certification is not something BLS tracks. The Regulatory Affairs Certification (RAC), offered by the Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society, is widely recognized in the field and often listed as preferred in postings, but its effect on pay is not measured in public data.
The broader compliance occupation is projected to grow 3% to 4% through 2035, with about 32,700 openings a year. Regulatory affairs adds a clear ladder: the move from specialist to manager shifts pay from the compliance officer scale to a group with a $141,900 median.
Careerscape recruiters who specialize in life sciences and compliance can send a pre-screened shortlist for direct hire, contract or contract-to-hire regulatory roles.
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