How much do compensation and benefits analysts make in 2026?
Compensation and benefits analysts are counted in the BLS compensation, benefits and job analysis specialists series: OEWS May 2025 puts the SOC 13-1141 national median at $78,210 a year ($37.60 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $49,480 and the top 10% at $128,920. Two disclosures belong here. First, the series is broad, pooling 112,380 people across compensation, benefits and job analysis. Second, this title overlaps directly with compensation analyst, and the two pages share this SOC — the split used on this site is scope. The compensation analyst page covers pay architecture and market pricing; this one covers the combined total rewards role, where the same person also analyses benefit cost and utilisation, models the employer contribution across health, retirement and ancillary plans, supports open enrolment decisions and renewal negotiations, and presents total reward statements that show employees what the whole package costs. That breadth is common at mid-size employers who cannot justify separate specialists, and it is genuinely useful career preparation, because total rewards leadership requires both halves. Pay follows analytical depth and the size of the spend analysed. Employment is projected to grow 5.3% through 2034 with roughly 8,500 openings a year. → Full compensation and benefits analyst career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $78,210 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Compensation and Benefits Analysts earn a national median $78,210/yr ($37.60/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 13-1141); the P10 to P90 range is $49,480 to $128,920.
- The $78,210 median comes from a 112,380-person BLS series pooling compensation, benefits and job analysis specialists into one wage row.
- This title overlaps with compensation analyst and shares its SOC; the split used here is scope — this page covers the combined total rewards role including benefit cost, utilisation and renewal analysis.
- Combined scope is common at mid-size employers and is strong preparation for total rewards leadership, which requires competence in both halves of the package.
US Compensation and Benefits Analyst Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do compensation and benefits analysts earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 13-1141; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 13-1141, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a compensation and benefits analyst earn at each career stage?
Total rewards pay follows analytical breadth and the size of the reward spend analysed. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 13-1141, which pools compensation, benefits and job analysis specialists.
By State
Which states pay compensation and benefits analysts the most in 2026?
State figures are modeled estimates — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers salary-calculator state wage index — not BLS state observations. State differences matter here through programme complexity rather than wage levels: state paid family leave, disability schemes and insurance mandates all change what a total rewards analyst has to model and reconcile.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($89,940), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay compensation and benefits analysts the most?
Metro figures are modeled — national median times state wage index times published metro index — not BLS MSA observations. These roles concentrate where mid-size and large employers with formal reward programmes are, which is what the metro index broadly tracks.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a compensation and benefits analyst’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does compensation and benefits analyst pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Compensation and Benefits Analysts sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify compensation and benefits analyst wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a compensation and benefits analyst actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Compensation and Benefits Analyst Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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