What is a compliance analyst and how to become one

Q: How much do compliance analysts make?

Compliance analysts make about $60,900 per year. Prospective entry-level compliance analysts may see about $48,400 annually, while those with extensive experience will see numbers hovering around $69,400 to $77,139 on the higher end.

Q: Is compliance analyst a good job?

Yes, compliance analyst is a good job. Compliance analysts report feeling stable in their day-to-day jobs while having a lot of room for advancement. Many have even reported the job as being low on stress with a preferable work-life balance compared to some other facets in the industry.

Q: What are the job responsibilities of a compliance analyst?

The job responsibilities of a compliance analyst include understanding and maintaining legal and regulatory parameters, gaining approvals for said legal and regulatory parameters within the company, and maintaining current knowledge of domestic and international regulations and laws.

Q: What qualifications do I need to be a compliance officer?

The qualifications you need to be a compliance officer are a bachelor's degree and demonstrating an appropriate skill set. There are no current accredited degrees for compliance; however, a degree in criminal justice, business management, or finance are all preferred modes of entry for budding compliance officers.

Q: What skills are needed to be a compliance analyst?

The skills needed to be a compliance analyst are knowledge of the industry's legal and ethical practices, heavy analytical and data interpretation skills, and comfort with investigative research and modeling.

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Expert

Bryan Crissinger

A compliance analyst is responsible for ensuring that a company or organization adheres to laws, regulations, and policies. They analyze data to identify potential compliance issues and develop plans to mitigate these risks. Compliance analysts also create training programs for employees to educate them on policies and procedures. Additionally, they monitor changes in regulations and laws and adjust company policies accordingly. They typically work in industries such as finance, healthcare, or government.

What general advice would you give to a Compliance Analyst?

Bryan Crissinger

Senior Instructor, University of Delaware

Certainly a more advanced degree is associated with generally higher salaries. But aside from that, if one has the motivation and ability to eventually step into a leadership or administrative role, that kind of advancement would generally provide higher salary potential.

ScoreCompliance AnalystUS Average

Salary

4.6

Avg. Salary $59,108

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

6.3

Growth Rate 6%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.82%

Asian 8.02%

Black or African American 11.46%

Hispanic or Latino 15.15%

Unknown 4.45%

White 60.09%

Gender

female 56.51%

male 43.49%

Age - 46

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46

Stress Level

6.3

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

8.0

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

4.7

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a Compliance Analyst?

Pros

Job security due to increasing demand
High earning potential with competitive salaries and bonuses
Ability to make a positive impact by helping companies maintain ethical and legal standards
Access to training and professional development resources to enhance knowledge and skills
Opportunity to work with diverse teams and stakeholders, including executives and regulators

Cons

High pressure and stress
Extensive documentation requirements
Need to stay up-to-date with constantly changing regulations
Possibility of working long hours or being on-call in case of emergencies
Heavy workload and tight deadlines, especially during regulatory audits or investigations

Key steps to become a compliance analyst

Explore compliance analyst education requirements

Most common compliance analyst degrees

Bachelor's

66.5 %

Master's

12.2 %

Associate

10.7 %

Start to develop specific compliance analyst skills

Skills	Percentages
PowerPoint	5.67%
Customer Service	4.95%
Risk Assessments	4.53%
Regulatory Compliance	4.27%
Compliance Issues	4.22%

Complete relevant compliance analyst training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New compliance analysts learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a compliance analyst based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real compliance analyst resumes.

Research compliance analyst duties and responsibilities

Manage FHA, FHLMC, FNMA, VA and GNMA files.
Manage monthly allocation process & governance to non-Germany regions, balancing regions & projects.
Serve as TeamRoom/SharePoint administrator, including managing the SharePoint migration project.
Lead annual Medicare data validation exams; distribute regulations, hold informational meetings, perform quality assurance checks of data.

Prepare your compliance analyst resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your compliance analyst resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a compliance analyst resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Compliance Analyst Resume templates

Build a professional Compliance Analyst resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Compliance Analyst resume.

Apply for compliance analyst jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a compliance analyst job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

What is a compliance analyst and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a Compliance Analyst?

What are the pros and cons of being a Compliance Analyst?

Compliance Analyst career paths

Key steps to become a compliance analyst

Explore compliance analyst education requirements

Most common compliance analyst degrees

Start to develop specific compliance analyst skills

Complete relevant compliance analyst training and internships

Research compliance analyst duties and responsibilities

Prepare your compliance analyst resume

Choose From 10+ Customizable Compliance Analyst Resume templates

Apply for compliance analyst jobs

How Did You Land Your First Compliance Analyst Job

Average compliance analyst salary

How do compliance analysts rate their job?

Compliance Analyst FAQs

How much do compliance analysts make?

Is compliance analyst a good job?

What are the job responsibilities of a compliance analyst?

What qualifications do I need to be a compliance officer?

What skills are needed to be a compliance analyst?

Search for compliance analyst jobs

Compliance Analyst jobs by state