Management Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 11-3111

Compensation and Benefits Managers

The published band from $89,160 to $256,570 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Architectural and Engineering Managers.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Compensation and Benefits Managers: Architectural and Engineering Managers ($171K) , Fundraising Managers ($125K) , Marketing Managers ($167K) , Managers, All Other ($142K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Compensation and Benefits Managers publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 11-3111 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Direct preparation and distribution of written and verbal information to inform employees of benefits, compensation, and personnel policies
  2. 2. Design, evaluate, and modify benefits policies to ensure that programs are current, competitive, and in compliance with legal requirements
  3. 3. Fulfill all reporting requirements of all relevant government rules and regulations, including the Employee Retirement Income Security Ac…
  4. 4. Analyze compensation policies, government regulations, and prevailing wage rates to develop competitive compensation plan
  5. 5. Identify and implement benefits to increase the quality of life for employees by working with brokers and researching benefits issues
  6. 6. Manage the design and development of tools to assist employees in benefits selection, and to guide managers through compensation decisions
  7. 7. Administer, direct, and review employee benefit programs, including the integration of benefit programs following mergers and acquisitions
  8. 8. Mediate between benefits providers and employees, such as by assisting in handling employees' benefits-related questions or taking sugges…
  9. 9. Plan, direct, supervise, and coordinate work activities of subordinates and staff relating to employment, compensation, labor relations…
  10. 10. Prepare detailed job descriptions and classification systems and define job levels and families, in partnership with other managers
  11. 11. Develop methods to improve employment policies, processes, and practices, and recommend changes to management
  12. 12. Formulate policies, procedures and programs for recruitment, testing, placement, classification, orientation, benefits and compensation…

Compensation and Benefits Managers: O*NET ranks Reading Comprehension first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 11-3111 - lead skill Reading Comprehension at 4.0 ; lead knowledge Personnel and Human Resources. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Reading Comprehension 4.0
  2. 2. Active Listening 4.0
  3. 3. Writing 4.0
  4. 4. Speaking 4.0
  5. 5. Critical Thinking 3.9
  6. 6. Judgment and Decision Making 3.9
  7. 7. Active Learning 3.8
  8. 8. Time Management 3.6

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Personnel and Human Resources 4.3
  2. 2. English Language 4.1
  3. 3. Administration and Management 4.0
  4. 4. Customer and Personal Service 3.8
  5. 5. Economics and Accounting 3.4
  6. 6. Mathematics 3.3
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$89,160 to $256,570
median $149,230 · ~2.9× spread
$149K
National median
↑ +0%
Growth 2024-2034
1,500
Annual openings
22,940
Estimated US jobs
Architectural and Engineering Managers
Highest-pay peer · $171K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Bachelor's degree
Related experience 5 years or more

Top Paying States for Compensation and Benefits Managers

1. Georgia $163,060
2. Minnesota $163,390
3. California $166,730
4. New Jersey $168,370
5. Colorado $165,770
6. Massachusetts $184,070
7. Connecticut $197,970
8. New York $175,620
9. Washington $199,190
10. Delaware $166,070

Other Management Occupations titles

  1. 1. Marketing Managers $166,790
  2. 2. Managers, All Other $141,900
  3. 3. Natural Sciences Managers $167,220
  4. 4. Fundraising Managers $125,470
  5. 5. Advertising and Promotions Managers $133,660
  6. 6. Architectural and Engineering Managers $171,270

The OEWS band for Compensation and Benefits Managers runs from $89,160 (10th) to $256,570 (90th), about 2.9× wide, with median $149,230. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +0% change between 2024 and 2034 (slower than average vs baseline 3.1%). About 1,500 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as typical education needed for entry and 5 years or more as the typical related-work-experience category. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Georgia at $163,060. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Architectural and Engineering Managers at $171,270. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Compensation and Benefits Managers pay-rank #8 in Management Occupations

Among 37 detailed Management Occupations with a published OEWS median, Compensation and Benefits Managers is pay-rank #8, the upper third of that major group. The order is ROW_NUMBER on national median (title as tiebreak), not a worker-level percentile.

Other upper-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

The 10th-to-90th percentile spread for Compensation and Benefits Managers is unusually wide, so the state map and peer comparison carry more signal than the median alone.

Compensation and Benefits Managers salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 11-3111

Georgia · top state for Compensation and Benefits Managers

$163K published median

Minnesota · #2 state pay

$163K · behind Georgia

Architectural and Engineering Managers

Highest-pay peer vs Compensation and Benefits Managers · $171K

Fundraising Managers

Lower-pay peer beside Compensation and Benefits Managers · $125K

Compare Compensation and Benefits Managers

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Compensation and Benefits Managers with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Management Occupations titles sit near Compensation and Benefits Managers at the top of the pay table? ▼
Compensation and Benefits Managers is pay-rank #8 of 37 detailed Management Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Human Resources Managers ($149K), Sales Managers ($148K), Purchasing Managers ($148K), Public Relations Managers ($147K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do compensation and benefits managers do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Compensation and Benefits Managers. Leading ones include: Direct preparation and distribution of written and verbal information to inform employees of benefits, compensation, and personnel policies; Design, evaluate, and modify benefits policies to ensure that programs are current, competitive, and in compliance with legal requirements; Fulfill all reporting requirements of all relevant government rules and regulations, including the Employee Retirement Income Security Ac…; Analyze compensation policies, government regulations, and prevailing wage rates to develop competitive compensation plan. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for compensation and benefits managers? ▼
For SOC 11-3111, O*NET importance scores lead with Reading Comprehension (4.0), Active Listening (4.0), Writing (4.0), Speaking (4.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Personnel and Human Resources, English Language, Administration and Management. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Compensation and Benefits Managers? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $89,160 and the 90th at $256,570 for Compensation and Benefits Managers (2.9× spread). The national median is $149,230. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Compensation and Benefits Managers? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Compensation and Benefits Managers is +0%. Projected annual openings: about 1,500. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: slower than average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Compensation and Benefits Managers? ▼
BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Compensation and Benefits Managers. Related-work-experience category: 5 years or more. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Compensation and Benefits Managers? ▼
Georgia ($163,060), Minnesota ($163,390), California ($166,730) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Compensation and Benefits Managers card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 11-3111. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Compensation and Benefits Managers. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics