Career
Compensation and benefits managers
Design how people are paid and what benefits they receive.
$149,230
Median pay
+1.1%
Job growth, 2025–35
1,600
Openings a year
Bachelor's degree
Typical education
4 years
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- 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 Act (ERISA).
- Analyze compensation policies, government regulations, and prevailing wage rates to develop competitive compensation plan.
- Identify and implement benefits to increase the quality of life for employees by working with brokers and researching benefits issues.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on persuasion & leadership, then information & systems?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Direct preparation and distribution of written and verbal information to inform employees of benefits, compensation, and personnel policies.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Writing, Speaking.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
4 years of education after high school (bachelor's degree), for a median of $149,230 a year and 1,600 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Business AdministrationSee the degree →
- Human ResourcesSee the degree →
- Business Administration and Management, GeneralCIP 52.0201
- Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, GeneralCIP 52.1001
- Labor and Industrial RelationsCIP 52.1002
- Organizational Behavior StudiesCIP 52.1003
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists$78,210 · +6.0%
- Human Resources Specialists$75,940 · +6.4%
- Human Resources Managers$149,280 · +5.5%
- Labor Relations Specialists$95,420 · +2.1%
- Financial Managers$166,570 · +9.7%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.