# Compliance Officers

US SOC code 13-1041. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/13-1041

Also called: Chief compliance officer, AML officer, BSA officer, BSA/AML analyst, Financial crime compliance officer.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **417,070** US compliance officers, with median pay of **$80,730** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2012, the May 2025 count is the highest. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://www.interactsolutions.com/en/compliance-in-history-the-birth-of-the-area/) of **15,000** from 1970, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for compliance officers: Integrated GRC platforms, cloud-based AML analytics, and RegTech emergence, 2012 to 2022.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 3.8% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=13-1041&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **61.4%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Compliance Officers employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1934
- Latest US employment: 417,070 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [3]
- Latest US median pay: $80,730 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [10]
- Outlook: +3.8% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [27]

### In other countries

The latest figure each country's statistics agency publishes for this job. Each uses its own occupation definition, survey basis and currency, so the numbers are not directly comparable with each other or with the US figures.

- **United Kingdom** (UK SOC 2482)
  - Employment, 2025: 129,000. Source: ONS ASHE 2025 [7]. ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Table 14): employee jobs in SOC 2482 Quality assurance and regulatory professionals, United Kingdom, 2025 (ASHE "number of jobs", thousands x1000; excludes self-employment). Open Government Licence v3.0.
  - Median pay, 2025: £47,969. Source: ONS ASHE 2025 [15]. ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Table 14.7a): median gross annual pay for all employee jobs in SOC 2482 Quality assurance and regulatory professionals, United Kingdom, 2025. Open Government Licence v3.0.
- **Australia** (ANZSCO 5995)
  - Employment, 2025: 44,600. Source: ABS Labour Force Survey [8]. ABS Labour Force Survey (Detailed), table EQ08: employed persons in ANZSCO 5995 Inspectors and Regulatory Officers, national (summed across sex and state/territory), annual average of 4 quarterly estimates.
  - Median pay, 2025: A$96,824. Source: ABS Employee Earnings May 2025 [16]. Annualised (x52) from A$1,862 median weekly earnings. ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025: median pay for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate, before tax. Surfaced via the Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profile.

### All 25 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1970 | 15,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Interact Solutions [1] |
| 1992 | 50,000 (estimate) | $38,000 (estimate) | Est., Harvard Law School [2] |
| 2003 | 154,600 | $46,780 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [3] |
| 2004 | 167,650 | $47,390 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [3] |
| 2005 | 161,810 | $49,360 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [3] |
| 2006 | 222,080 | $47,050 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [3] |
| 2007 | 231,910 | $48,400 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [3] |
| 2008 | 242,270 | $48,890 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [3] |
| 2009 | 247,900 | $49,750 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [3] |
| 2010 | 204,000 | $58,720 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [4] |
| 2011 | 210,510 | $60,740 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [3] |
| 2012 | 227,500 | $62,020 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [3] |
| 2013 | 236,090 | $64,340 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [3] |
| 2014 | 246,970 | $64,950 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [3] |
| 2015 | 257,010 | $65,640 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [3] |
| 2016 | 273,910 | $66,540 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [3] |
| 2017 | 287,130 | $67,870 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [3] |
| 2018 | 300,900 | $68,860 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [3] |
| 2019 | 317,600 | $69,050 | BLS OEWS May 2019 (employment) [3]; BLS OEWS May 2019 (pay) [11] |
| 2020 | 327,360 | $71,100 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [3] |
| 2021 | 334,340 | $71,650 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [3] |
| 2022 | 359,640 | $71,690 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [3] |
| 2023 | 383,620 | $75,670 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [3] |
| 2024 | 397,770 | $78,420 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [3] |
| 2025 | 417,070 | $80,730 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [3] |

## Sources (98)

### Employment series

1. [Interact Solutions -- "Compliance in history: The birth of the area" (emergence of compliance function, 1960s-1970s)](https://www.interactsolutions.com/en/compliance-in-history-the-birth-of-the-area/), Interact Solutions
2. [Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession -- "The Emergence of Compliance" (history of compliance profession)](https://clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hub/magazine/issues/the-compliance-movement/the-emergence-of-compliance/), Harvard Law School
3. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
4. [BLS OEWS May 2010 -- Compliance Officers national employment and wage estimates](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
5. ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14.7a (Annual pay - Gross), 4-digit SOC 2462, United Kingdom. Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0., Office for National Statistics. Editions: [2011](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2011revisedbasedonsoc2010/2011-revised-table-14.zip), [2015](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2015/table142015revised.zip), [2020](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2020revised/table142020revised.zip)
6. [ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14.7a (Annual pay - Gross), 4-digit SOC 2482, United Kingdom, 2022. Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2022revised/ashetable142022revised.zip), Office for National Statistics
7. [ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14.7a (Annual pay - Gross), 4-digit SOC 2482, United Kingdom, 2025. Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2025provisional/ashetable142025provisional.zip), Office for National Statistics
8. [ABS: Labour Force, Australia, Detailed, table EQ08 (Employed persons by Occupation unit group, ANZSCO 2013), latest release](https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/employment-and-unemployment/labour-force-australia-detailed/latest-release), Australian Bureau of Statistics

### Wage series

9. [Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession -- "The Emergence of Compliance" (compensation context, early compliance professionals)](https://clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hub/magazine/issues/the-compliance-movement/the-emergence-of-compliance/), Harvard Law School
10. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
11. [BLS OEWS May 2019 -- 13-1041 Compliance Officers national wage estimates](https://www.bls.gov/oes/2019/may/oes131041.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
12. [BLS OEWS May 2024, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
13. ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14.7a (Annual pay - Gross), 4-digit SOC 2462, United Kingdom. Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0., Office for National Statistics. Editions: [2011](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2011revisedbasedonsoc2010/2011-revised-table-14.zip), [2015](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2015/table142015revised.zip), [2020](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2020revised/table142020revised.zip)
14. [ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14.7a (Annual pay - Gross), 4-digit SOC 2482, United Kingdom, 2022. Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2022revised/ashetable142022revised.zip), Office for National Statistics
15. [ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14.7a (Annual pay - Gross), 4-digit SOC 2482, United Kingdom, 2025. Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2025provisional/ashetable142025provisional.zip), Office for National Statistics
16. [Jobs and Skills Australia: Inspectors and Regulatory Officers (ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025)](https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/data/occupation-and-industry-profiles/occupations/5995-inspectors-and-regulatory-officers), Jobs and Skills Australia / Australian Bureau of Statistics

### Tool eras

17. [Securities Exchange Act of 1934 -- Wikipedia (SEC creation, broker-dealer books and records requirements)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Securities_Exchange_Act_of_1934), Wikipedia
18. [FinCEN -- Bank Secrecy Act Timeline (BSA history and Currency Transaction Report requirements)](https://www.fincen.gov/resources/statutes-and-regulations/bank-secrecy-act/bsa-timeline), FinCEN / U.S. Department of the Treasury
19. [Interact Solutions -- "Compliance in history: The birth of the area" (FCPA 1977 and compliance function formalization)](https://www.interactsolutions.com/en/compliance-in-history-the-birth-of-the-area/), Interact Solutions
20. [US Sentencing Commission -- "An Overview of the Organization Guidelines" (1991 FSGO effective date and compliance program incentive structure)](https://www.ussc.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/training/organizational-guidelines/ORGOVERVIEW.pdf), United States Sentencing Commission
21. [Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession -- "The Emergence of Compliance" (professionalization, SCCE, CCB)](https://clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hub/magazine/issues/the-compliance-movement/the-emergence-of-compliance/), Harvard Law School
22. [Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 -- Wikipedia (July 30, 2002 enactment; Section 302/404 internal controls requirements)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarbanes%E2%80%93Oxley_Act), Wikipedia
23. [ComplyAdvantage -- "USA Patriot Act: BSA and Section 314" (AML compliance officer designation requirement)](https://complyadvantage.com/insights/usa-patriot-act/), ComplyAdvantage
24. [SEC -- "Compliance Programs of Investment Companies and Investment Advisers" (Rule 206(4)-7, CCO mandate effective 2004)](https://www.sec.gov/rules-regulations/2003/12/compliance-programs-investment-companies-investment-advisers), U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
25. [Risk.net / Appian -- "Elevating financial crime compliance and data management through AI" (AI and automation in KYC, AML investigations and fraud detection; efficiency gains from AI in compliance monitoring)](https://www.risk.net/insight/ai-and-machine-learning/7960040/elevating-financial-crime-compliance-and-data-management-through-ai), Risk.net
26. [FinCEN -- Proposed Rule to Strengthen and Modernize Financial Institutions' AML/CFT Programs (2026): risk-based, effective programs; human accountability requirements](https://www.fincen.gov/news/news-releases/fincen-issues-proposed-rule-strengthen-and-modernize-financial-institutions), FinCEN / U.S. Department of the Treasury

### Forecasts and exposure studies

27. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 13-1041 Compliance officers (2025: 436.4 thousand; 2035: 453.1 thousand; +3.8%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=13-1041&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
28. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 13-1041.00, human-rated β 0.614)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

29. [Securities Exchange Act of 1934 -- Wikipedia (SEC creation and broker-dealer supervision)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Securities_Exchange_Act_of_1934), Wikipedia
30. [FinCEN -- Bank Secrecy Act Timeline (BSA enactment, October 26, 1970)](https://www.fincen.gov/resources/statutes-and-regulations/bank-secrecy-act/bsa-timeline), FinCEN / U.S. Department of the Treasury
31. [Interact Solutions -- "Compliance in history: The birth of the area" (FCPA 1977: 400+ companies disclosed bribery following SEC amnesty program)](https://www.interactsolutions.com/en/compliance-in-history-the-birth-of-the-area/), Interact Solutions
32. [US Sentencing Commission -- "An Overview of the Organization Guidelines" (1991 effective date, seven-factor effective compliance program framework)](https://www.ussc.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/training/organizational-guidelines/ORGOVERVIEW.pdf), United States Sentencing Commission
33. [Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession -- "The Emergence of Compliance" (CCB established 1999, Compliance Week founded 2002, SCCE 2004)](https://clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hub/magazine/issues/the-compliance-movement/the-emergence-of-compliance/), Harvard Law School
34. [Sarbanes-Oxley Act -- Wikipedia (July 30, 2002 enactment; Enron/WorldCom context; Sections 302 and 404)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarbanes%E2%80%93Oxley_Act), Wikipedia
35. [SEC -- "Compliance Programs of Investment Companies and Investment Advisers" (Rule 206(4)-7: CCO mandate, effective date October 2004)](https://www.sec.gov/rules-regulations/2003/12/compliance-programs-investment-companies-investment-advisers), U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
36. [Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act -- FDIC (July 21, 2010 enactment; CFPB creation and systemic risk oversight)](https://www.fdic.gov/system/files/2024-07/ar10doddfrank.pdf), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

### Predecessors & successors

37. [Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession -- "The Emergence of Compliance" (lawyers as early compliance leaders)](https://clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hub/magazine/issues/the-compliance-movement/the-emergence-of-compliance/), Harvard Law School
38. [US Sentencing Commission -- Organization Guidelines overview (internal audit and compliance program integration)](https://www.ussc.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/training/organizational-guidelines/ORGOVERVIEW.pdf), United States Sentencing Commission
39. [BLS OOH -- Compliance Officers (2024): pivot to regulatory law as common career path)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/compliance-officers.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Present-day analysis

- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-23
- [O\*NET 30.3 — Compliance Officers (13-1041.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/13-1041.00), accessed 2026-05-23
- [ACAMS — Global AFC Threats Report 2025: regional trends and AML practitioner perspectives](https://www.acams.org/en/resource/acams-global-afc-threats-report-2025-regional-trends-perspectives), accessed 2026-06-21
- [Thomson Reuters — Cost of Compliance 2023: AI adoption and compliance resource allocation](https://legal.thomsonreuters.com/en/insights/reports/cost-of-compliance-2023), accessed 2026-06-21
- [Compliance Week — Inside the Mind of the CCO 2025: AI governance lags behind adoption in compliance teams](https://www.complianceweek.com/survey-report/inside-the-mind-of-the-cco-survey-finds-most-compliance-teams-allow-ai-use-but-governance-lags-behind/), accessed 2026-06-21
- [OCC — Model Risk Management: Revised Guidance (Bulletin 2026-13): risk-based model oversight for compliance AI](https://www.occ.treas.gov/news-issuances/bulletins/2026/bulletin-2026-13.html), accessed 2026-06-21
- [FinCEN — Proposed Rule to Fundamentally Reform Financial Institution AML/CFT Programs (2026)](https://www.fincen.gov/news/news-releases/fincen-proposes-rule-fundamentally-reform-financial-institution-programs), accessed 2026-06-21
- [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Compliance Officers (2024)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/compliance-officers.htm), accessed 2026-05-23
- [OCC — Acting Comptroller Discusses Artificial Intelligence in Banking (2025)](https://www.occ.treas.gov/news-issuances/news-releases/2025/nr-occ-2025-38.html), accessed 2026-06-21
- [NICE Actimize — Anti-Money Laundering AI: alert scoring and case management for financial institutions](https://www.niceactimize.com/anti-money-laundering), accessed 2026-06-21
- [Drata — AI-Powered Continuous Compliance Monitoring for SOC 2 / ISO 27001 / PCI-DSS](https://drata.com/product/continuous-compliance), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Vanta — Automated Security and Compliance Platform: real-time control evidence collection](https://www.vanta.com/products/automated-compliance), accessed 2026-05-23
- [ComplyAdvantage — Real-Time AML and Sanctions Screening AI](https://complyadvantage.com/insights/sanctions-screening-banking/), accessed 2026-05-23
- [LSEG World-Check — AI-powered adverse media and sanctions screening (KYC Screening)](https://www.lseg.com/en/risk-intelligence/screening-solutions/world-check-kyc-screening), accessed 2026-06-21

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.