Highest-paying Cities for Compensation and Benefits Managers

The top 100 highest paying cities for compensation and benefits managers (ranked by average annual salary) are listed in Table 1. The entry level salary (as measured by the salary of the lowest 10% paid earners) and the number of employment of compensation and benefits managers in those cities are also shown in the table. As shown in the table, with a annual salary of $177,600, New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, New York is the highest paying city for compensation and benefits managers. It is followed by San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California (average annual salary $174,660). The salary and employment information is computed from data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in April 2023 [1]. For more salary information of compensation and benefits managers in a specific city, use the links in the table.

Table 1. 100 Highest-paying cities/areas for Compensation and Benefits Managers

Rank	City/Area	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	# of Empl. i
1	New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, New York	$177,600	$123,080	1,610
2	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California	$174,660	$106,540	260
3	San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, California	$171,870	$101,490	550
4	Bethesda-Rockville-Frederick, Maryland	$169,250	$90,730	90
5	Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Connecticut	$167,510	$103,490	90
6	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Washington	$166,200	$107,690	200
7	New Haven, Connecticut	$162,020	$77,870	30
8	Rochester, New York	$161,760	$87,810	60
9	Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Massachusetts	$161,660	$91,180	640
10	Providence-Fall River-Warwick, Rhode Island	$160,220	$99,990	70
11	Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, Colorado	$159,390	$105,760	150
12	Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, Ohio	$158,600	$97,520	70
13	Newark-Union, Pennsylvania	$156,970	$103,050	150
14	St Louis, Missouri	$154,220	$64,700	110
15	Columbus, Ohio	$153,570	$101,450	110
16	Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, California	$153,050	$75,680	30
17	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, Pennsylvania	$152,940	$95,250	290
18	San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, California	$152,130	$89,840	260
19	Camden, New Jersey	$151,630	$111,030	40
20	New York-White Plains-Wayne, New York	$148,460	$91,840	1,260
21	North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, Florida	$147,280	$57,900	40
22	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, District of Columbia	$145,880	$95,990	550
23	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	$144,560	$94,040	140
24	Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, Connecticut	$143,130	$97,700	70
25	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, California	$143,040	$85,850	430
26	Edison-New Brunswick, New Jersey	$142,780	$96,980	120
27	Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Michigan	$142,220	$83,580	150
28	Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, South Carolina	$142,210	$98,720	290
29	Raleigh-Cary, North Carolina	$139,890	$84,420	70
30	Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, Georgia	$138,020	$81,590	500
31	Jacksonville, Florida	$137,840	$81,730	100
32	Cincinnati-Middletown, Ohio	$137,000	$88,220	120
33	Oakland-Fremont-Hayward, California	$135,730	$78,320	170
34	Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, Arizona	$135,630	$80,960	200
35	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, West Virginia	$135,160	$92,610	330
36	Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, Pennsylvania	$134,450	$59,020	30
37	Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, Wisconsin	$134,360	$78,980	80
38	Indianapolis-Carmel, Indiana	$133,260	$88,980	50
39	Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington, Wisconsin	$133,100	$91,360	350
40	Buffalo-Niagara Falls, New York	$132,840	$73,360	70
41	Nassau-Suffolk, New York	$131,770	$80,180	130
42	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, California	$131,580	$79,620	760
43	Winston-Salem, North Carolina	$131,340	$99,580	40
44	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	$131,270	$78,770	120
45	Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, Washington	$130,710	$86,710	270
46	Richmond, Virginia	$130,640	$98,870	100
47	Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville, California	$130,470	$85,940	130
48	Baltimore-Towson, Maryland	$130,070	$77,580	300
49	Tulsa, Oklahoma	$129,990	$76,910	50
50	Wilmington, New Jersey	$129,810	$91,650	40
51	Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, California	$128,430	$79,670	190
52	Albany-Schenectady-Troy, New York	$127,870	$91,660	70
53	Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, Missouri	$127,610	$59,170	50
54	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, Washington	$126,990	$84,990	90
55	Tampa-St Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida	$126,980	$75,270	130
56	Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, Texas	$126,790	$72,970	250
57	Kansas City, Missouri	$126,240	$62,660	80
58	Syracuse, New York	$126,000	$85,010	30
59	Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, Virginia	$125,750	$81,450	30
60	Worcester, Massachusetts	$125,510	$83,320	40
61	San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, California	$125,210	$77,030	170
62	Framingham, Massachusetts	$124,800	$69,450	70
63	Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Massachusetts	$124,690	$75,870	540
64	Memphis, Tennessee	$124,060	$87,860	60
65	Greensboro-High Point, North Carolina	$123,260	$77,580	40
66	Chicago-Joliet-Naperville (IL-IN-WI Area), Illinois	$122,990	$81,450	580
67	Danbury, Connecticut	$122,940	$83,070	n/a
68	Lowell-Billerica-Chelmsford, New Hampshire	$122,630	$83,890	30
69	Dallas-Plano-Irving, Texas	$121,970	$73,190	210
70	Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, Michigan	$121,610	$86,500	50
71	Springfield, Massachusetts	$121,340	$68,620	30
72	Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, California	$119,960	$76,780	130
73	Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas	$119,780	$77,690	400
74	Madison, Wisconsin	$119,740	$75,520	40
75	Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, Florida	$118,940	$77,470	100
76	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, California	$116,770	$63,970	590
77	Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, Tennessee	$115,660	$76,700	140
78	Provo-Orem, Utah	$114,090	$78,900	50
79	Harrisburg-Carlisle, Pennsylvania	$113,540	$80,040	30
80	Lake County-Kenosha County, Wisconsin	$113,300	$65,780	80
81	Norwich-New London, Rhode Island	$112,520	$66,870	30
82	Chicago-Joliet-Naperville (IL Metropolitan Division), Illinois	$110,040	$72,390	720
83	Salt Lake City, Utah	$108,720	$78,690	80
84	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas	$108,630	$68,020	550
85	Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas	$106,870	$52,530	40
86	Lansing-East Lansing, Michigan	$106,480	$74,610	30
87	Des Moines-West Des Moines, Iowa	$105,750	$77,840	50
88	Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Florida	$105,210	$74,270	100
89	Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, Florida	$104,790	$67,970	80
90	East Central Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area, Pennsylvania	$104,720	$60,580	30
91	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma	$104,670	$71,990	70
92	Birmingham-Hoover, Alabama	$104,170	$81,070	50
93	Akron, Ohio	$103,390	$56,910	50
94	San Antonio-New Braunfels, Texas	$103,150	$75,280	140
95	Portland-South Portland-Biddeford, Maine	$103,080	$59,800	40
96	New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, Louisiana	$103,040	$79,420	40
97	Louisville-Jefferson County, Kentucky	$102,230	$57,340	50
98	Anchorage, Alaska	$102,120	$72,170	40
99	Urban Honolulu, Hawaii	$101,820	$61,670	50
100	Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina	$101,380	$101,380	190

See also: 💰 Highest paying industries for compensation and benefits managers.