Compensation and Benefits Managers
SOC 11-3111 · 2024-2034
Plan, direct, or coordinate compensation and benefits activities of an organization.
How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.
What California expects of this job
- Typical pay in California
- $169,527per year
- Projected openings
- 2,230
- Projected change
- +3.3%
- Usually needs
- Bachelor's degree
Skills this work uses most
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, rates how important each of these is to this work, and they are listed in that order, most important first. The ratings themselves are not shown, because the data carries the number without the scale it was measured on. The names are as published, in English.
- Speaking
- Writing
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Critical Thinking
Pay by region
| Region | Typical pay in California | Projected openings |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (San Benito and Santa Clara Counties) | $224,772 | 160 |
| San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD (San Francisco and San Mateo Counties) | $189,549 | 230 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA (Ventura County) | $168,569 | 30 |
| Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) | $167,994 | 150 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County) | $153,993 | 150 |
| Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD (Orange County) | $151,634 | 150 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) | $151,436 | 460 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo Counties) | $146,140 | 80 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties) | $134,091 | 90 |
What the pay actually ranges across
- The lowest-paid tenth earn under
- $107,616
- A quarter earn under
- $129,558
- Half earn under
- $169,527
- Three quarters earn under
- $221,159
- The highest-paid tenth earn over
- $294,774
A median is one point. These are the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for California, and they say how far apart the people doing this job actually are. Read them as the spread across everyone already in the work — not as a starting wage and not as a promise about where anyone lands.
Similar work
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, names these as occupations involving work similar to this one — its own reading of the job, not a grouping by code. They keep O*NET's order, and only those California publishes a projection for are shown.
| Occupation | Typical pay in California | Projected openings | Projected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists | $92,944 | 11,130 | +6.6% |
| Human Resources Specialists | $84,901 | 97,470 | +10.4% |
| Human Resources Managers | $172,933 | 23,410 | +7.9% |
| Labor Relations Specialists | $107,585 | 6,740 | -2.2% |
| Financial Managers | $183,803 | 84,770 | +16.3% |
| Compliance Officers | $98,607 | 43,870 | +7% |
Programs that train for this job — 11
Human Resource Management (Certificate)
UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education · Davis · $3,525
Human Resource Management
UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education · Davis · $3,060
Human Resource Management
California State University San Marcos Extended Learning · San Marcos · $5,000
SHRM CALIFORNIA LAW HR SPECIALTY CREDENTIAL W/ APA FPC/CPP PAYROLL CERT.
University of La Verne · La Verne · $5,098
SHRM SCP/CP - Human Resource Management w/ California Law
University of La Verne · La Verne · $4,558
Workers' Compensation Law
CSU Bakersfield Extended University Division · Bakersfield · $2,300
Human Resources Management Certificate (Hybrid)
UCLA Extension · Los Angeles · $9,300
Human Resource Administration
San Joaquin Valley College - Central Administration Office · Visalia · $34,255
Human Resource Management
UCSC Silicon Valley Extension · Santa Clara · $8,870
Human Resource Management
UCSD Division of Extended Studies · La Jolla · $4,845
Professional Certificate in Human Resource Management Online
SDSU Global Campus · San Diego · $4,875