Regulatory Affairs Specialist salary
From 2,169 certified H-1B filings (FY2025–FY2026). Base salary only.
- Occupation code 13-1041: Regulatory Affairs Specialists
- Also filed as: Compliance Specialist
At a glance
- Mostly Level II (mid-level). 37% of Regulatory Affairs Specialist filings are Level II, compared with 42% across all H-1B filings.
- Top filer: Amazon. 42 filings (2% of the total), median $146,602.
- Pay depends on the city. Among the 3 metro areas with the most filings, the median ranges from $90,654 in New York, NY to $112,736 in San Francisco, CA.
- Median up 16% since FY2020. From $78,000 in FY2020 to $90,178 in FY2026 (Q1–Q3). Nominal, not adjusted for inflation.
Regulatory Affairs Specialist H-1B salary overview
Employers filed 2,169 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications for Regulatory Affairs Specialist jobs in FY2025–FY2026 (occupation code 13-1041, Regulatory Affairs Specialists). The median base salary is $89,107, 27% below the median for all H-1B filings ($122,699), and half of the filings fall between $72,238 and $112,805. The most common wage level is Level II (mid-level), at 37% of filings. New York, NY has the most filings (472), and Amazon is the employer that files the most (42).
Is your Regulatory Affairs Specialist offer competitive?
Enter the base salary in your offer. We compare it with certified H-1B filings for Regulatory Affairs Specialist jobs, nationally or in one metro area.
Enter a salary to see where it falls.
Percentiles from certified H-1B filings, base salary only. Metro areas with at least 10 filings.
Top employers for Regulatory Affairs Specialist
Amazon42 filings · 2%$146,602
Medtronic40 filings · 2%$97,573
Goldman Sachs32 filings · 1%$73,550
ONEUS Technologies23 filings · 1%$68,848
Freyr22 filings · 1%$78,178
Intellectt20 filings · 1%$93,600
Zenith LifeScience20 filings · 1%$94,640
Intuitive Surgical Operations19 filings · 1%$125,900
Google16 filings · 1%$145,500
Invagen Pharmaceuticals16 filings · 1%$75,440
Employers with the most Regulatory Affairs Specialist filings. Bar: share of all Regulatory Affairs Specialist filings. Figure: median base salary.
Pay by level
Entry-level · 21% of filings
Mid-level · 37% of filings
Senior · 21% of filings
Expert · 22% of filings
Show the table
By experience level
| Wage level | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Level I · Entry | $63,000 | 443 |
| Level II · Qualified | $80,600 | 797 |
| Level III · Experienced | $98,592 | 446 |
| Level IV · Fully competent | $126,500 | 466 |
Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.
Regulatory Affairs Specialist pay by city
Median base salary in each metro area. Rent: HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027.
Show all 36 metro areas
| Metro area | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| New York, NY | $90,654 | 472 |
| Boston, MA | $99,500 | 188 |
| San Francisco, CA | $112,736 | 109 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $82,000 | 95 |
| Washington, DC | $82,950 | 92 |
| San Jose, CA | $120,000 | 83 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $87,360 | 81 |
| Chicago, IL | $91,000 | 76 |
| Dallas, TX | $73,750 | 66 |
| Seattle, WA | $112,160 | 61 |
| Austin, TX | $114,900 | 52 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $84,177 | 52 |
| Houston, TX | $83,000 | 43 |
| Miami, FL | $72,080 | 38 |
| Trenton, NJ | $88,128 | 34 |
| Raleigh, NC | $95,000 | 31 |
| Salt Lake, UT | $70,600 | 26 |
| San Diego, CA | $114,691 | 25 |
| Columbus, OH | $96,891 | 24 |
| Atlanta, GA | $90,251 | 23 |
| Providence, RI | $80,000 | 21 |
| Tampa, FL | $77,250 | 17 |
| Charlotte, NC | $91,894 | 15 |
| Detroit, MI | $70,000 | 15 |
| Cleveland, OH | $68,041 | 14 |
| Denver, CO | $96,408 | 13 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $65,478 | 13 |
| Worcester, MA | $83,817 | 12 |
| Baltimore, MD | $83,000 | 11 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $73,140 | 11 |
| Riverside, CA | $90,000 | 11 |
| Bridgeport, CT | $67,095 | 10 |
| Durham, NC | $98,001 | 10 |
| Jefferson, GA | $49,460 | 10 |
| Orlando, FL | $58,357 | 10 |
| Richmond, VA | $86,651 | 10 |
Metro areas with at least 10 filings for this occupation.
What a Regulatory Affairs Specialist does
Examine, evaluate, and investigate eligibility for or conformity with laws and regulations governing contract compliance of licenses and permits, and perform other compliance and enforcement inspection and analysis activities not classified elsewhere.
Typical tasks
- Warn violators of infractions or penalties.
- Evaluate applications, records, or documents to gather information about eligibility or liability issues.
- Advise licensees or other individuals or groups concerning licensing, permit, or passport regulations.
- Prepare reports of activities, evaluations, recommendations, or decisions.
- Report law or regulation violations to appropriate boards or agencies.
- Confer with or interview officials, technical or professional specialists, or applicants to obtain information or to clarify facts relevant to licensing decisions.
Preparation
Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
O*NET occupation: Compliance Officers (13-1041.00). This section includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
H-1B pay vs. all U.S. workers
Across all U.S. workers in this occupation (Compliance Officers), the median annual wage was $80,730 in May 2025, with 417,070 people employed. The median H-1B base salary in FY2025–FY2026 is $89,107, 10% higher.
| H-1B filings | All U.S. workers (BLS, May 2025) | |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $62,217 | $48,220 |
| 25th percentile | $72,238 | $61,280 |
| Median | $89,107 | $80,730 |
| 75th percentile | $112,805 | $109,010 |
| 90th percentile | $144,560 | $133,720 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). BLS wages cover all wage and salary workers and include some incentive pay; H-1B figures are the base salary offered on certified LCAs. The two sources cover different periods. BLS reports wages of $239,200 or more as a single top value.
Salary details
Salary range
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $62,217 |
| 25th | $72,238 |
| 50th (median) | $89,107 |
| 75th | $112,805 |
| 90th | $144,560 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $78,000 | $67,434 | $96,139 | 989 |
| FY2021 | $82,306 | $69,140 | $105,000 | 1,044 |
| FY2022 | $87,027 | $72,634 | $107,000 | 999 |
| FY2023 | $87,180 | $74,173 | $110,000 | 850 |
| FY2024 | $85,904 | $70,000 | $110,661 | 926 |
| FY2025 | $86,092 | $68,000 | $112,000 | 1,105 |
| FY2026 | $90,178 | $76,750 | $114,400 | 1,064 |
Questions
How much does an H-1B Regulatory Affairs Specialist make?
The median base salary in certified H-1B filings for Regulatory Affairs Specialist jobs is $89,107 (2,169 filings, FY2025–FY2026). Half of the filings are between $72,238 and $112,805.
What does an entry-level Regulatory Affairs Specialist earn on an H-1B?
Level I (entry-level) filings have a median of $63,000. Level I accounts for 21% of Regulatory Affairs Specialist filings.
Which city pays H-1B Regulatory Affairs Specialists the most?
Among metro areas with at least 100 filings, San Francisco, CA has the highest median base salary for Regulatory Affairs Specialist jobs: $112,736 (109 filings).
Which employers file the most H-1B applications for Regulatory Affairs Specialists?
Amazon (42), Medtronic (40) and Goldman Sachs (32) filed the most Regulatory Affairs Specialist LCAs in FY2025–FY2026.
Do H-1B Regulatory Affairs Specialists earn more than other U.S. workers in the same job?
The H-1B median base salary ($89,107) is 10% higher than the median wage of all U.S. workers in this occupation ($80,730, BLS May 2025). The sources measure pay differently, so treat this as a rough comparison.