Colorado·Business and Financial Operations Occupations·SOC 13-1141

Best Compensation programs in Colorado, ranked by enrollment

Conduct programs of compensation and benefits and job analysis for employer.

30 schools in Colorado run programs that feed this job, graduating 11,214 people a year. The job pays a median of $92,560 in Colorado across about 1,980 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledBenefits AnalystBenefits SpecialistCompensation AnalystCompensation SpecialistJob AnalystWage AnalystWage AdjusterWage Conciliator
Graduates / yr
11,214
in Colorado
Median pay · Colorado
$92,560
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
1,980
people employed
Schools
30
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
45%
across those schools
Median net price
$23,447
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Colorado that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

3 programs in Colorado that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Colorado (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Colorado page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 52.0201In Colorado
10,418
92.9%
28$43,506$25,000
2
CIP 52.0801In Colorado
459
4.1%
8$53,572$23,672
3
CIP 52.1001In Colorado
337
3.0%
8$49,084$26,536

Top 25 schools in Colorado

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 17 of the 30 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Colorado Technical University - Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs, CO Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
5,183Business Administration and Management, General$32,52519%$16,966
2University of Colorado Boulder
Boulder, CO Public · 2 feeder programs
1,503Business Administration and Management, General$56,01474%78%
3Colorado State University Global
Denver, CO Public · 3 feeder programs
946Business Administration and Management, General$69,86398%
4Colorado State University - Fort Collins
Fort Collins, CO Public · 2 feeder programs
835Business Administration and Management, General$54,84667%89%
5University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus
Denver, CO Public · 2 feeder programs
717Business Administration and Management, General$52,42846%75%
6University of Colorado Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs, CO Public · 1 feeder programs
405Business Administration and Management, General$43,32647%97%
7University of Northern Colorado
Greeley, CO Public · 1 feeder programs
296Business Administration and Management, General$50,73951%86%
8Colorado Mesa University
Grand Junction, CO Public · 2 feeder programs
265Business Administration and Management, General$46,31641%82%
9Metropolitan State University of Denver
Denver, CO Public · 3 feeder programs
227Business Administration and Management, General$53,00132%99%
10University of Denver
Denver, CO Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
183Finance, General$56,40276%$29,72678%
11Colorado Christian University
Lakewood, CO Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
132Business Administration and Management, General$56,60664%$23,447
12United States Air Force Academy
USAF Academy, CO Public · 1 feeder programs
131Business Administration and Management, General88%14%
13Regis University
Denver, CO Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
77Business Administration and Management, General$60,10161%$22,40786%
14Western Colorado University
Gunnison, CO Public · 1 feeder programs
71Business Administration and Management, General$41,88650%100%
15Front Range Community College
Westminster, CO Public · 1 feeder programs
44Business Administration and Management, General$41,59635%
16Adams State University
Alamosa, CO Public · 1 feeder programs
42Business Administration and Management, General39%
17Arapahoe Community College
Littleton, CO Public · 1 feeder programs
33Business Administration and Management, General$49,53129%
18Colorado Mountain College
Glenwood Springs, CO Public · 1 feeder programs
29Business Administration and Management, General$43,56327%
19Aims Community College
Greeley, CO Public · 1 feeder programs
20Business Administration and Management, General40%
20Taft University System
Denver, CO Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
12Business Administration and Management, General
21Pikes Peak State College
Colorado Springs, CO Public · 1 feeder programs
11Business Administration and Management, General$29,39321%
22Northeastern Junior College
Sterling, CO Public · 1 feeder programs
10Business Administration and Management, General56%
23Red Rocks Community College
Lakewood, CO Public · 2 feeder programs
9Business Administration and Management, General32%
24Pueblo Community College
Pueblo, CO Public · 1 feeder programs
8Business Administration and Management, General31%
25Colorado State University Pueblo
Pueblo, CO Public · 1 feeder programs
6Business Administration and Management, General40%95%

All 30 schools in Colorado

Every school in Colorado with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.

All schools in Colorado that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Colorado Technical University - Colorado SpringsColorado SpringsPrivate for-profit5,1831
University of Colorado BoulderBoulderPublic1,5032
Colorado State University GlobalDenverPublic9463
Colorado State University - Fort CollinsFort CollinsPublic8352
University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical CampusDenverPublic7172
University of Colorado Colorado SpringsColorado SpringsPublic4051
University of Northern ColoradoGreeleyPublic2961
Colorado Mesa UniversityGrand JunctionPublic2652
Metropolitan State University of DenverDenverPublic2273
University of DenverDenverPrivate not-for-profit1832
Colorado Christian UniversityLakewoodPrivate not-for-profit1323
United States Air Force AcademyUSAF AcademyPublic1311
Regis UniversityDenverPrivate not-for-profit773
Western Colorado UniversityGunnisonPublic711
Front Range Community CollegeWestminsterPublic441

What compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists earn in Colorado

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in Colorado
$92,560
Mean annual
$99,510
Jobs in state
1,980
What the range looks like
10th pct$62,280Median$92,56090th pct$152,370
Versus the national median
+18.3%

U.S. median $78,210. Colorado pays above the national figure.

Job concentration
0.95×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Metro areas in Colorado

Boulder, CO
$103,280median
120 jobs
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO
$92,560median
1,440 jobs
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO
$86,340median
70 jobs
Greeley, CO
$82,850median
50 jobs
Colorado Springs, CO
avg
140 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+5.3%
Faster than average
Openings per year
8,500
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
5,600
107,000 → 112,700
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree

Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.

How to get in

The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists page.

How to become a Compensation

Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
Work experience needed
Less than 5 years

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Top skills

Reading ComprehensionActive ListeningSpeakingCritical ThinkingActive LearningWriting

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in Colorado

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 4 majors mapped to Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists4 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 52.0201Business Administration and Management, General
  • 52.0801Finance, General
  • 52.1001Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General
  • 52.1701Insurance

Common questions

Answers for people weighing compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists programs in Colorado.

What degree do you need to become a Compensation?+

Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Business Administration and Management, General, which awarded 10,418 degrees in Colorado in 2024-25, 92.9% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Compensation?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 3 programs to this occupation. The largest are Business Administration, Finance and Financial Management Services, Human Resources Management and Services. Together they graduate about 11,214 people a year in Colorado.

How much do compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists earn in Colorado?+

The median is $92,560 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 18.3% above the U.S. median of $78,210. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists growing?+

BLS projects a +5.3% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, faster than average, with roughly 8,500 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in Colorado?+

30 institutions in Colorado reported graduates from at least one of the 3 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Benefits Analyst, Benefits Specialist, Compensation Analyst, Compensation Specialist among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 13-1141.

Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists in other statesCaliforniaTexasArizonaFloridaNew YorkNorth CarolinaNew HampshireIndiana

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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