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

Best Compensation programs in Missouri, ranked by enrollment

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

51 schools in Missouri run programs that feed this job, graduating 4,555 people a year. The job pays a median of $74,260 in Missouri across about 1,670 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledBenefits AnalystBenefits SpecialistCompensation AnalystCompensation SpecialistJob AnalystWage AnalystWage AdjusterWage Conciliator
Graduates / yr
4,555
in Missouri
Median pay · Missouri
$74,260
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
1,670
people employed
Schools
51
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
51%
across those schools
Median net price
$20,095
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Missouri that lead to this job

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

4 programs in Missouri that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Missouri (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 Missouri 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 Missouri
3,651
80.2%
48$43,506$25,000
2
CIP 52.0801In Missouri
634
13.9%
21$53,572$23,672
3
CIP 52.1001In Missouri
223
4.9%
10$49,084$26,536
4
CIP 52.1701In Missouri
47
1.0%
3$56,988$22,500

Top 25 schools in Missouri

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 32 of the 51 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Washington University in St Louis
St. Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
466Business Administration and Management, General94%$14,12612%
2Park University
Parkville, MO Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
465Business Administration and Management, General$53,20138%$16,013
3Webster University
Saint Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
451Business Administration and Management, General$45,11964%$25,09086%
4Missouri State University - Springfield
Springfield, MO Public · 4 feeder programs
431Business Administration and Management, General$40,96858%91%
5Northwest Missouri State University
Maryville, MO Public · 3 feeder programs
301Business Administration and Management, General$43,67254%86%
6Southeast Missouri State University
Cape Girardeau, MO Public · 2 feeder programs
211Business Administration and Management, General$41,60458%74%
7University of Missouri - Kansas City
Kansas City, MO Public · 1 feeder programs
165Business Administration and Management, General55%72%
8Rockhurst University
Kansas City, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
161Business Administration and Management, General$51,88775%$21,89070%
9Columbia College
Columbia, MO Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
146Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General$49,32642%$23,247
10University of Central Missouri
Warrensburg, MO Public · 3 feeder programs
136Business Administration and Management, General$42,58854%64%
11Ozarks Technical Community College
Springfield, MO Public · 1 feeder programs
127Business Administration and Management, General$34,64433%
12Maryville University of Saint Louis
Saint Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
123Business Administration and Management, General$48,29666%$24,92195%
13Saint Louis University
Saint Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
119Finance, General$60,05580%$24,88675%
14William Woods University
Fulton, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
106Business Administration and Management, General$40,01047%$22,20371%
15St Charles Community College
Cottleville, MO Public · 1 feeder programs
93Business Administration and Management, General25%
16University of Missouri - Columbia
Columbia, MO Public · 3 feeder programs
89Finance, General75%78%
17Missouri Western State University
Saint Joseph, MO Public · 2 feeder programs
84Business Administration and Management, General$41,90239%
18Missouri Baptist University
Saint Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
77Business Administration and Management, General$42,46148%$25,40769%
19Lindenwood University
Saint Charles, MO Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
66Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General$50,42649%$17,43657%
20Culver - Stockton College
Canton, MO Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
58Business Administration and Management, General$41,98539%$21,26999%
21William Jewell College
Liberty, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
58Business Administration and Management, General$44,06468%$14,07238%
22Truman State University
Kirksville, MO Public · 1 feeder programs
54Business Administration and Management, General$50,42269%84%
23Metropolitan Community College - Kansas City
Kansas City, MO Public · 1 feeder programs
47Business Administration and Management, General$38,55434%
24Missouri Valley College
Marshall, MO Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
44Business Administration and Management, General$37,53622%$18,42869%
25Southwest Baptist University
Bolivar, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
37Business Administration and Management, General55%$20,93968%

All 51 schools in Missouri

Every school in Missouri 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 Missouri that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Washington University in St LouisSt. LouisPrivate not-for-profit4663
Park UniversityParkvillePrivate not-for-profit4652
Webster UniversitySaint LouisPrivate not-for-profit4512
Missouri State University - SpringfieldSpringfieldPublic4314
Northwest Missouri State UniversityMaryvillePublic3013
Southeast Missouri State UniversityCape GirardeauPublic2112
University of Missouri - Kansas CityKansas CityPublic1651
Rockhurst UniversityKansas CityPrivate not-for-profit1611
Columbia CollegeColumbiaPrivate not-for-profit1463
University of Central MissouriWarrensburgPublic1363
Ozarks Technical Community CollegeSpringfieldPublic1271
Maryville University of Saint LouisSaint LouisPrivate not-for-profit1233
Saint Louis UniversitySaint LouisPrivate not-for-profit1192
William Woods UniversityFultonPrivate not-for-profit1061
St Charles Community CollegeCottlevillePublic931

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

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

Median annual in Missouri
$74,260
Mean annual
$77,890
Jobs in state
1,670
What the range looks like
10th pct$49,370Median$74,26090th pct$118,390
Versus the national median
-5.1%

U.S. median $78,210. Missouri pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
0.79×

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

Metro areas in Missouri

St. Louis, MO-IL
$77,080median
920 jobs
Jefferson City, MO
$71,550median
30 jobs
Kansas City, MO-KS
$67,990median
730 jobs
Columbia, MO
$63,790median
50 jobs
Springfield, MO
$62,440median
70 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 Missouri

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 Missouri.

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 3,651 degrees in Missouri in 2024-25, 80.2% 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 4 programs to this occupation. The largest are Business Administration, Finance and Financial Management Services, Human Resources Management and Services, Insurance. Together they graduate about 4,555 people a year in Missouri.

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

The median is $74,260 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 5.1% below 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 Missouri?+

51 institutions in Missouri reported graduates from at least one of the 4 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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