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$44,000 USD is the average salary for a Compliance Clerk in Lansing, MI, based on aggregated data from ZipRecruiter, Glassdoor, and Salary.com for 2025-2026. This page covers the full pay range from entry-level filing and documentation support roles through senior-level audit prep and regulatory coordination positions, who each tier serves, and why ranges vary by industry, employer size, and specialization.
Pay at each tier is shaped by depth of regulatory knowledge, audit support ownership, and whether documentation duties span a single department or the whole organization.
$33,000 - $42,000 USD
Roles at this tier focus on data entry, routing compliance forms, and maintaining filing systems under direct supervision with limited independent regulatory judgment.
$42,000 - $55,000 USD
Mid-career clerks own recurring compliance calendars, track filing deadlines across departments, and produce first-draft audit support packages with moderate oversight.
$55,000 - $65,000 USD
Senior clerks manage regulatory submission schedules, mentor junior staff on documentation standards, and coordinate directly with auditors and legal teams on evidence packages.
$65,000 - $72,000 USD
Lead specialists set documentation policy, maintain the compliance management system, and serve as the primary liaison for external regulators and internal audit leadership.
Most Compliance Clerks plateau in the $38,000-$45,000 band because their resume describes tasks rather than regulatory outcomes. Shifting to outcome language and adding even one certification typically unlocks the next tier.
Compliance Clerks who frame their audit prep, filing accuracy, and regulatory support work in outcome-driven terms consistently land in the $55,000-$65,000 band. Optimizing your resume against the job descriptions that matter most is the fastest way to close the gap.
Higher-paying candidates typically show:
The state capital's compliance job market is anchored by government agencies and insurance carriers; mid-range roles cluster around $44,000-$52,000.
The greater Detroit metro commands a pay premium driven by automotive, financial services, and large healthcare systems with active compliance functions.
A growing healthcare and manufacturing hub; compliance clerk demand is steady with mid-career roles averaging $46,000-$55,000 at regional health systems.
University of Michigan and its affiliated health network are major employers; research compliance and HIPAA documentation roles push the ceiling toward $68,000.
Pharmaceutical and life sciences employers (including Pfizer legacy facilities) create demand for regulatory documentation clerks at above-average rates for the size of the market.
Most Compliance Clerk roles in Lansing are non-exempt hourly or lower-band salaried positions. Overtime pay during audit cycles and year-end filing periods can add $1,500-$4,000 annually. Discretionary bonuses exist at larger employers but are not common at entry level.
State of Michigan and municipal roles typically sit at the lower-mid band ($36,000-$48,000) but offer defined-benefit pensions and healthcare that offset the base pay gap. Private-sector roles at insurers and healthcare networks pay more in base but with 401(k) match only.
A small but growing number of Lansing-area compliance clerk postings offer hybrid schedules; fully remote clerk roles posted by out-of-state employers (particularly fintech and insurance) often carry a 10-20% pay premium over local in-office postings.
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Answers to the most common questions about Compliance Clerk compensation in Lansing, MI, US.
Compliance Clerks in Lansing, MI typically earn between $33,000 and $65,000 USD per year depending on experience, industry, and employer type. The average across all experience levels is approximately $44,000. State agency roles anchor the lower end while private-sector healthcare and insurance employers reach the upper band.
Aggregated data from ZipRecruiter, Glassdoor, and Salary.com places the average Compliance Clerk salary in Michigan at roughly $44,000-$56,000 USD annually as of early 2026. Compliance Coordinator and Compliance Specialist I titles - common step-up roles - average $51,000-$63,000 across the state.
In Michigan, Compliance Clerks average $38,000-$55,000 USD while Compliance Coordinators average $51,000-$72,000 USD per year. The coordinator title typically requires demonstrated ownership of compliance calendars, regulatory reporting, and cross-department coordination rather than primarily task-based filing support.
Industry is the single biggest pay variable. Healthcare, insurance, and automotive compliance roles in the Lansing-Detroit corridor pay 10-20% above equivalent state government clerk titles. Pharmaceutical and life sciences employers in Kalamazoo also skew above the statewide average for documentation-focused roles.
The CCEP (Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional), CRCM (Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager), and CAMS (Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist) are the most cited credentials for pay increases in Michigan compliance roles. Earning one certification can add $3,000-$7,000 to base salary at mid-size and large employers.
Detroit-area compliance clerk and coordinator roles pay roughly $5,000-$10,000 more on average than Lansing roles due to the concentration of automotive, financial services, and large healthcare employers. However, the cost of living difference is modest, so the net gain is real. Hybrid or remote postings from Detroit-headquartered firms are an option that avoids relocation entirely.
Documentation accuracy, knowledge of applicable regulatory frameworks (HIPAA, OSHA, banking regulations), proficiency with document management systems, and the ability to produce audit-ready evidence packages are the most cited skills in Michigan compliance clerk job postings. Filing deadline management and cross-department communication are also consistently required.
Explore salary ranges for similar administrative and compliance roles in Lansing and nearby markets.
| Job title | Entry Level | Mid-Career | Senior | Lead / AP Specialist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accounts Payable Clerk | $34,000 - $40,000 USD | $40,000 - $50,000 USD | $50,000 - $57,000 USD | $57,000 - $62,000 USD |
| Records Clerk | $28,000 - $34,000 USD | $34,000 - $42,000 USD | $42,000 - $50,000 USD | $50,000 - $56,000 USD |
| Executive Assistant | $44,000 - $57,000 USD | $57,000 - $75,000 USD | $75,000 - $95,000 USD | $95,000 - $120,000 USD |
| Office Administrator | $34,000 - $42,000 USD | $42,000 - $56,000 USD | $56,000 - $70,000 USD | $70,000 - $85,000 USD |
| HR Assistant | $36K - $44K USD | $44K - $54K USD | $54K - $62K USD | $62K - $68K USD |
| Operations Coordinator | $38,000 - $46,000 USD | $46,000 - $60,000 USD | $60,000 - $72,000 USD | $72,000 - $78,000 USD |
| Legal Administrative Assistant | $40K - $48K CAD | $48K - $60K CAD | $60K - $70K CAD | $70K - $75K CAD |
| Insurance Claims Assistant | $30,000 - $36,000 USD | $36,000 - $44,000 USD | $44,000 - $52,000 USD | $52,000 - $58,000 USD |
Explore strategies for advancing in compliance roles, negotiating your salary, and presenting your qualifications effectively to employers.
Learn proven negotiation strategies to maximize your earning potential when discussing compensation for compliance clerk and other administrative positions.
Read article →Understand when and how to handle salary discussions during interviews for compliance roles to protect your negotiating position.
Read article →Discover the compliance-related keywords and regulatory terminology that will help your resume stand out to hiring managers and pass ATS screening.
Read article →Get insights into the Michigan job market including salary trends and employer demands to better understand your local career opportunities.
Read article →Salary ranges on this page were compiled by cross-referencing multiple public aggregator datasets for Compliance Clerk, Compliance Coordinator, and Compliance Specialist I titles in Michigan, with Lansing-specific adjustments applied where city-level data was available from ZipRecruiter and Salary.com.
The following quotes are representative of community discussions on salary forums and review platforms from 2024-2026; they reflect candid perspectives on pay, career growth, and market conditions for compliance support roles in Michigan.
“Started as a compliance clerk at a state agency in Lansing at $36k. Moved to a health system two years later and jumped to $52k doing the same basic work.”
This reflects a well-documented pay gap between Michigan government and private healthcare employer rates, even for comparable documentation-focused roles.
“The work is repetitive but the audit season is intense. My base has not moved in three years despite perfect review scores.”
Stagnant base pay in lower-band roles is a recurring theme; it signals that title reclassification and sector change are more effective than merit reviews alone.
“Moving from clerk to coordinator title added $11k to my base even though my daily tasks barely changed. The title matters more than people realize.”
Title reclassification from clerk to coordinator is consistently cited as the fastest single lever for a pay increase without changing employers.
“If you are doing audit prep and regulatory filings, you should not be accepting a clerk rate. Coordinator pay starts at $48k in Michigan even at small firms.”
Community consensus supports pursuing coordinator-level titles for anyone handling substantive regulatory filings or audit evidence preparation.
State of Michigan - DTMB · Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services · Sparrow Health System · McLaren Health Care · Delta Dental of Michigan · Auto-Owners Insurance · Jackson National Life · Consumers Energy · Emergent BioSolutions · Flex-N-Gate
ZipRecruiter: Compliance Clerk Salary - United States (February 2026) ZipRecruiter Compliance Clerk
ZipRecruiter: Compliance Specialist Salary in Michigan (April 2026) ZipRecruiter Michigan Compliance Specialist
Glassdoor: Compliance Clerk Salary - United States (April 2026) Glassdoor Compliance Clerk
Salary.com: Compliance Specialist I Salary in Michigan (February 2026) Salary.com MI Compliance Specialist I
Salary.com: Corporate Compliance Coordinator Salary - United States (January 2026) Salary.com Corporate Compliance Coordinator
ZipRecruiter: Compliance Coordinator Salary in Michigan (April 2025) ZipRecruiter MI Compliance Coordinator