What does it cost to hire a compensation and benefits manager in Virginia Beach?

Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role and never by salary or location. A contingency firm billing 20 to 30% of this role's $131,140 median wage in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $26,228 to $39,342 on the first year salary alone.

What should an offer for a compensation and benefits manager in Virginia Beach look like?

Employers in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC area pay compensation and benefits managers a median of $131,140, with the middle half of the market between $103,700 and $142,150 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $103,700 competes for the bottom quarter of that market.

Is the talent for this role already in Virginia Beach?

This is a job zone 4 occupation, which usually calls for a bachelor's degree, and 40.4% of Virginia Beach adults hold one or higher (Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501). That is a workable pool, though the search will reach beyond the city line.

Hiring a compensation and benefits manager in Virginia Beach, VA

Employers in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC area pay compensation and benefits managers a median of $131,140 a year, with the middle half of the market between $103,700 and $142,150 (BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 11-3111). Filling it through recruitlocalpros runs Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role rather than by salary or location, and our vetted recruiting partner handles sourcing, screening and placement end to end.

Do Virginia Beach residents in management work earn more than employers in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC area pay?

Virginia Beach residents working in management occupations earn a median of $84,089 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $122,115 as the median of the 32 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 31%, with the employers figure the higher of the two.

Both sides of that figure describe the whole management group, not this one role. In the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC area the group covers 32 occupations BLS publishes a wage for, from education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare at $46,410 to chief executives at $297,350 (BLS OEWS, May 2025), with compensation and benefits managers at $131,140 inside it.

That comparison is between two different measures, not a pay gap. The two weight the same occupation group differently: the Census figure is the midpoint across the people who actually hold those jobs, so a group carrying a few very well paid occupations is pulled toward them, while the BLS figure is the midpoint across the 32 published occupation wages, which counts each of those occupations once whatever its headcount. Census also counts where people live and BLS counts where the jobs are, and the two cover different populations, Census the civilian employed population 16 and over, BLS wage-and-salary jobs only. Read the number against other cities, where the same definitional difference applies on both sides, rather than as a shortfall.

Published wages across this group in the metro run above what Virginia Beach residents in it earn, which usually means employers here draw this talent from beyond the city line rather than from inside it.

What does a compensation and benefits manager earn here?

Place of work

What employers pay

Annual wages paid to compensation and benefits managers by employers in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC area. BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 11-3111.
25th percentile	$103,700
Median	$131,140
75th percentile	$142,150

Half of compensation and benefits managers in this area earn between $103,700 and $142,150 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $103,700 competes for the bottom quarter of the market. Occupation detail for SOC 11-3111 at O*NET OnLine.

Place of residence

What Virginia Beach residents earn

$84,089

Median annual earnings of Virginia Beach residents working in management occupations, 25,618 people (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011). An occupation group rather than this one role, and where people live rather than where they work, so it is not the same measurement as the wages beside it.

What does the role actually involve?

Core tasks

Direct preparation and distribution of written and verbal information to inform employees of benefits, compensation, and personnel policies.
Design, evaluate, and modify benefits policies to ensure that programs are current, competitive, and in compliance with legal requirements.
Fulfill all reporting requirements of all relevant government rules and regulations, including the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).
Analyze compensation policies, government regulations, and prevailing wage rates to develop competitive compensation plan.
Identify and implement benefits to increase the quality of life for employees by working with brokers and researching benefits issues.

Task statements for SOC 11-3111, O*NET OnLine 29.1.

Tools and technologies in demand

Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft PowerPoint, Oracle HRIS, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Intuit QuickBooks, Microsoft Access.

Flagged in demand or hot for SOC 11-3111 by O*NET OnLine 29.1. Useful as a screen, not as a checklist.

Is the talent actually in Virginia Beach?

This is a job zone four: considerable preparation needed occupation. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not. O*NET OnLine, SOC 11-3111.

That matters here, because 40.4% of Virginia Beach adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. That is a workable pool, but the search will reach beyond the city line. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501, residents of Virginia Beach aged 25 and over.

The average Virginia Beach commute runs 23.2 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 12.7% of Virginia Beach workers already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that. Census ACS 5-year 2023, place-level commuting characteristics for Virginia Beach.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In Virginia Beach city, management of companies and enterprises employs 4,468 and turns over 8.3% a quarter, with 685 hires against 639 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $5,819 a month. Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2024 Q1, NAICS 55.

That figure covers every occupation in the industry, not this role alone, so read it as the local churn rate rather than as a number about compensation and benefits managers. It still tells you what you are hiring into: a normal churn rate, where a well-run search closes on schedule.

What does the search cost?

The fee is set by the seniority of the role, never by salary and never by location. Across all six tiers it runs $6,240 to $54,340 per search. A contingency firm hiring at this role's $131,140 median in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would bill roughly $26,228 to $39,342 on the first year salary alone.

One owner runs the search from market map to signed offer. Searches typically fill in 23 to 35 days, which is a typical window rather than a promise, and the replacement guarantee runs 45 days at 50% off.

Questions employers ask about hiring a compensation and benefits manager in Virginia Beach

What does it cost to hire a compensation and benefits manager in Virginia Beach?: Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role and never by salary or location. A contingency firm billing 20 to 30% of this role's $131,140 median wage in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $26,228 to $39,342 on the first year salary alone.
What should an offer for a compensation and benefits manager in Virginia Beach look like?: Employers in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC area pay compensation and benefits managers a median of $131,140, with the middle half of the market between $103,700 and $142,150 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $103,700 competes for the bottom quarter of that market.
Do Virginia Beach residents in management work earn more than employers in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC area pay?: Virginia Beach residents working in management occupations earn a median of $84,089 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $122,115 as the median of the 32 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 31%. Both figures cover the whole occupation group rather than this one role, and one counts where people live while the other counts where the jobs are, so the percentage is not a pay gap.
Is the talent for this role already in Virginia Beach?: This is a job zone 4 occupation, which usually calls for a bachelor's degree, and 40.4% of Virginia Beach adults hold one or higher (Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501). That is a workable pool, though the search will reach beyond the city line.

Price this search

Eight questions about the role. Your tier range appears on screen.

Hiring a compensation and benefits manager somewhere else?

Same role, different market. The wage band moves with the metro.

Other management roles in Virginia Beach

Virginia Beach is the largest of 4 Virginia cities in this dataset.