Chief compliance officers who are hunting bigger paychecks would be wise to start applying for jobs in the health care and life sciences industry—and if they don’t already have a law degree, they might want to consider getting one.

Public health care firms paid compliance chiefs an average of nearly $550,000 in total compensation last year, more than any other industry. The public energy sector was the second-highest-paying industry at $485,000, followed by the consumer sector at $470,000 and technology at $458,000.