Senior Auditor Average Salary & Hourly Rate in 2025
Senior auditors are responsible for ensuring the accuracy and government compliance of an organization. They play a significant role in maintaining the financial integrity of a company. With that, it is best to know how much they are compensated for.
The salary for senior auditors is affected by different factors like experience level, location, and education. Read on as we give you their salary overview, responsibilities, and job outlook moving forward.
An Overview of Senior Auditor Salaries
As of February 1, 2025, the average salary of senior auditors in the United States is $100,001 per year or $48 per hour. The salary range is between $83,571 to $118,150, with most earnings between $91,401 to $109,501.
| Percentile | Average Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| 10% | $83,571 |
| 25% | $91,401 |
| 50% | $100,001 |
| 75% | $109,501 |
| 90% | $118,150 |
The industries where a senior auditor belongs have an effect on their salary. Some examples of these organizations include finance, real estate, and computer manufacturing.
Based on the 2023 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, auditors in the government can earn $79,130 per year, while those in the finance and insurance industry can earn $83,250. Here are the median annual wages of top industries for auditors:
- Finance and insurance: $83,250
- Management of companies and enterprises: $82,620
- Accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping, and payroll services: $79,410
- Government: $79,130
Senior Auditor Salary: Hourly, Weekly, Monthly, and Yearly Breakdown
Here is the breakdown of the hourly, weekly, monthly, and yearly salary for senior auditors. The average salary per week is $1,923 while the average salary per month is $8,333.
- Average salary per hour: $48
- Average salary per week: $1,923
- Average salary per month: $8,333
- Average salary per year: $100,001
How Experience Impacts Senior Auditor Salaries
A higher level of experience earns higher pay. In the case of senior auditors, the entry level with less than a year of experience will get $95,195, whereas the expert level with more than 8 years of experience can expect $104,332 per year on average.
- Entry level senior auditor: $95,195
- Intermediate level senior auditor: $95,829
- Senior level senior auditor: $97,098
- Specialist level senior auditor: $101,807
- Expert level senior auditor: $104,332
State-by-State Breakdown of Average Salaries for Senior Auditor
Average salaries for senior auditors vary for different states in the US due to the industry presence, cost of living, and local economies.
The top 5 states with the highest average senior auditor salaries are: the District of Columbia with $111,301, California with $110,301, New Jersey with $109,601, Alaska with $108,901, and Massachusetts with $108,801.
| State | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Alaska | $108,901 |
| Alabama | $91,901 |
| Arkansas | $91,101 |
| Arizona | $97,401 |
| California | $110,301 |
| Colorado | $102,001 |
| Connecticut | $107,401 |
| District of Columbia | $111,301 |
| Delaware | $101,501 |
| Florida | $95,001 |
| Georgia | $96,701 |
| Hawaii | $104,501 |
| Iowa | $95,701 |
| Idaho | $93,301 |
| Illinois | $102,301 |
| Indiana | $97,001 |
| Kansas | $95,201 |
| Kentucky | $94,101 |
| Louisiana | $95,101 |
| Massachusetts | $108,801 |
| Maryland | $103,101 |
| Maine | $97,301 |
| Michigan | $98,701 |
| Minnesota | $102,301 |
| Missouri | $95,301 |
| Mississippi | $89,201 |
| Montana | $93,401 |
| North Carolina | $96,001 |
| North Dakota | $99,001 |
| Nebraska | $94,201 |
| New Hampshire | $101,701 |
| New Jersey | $109,601 |
| New Mexico | $92,201 |
| Nevada | $100,401 |
| New York | $106,601 |
| Ohio | $97,801 |
| Oklahoma | $92,501 |
| Oregon | $101,601 |
| Pennsylvania | $99,801 |
| Rhode Island | $104,401 |
| South Carolina | $94,401 |
| South Dakota | $89,901 |
| Tennessee | $92,601 |
| Texas | $97,901 |
| Utah | $95,101 |
| Virginia | $100,301 |
| Vermont | $98,101 |
| Washington | $107,801 |
| Wisconsin | $98,801 |
| West Virginia | $90,001 |
| Wyoming | $95,901 |
Senior Auditor Salaries: Top Earning Cities Revealed
The top 3 cities with the highest pay for senior auditors are San Jose with $125,501, San Francisco with $125,001, and Oakland with $122,001. Here is the list of other top-paying cities in the United States:
| Top Paying Cities | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $125,501 |
| San Francisco, CA | $125,001 |
| Oakland, CA | $122,001 |
| New York, NY | $116,801 |
| Queens Village, NY | $116,001 |
| Paramus, NJ | $115,201 |
Explore Senior Auditor Benefits and Perks Beyond Salary
Senior auditors receive benefits and perks alongside their base salary. In Salary.com’s HR-reported data, the total compensation for senior auditors includes social security, healthcare, and pension.
- Social Security: $8,025
- 401K/403B: $4,406
- Disability: $2,098
- Healthcare: $8,352
- Pension: $5,665
- Time off: $12,911
Senior Auditor Job Description: Roles and Responsibilities
Senior auditors have a leading role in ensuring the accuracy and government compliance of an organization. They do this by auditing complex accounting and financial data of various departments of the company.
Here is a more detailed list of responsibilities of a senior auditor:
- They identify and analyze improper accounting or documentation within a company.
- They collaborate with external auditors to reconcile discrepancies or give support to the external auditing function
- They do thorough research on identified issues and formulate recommendations for policy and procedure improvement.
- They analyze the internal controls of the company to assess any non-compliance and produce detailed audit reports.
- They supervise and train junior auditors to ensure successful and skillful audits.
When and How to Ask for a Raise as a Senior Auditor
If you’re a senior auditor, then you play a significant role in examining the financial integrity of your company. So, if you are eyeing for a pay raise, here are ways to prepare your pitch for a salary increase:
- Reflect on performance. Assess your level of experience, skills, and achievements that have contributed well to the organization. Use your earned merits, certifications, and initiatives and examine why they are significant to the company’s success.
- Do research. By looking at market trends, find the most appropriate salary that aligns with your current position, qualification, location, and industry. The average salary of senior auditors in the United States is $100,001 per year or $48 per hour.
- Set perfect timing. To ensure positive outcomes, pitch your proposal when the organization is doing well. Perfect timings include performance review schedules or after a successful project.
- Be open to negotiation. Bring a healthy conversation about the pay raise. Avoid using demanding tones and lean towards solutions and alternatives. Listen to the management’s side while properly articulating your grounds.
Why Does Senior Auditor Make So Much?
Senior auditors make money because their job title requires an advanced level of experience and academic qualifications. The typical educational attainments for senior auditors are a bachelor’s degree with 53.8% and a master’s degree with 43.4%.
It also helps that senior auditors have highly compensated skills, which translates to higher salary increases. Based on Salary.com’s Real-time Job Posting Salary Data, here are the skills of senior auditors that give them greater compensation:
- Internal audit: +8.07% salary increase
- Life Insurance: +6.34% salary increase
- Audit documentation: +5.83% salary increase
- Internal controls: +5.34% salary increase
- Auditing: +4.54% salary increase
- Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP): +3.45% salary increase
The Future of Senior Auditor: Job Outlook and Career Trends
From 2023 to 2033, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the employment of auditors will grow by 6%, which is faster than the average for all jobs.
In fact, there is an average of 130,800 job openings for auditors every year. These openings are the predicted result of replacements for employees who transfer to different jobs or those who leave the labor force to retire.
The employment growth of senior auditors is also proportional to overall economic health. This means that if the economy continues to grow, then auditors will still be helpful in preparing and examining financial records.
Other than the health of the economy, globalization and a complex tax environment can also lead to strong demands for auditors.
