Fraud Detection Specialist Salary in the United States

How much does a Fraud Detection Specialist make in the United States?

As of October 01, 2026, the average salary for a Fraud Detection Specialist in the United States is $53,014 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $25.

However, a Fraud Detection Specialist's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $61,478
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $47,706 to $57,444
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $42,874

Key Factors That Influence Fraud Detection Specialist Salaries

A Fraud Detection Specialist's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Fraud Detection Specialist Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Fraud Detection Specialist's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $41,779
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $46,586
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $53,382
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $63,850
  • Expert (over 8 years): $86,229
Levels Salary
Fraud Det... Level Fraud Detection Specialist$41,779
Fraud Det... Level Fraud Detection Specialist$46,586
Fraud Det... Level Fraud Detection Specialist$53,382
Merchant ... Level Fraud Detection Specialist$63,850
Fraud Det... Level Fraud Detection Specialist$86,229

How Do Fraud Detection Specialist Salaries Vary from State to State?

Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Fraud Detection Specialists. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
  • District of Columbia: $58,697.
  • California: $58,474.
  • Massachusetts: $57,695.

Top Paying Cities for Fraud Detection Specialists

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $66,866
  • San Francisco: $66,134
  • Oakland: $64,741

What Skills Can Increase a Fraud Detection Specialist's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Analysis (Mentioned in 15.94% Job Postings): Analysis is the process of considering something carefully or using statistical methods in order to understand it or explain it.
  • Data Analysis (Mentioned in 1.59% Job Postings): Data analysis is a process of inspecting, cleansing, transforming, and modeling data with the goal of discovering useful information, informing conclusions, and supporting decision-making. Data analysis has multiple facets and approaches, encompassing diverse techniques under a variety of names, and is used in different business, science, and social science domains. In today's business world, data analysis plays a role in making decisions more scientific and helping businesses operate more effectively. Data mining is a particular data analysis technique that focuses on modeling and knowledge discovery for predictive rather than purely descriptive purposes, while business intelligence covers data analysis that relies heavily on aggregation, focusing mainly on business information. In statistical applications, data analysis can be divided into descriptive statistics, exploratory data analysis (EDA), and confirmatory data analysis (CDA). EDA focuses on discovering new features in the data while CDA focuses on confirming or falsifying existing hypotheses. Predictive analytics focuses on application of statistical models for predictive forecasting or classification, while text analytics applies statistical, linguistic, and structural techniques to extract and classify information from textual sources, a species of unstructured data. All of the above are varieties of data analysis.
  • Financial Analysis (Mentioned in 1.13% Job Postings): Financial statement analysis (or financial analysis) is the process of reviewing and analyzing a company's financial statements to make better economic decisions to earn income in future. These statements include the income statement, balance sheet, statement of cash flows, notes to accounts and a statement of changes in equity (if applicable). Financial statement analysis is a method or process involving specific techniques for evaluating risks, performance, financial health, and future prospects of an organization. It is used by a variety of stakeholders, such as credit and equity investors, the government, the public, and decision-makers within the organization. These stakeholders have different interests and apply a variety of different techniques to meet their needs. For example, equity investors are interested in the long-term earnings power of the organization and perhaps the sustainability and growth of dividend payments. Creditors want to ensure the interest and principal is paid on the organizations debt securities (e.g., bonds) when due.
Skills Demand Percentage
Analysis 15.94%
Data Analysis 1.59%
Financial Analysis 1.13%

What skills can make your compensation higher?

Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Fraud Detection Specialist's salary.

  • Business Development: Can increase your salary by up to 32%.
  • Python: Can increase your salary by up to 26%.
  • Tableau: Can increase your salary by up to 18%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Business Development $69,978
32%
Python $66,798
26%
Tableau $62,556
18%

Fraud Detection Specialist Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Fraud Detection Specialist roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential by as much as 40% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit and Pharmaceuticals sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 20% above the average. In contrast, Fraud Detection Specialist positions in Retail & Wholesale or Energy & Utilities typically offer lower base pay, as these industries often view Fraud Detection Specialist as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industries for a Fraud Detection Specialist

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit$63,617$31.020%
Pharmaceuticals$63,617$31.020%
Financial Services$60,966$29.015%
Software & Networking$60,966$29.015%
Business Services$58,315$28.010%

How Education impacts a Fraud Detection Specialist's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Fraud Detection Specialists enter the field with a Associate's Degree degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for a Fraud Detection Specialist with a Associate's Degree is between $50,498 and $53,783).

Fraud Detection Specialist Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Fraud Detection Specialist
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 27.3%
High School 27.3%
Associates 9.1%
Bachelors 36.4%
Masters 27.3%
Doctorate 0.0%

Fraud Detection Specialist Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Fraud Detection Specialist's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on October 01, 2026
$47,706
Average $53,014/year
$57,444
$3,976
Average $4,418/month
$4,787
$917
Average $1,019/week
$1,105
$23
Average $25/hour
$28
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $57,444 $4,787 $1,105 $28
Average $53,014 $4,418 $1,019 $25
25th Percentile $47,706 $3,976 $917 $23

Most common benefits for Fraud Detection Specialist

  • Social Security
  • 401 (k)
  • Disability
  • Healthcare
  • Pension
  • Time Off (days)

Common company salaries for Fraud Detection Specialist

Here are companies hiring for Fraud Detection Specialist and their salaries, click below for more details.

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FAQ about Fraud Detection Specialist

1. What industry pays the highest salary for Fraud Detection Specialist?

The Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit industry offers the highest average compensation for Fraud Detection Specialist roles, with salaries approximately 20% above the market median.

Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint your exact pay target.

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