Head of Audit Salary in the United States

How much does a Head of Audit make in the United States?

As of October 01, 2026, the average salary for a Head of Audit in the United States is $283,362 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $136.

However, a Head of Audit's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $351,450
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $250,541 to $319,002
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $220,659

Key Factors That Influence Head of Audit Salaries

A Head of Audit'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 Head of Audit Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Head of Audit'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): $121,966
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $172,383
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $207,706
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $228,205
  • Expert (over 8 years): $280,741
Levels Salary
Auditing ... Level Head of Audit$121,966
Auditing ... Level Head of Audit$172,383
Auditing ... Level Head of Audit$207,706
Vice Pres... Level Head of Audit$228,205
Head of A... Level Head of Audit$280,741

How Do Head of Audit 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 Head of Audits. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
  • District of Columbia: $313,738.
  • California: $312,548.
  • Massachusetts: $308,383.

Top Paying Cities for Head of Audits

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: $357,404
  • San Francisco: $353,491
  • Oakland: $346,042

What Skills Can Increase a Head of Audit's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Risk Management (Mentioned in 6.54% Job Postings): Risk management is the identification, evaluation, and prioritization of risks (defined in ISO 31000 as the effect of uncertainty on objectives) followed by coordinated and economical application of resources to minimize, monitor, and control the probability or impact of unfortunate events or to maximize the realization of opportunities. Risks can come from various sources including uncertainty in financial markets, threats from project failures (at any phase in design, development, production, or sustainment life-cycles), legal liabilities, credit risk, accidents, natural causes and disasters, deliberate attack from an adversary, or events of uncertain or unpredictable root-cause. There are two types of events i.e. negative events can be classified as risks while positive events are classified as opportunities. Several risk management standards have been developed including the Project Management Institute, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, actuarial societies, and ISO standards. Methods, definitions and goals vary widely according to whether the risk management method is in the context of project management, security, engineering, industrial processes, financial portfolios, actuarial assessments, or public health and safety.
  • Market Risk (Mentioned in 2.67% Job Postings): Market risk is the possibility that an individual or other entity will experience losses due to factors that affect the overall performance of investments in the financial markets.
  • Data Analytics (Mentioned in 1.27% 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.
Skills Demand Percentage
Risk Management 6.54%
Market Risk 2.67%
Data Analytics 1.27%

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 Head of Audit's salary.

  • Agile: Can increase your salary by up to 17%.
  • Consulting Services: Can increase your salary by up to 12%.
  • Capital Management: Can increase your salary by up to 12%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Agile $331,534
17%
Consulting Services $317,365
12%
Capital Management $317,365
12%

Head of Audit Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Head of Audit roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential by as much as 60% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the Financial Services and Biotechnology sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 30% above the average. In contrast, Head of Audit positions in Transportation or Hospitality & Leisure typically offer lower base pay, as these industries often view Head of Audit as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industries for a Head of Audit

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Financial Services$368,371$177.030%
Biotechnology$354,202$170.025%
Energy & Utilities$340,034$163.020%
Pharmaceuticals$340,034$163.020%
Software & Networking$340,034$163.020%

How Education impacts a Head of Audit's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Head of Audits enter the field with a Bachelor'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 Head of Audit with a Bachelor's Degree is between $274,076 and $293,118).

Head of Audit Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Head of Audit
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 1.3%
High School 1.3%
Associates 0.6%
Bachelors 54.4%
Masters 41.3%
Doctorate 2.5%

Head of Audit Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Head of Audit'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
$250,541
Average $283,362/year
$319,002
$20,878
Average $23,614/month
$26,584
$4,818
Average $5,449/week
$6,135
$120
Average $136/hour
$153
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $319,002 $26,584 $6,135 $153
Average $283,362 $23,614 $5,449 $136
25th Percentile $250,541 $20,878 $4,818 $120

Most common benefits for Head of Audit

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

Common company salaries for Head of Audit

Here are companies hiring for Head of Audit and their salaries, click below for more details.

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FAQ about Head of Audit

1. What industry pays the highest salary for Head of Audit?

The Financial Services industry offers the highest average compensation for Head of Audit roles, with salaries approximately 30% 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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