Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Job outlook for audit specialists in the United States
Audit specialist job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected audit specialist job growth rate is 6% from 2018-2028.
About 81,800 new jobs for audit specialists are projected over the next decade.
Audit specialist salaries have increased 8% for audit specialists in the last 5 years.
There are over 14,115 audit specialists currently employed in the United States.
There are 40,071 active audit specialist job openings in the US.
The average audit specialist salary is $58,291.
Are audit specialist jobs in demand?
Audit specialist job and salary trends over time
Audit specialist jobs over time
Audit specialist job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 14,115 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 13,645 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 13,710 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 13,488 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 13,285 | 0.00% |
Average audit specialist salary over time
Audit specialist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $58,291 | $28.02 | +2.8% |
| 2025 | $56,699 | $27.26 | +1.5% |
| 2024 | $55,866 | $26.86 | +1.7% |
| 2023 | $54,955 | $26.42 | +1.8% |
| 2022 | $54,004 | $25.96 | +1.4% |
Audit specialist jobs by state
Most common states for audit specialists
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 193 | 28% |
| 2 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 363 | 12% |
| 3 | Delaware | 961,939 | 113 | 12% |
| 4 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 207 | 11% |
| 5 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 691 | 10% |
| 6 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 77 | 10% |
| 7 | Vermont | 623,657 | 61 | 10% |
| 8 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 58 | 10% |
| 9 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 96 | 9% |
| 10 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 862 | 8% |
| 11 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 712 | 8% |
| 12 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 447 | 8% |
| 13 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 107 | 8% |
| 14 | Alaska | 739,795 | 62 | 8% |
| 15 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 954 | 7% |
| 16 | Indiana | 6,666,818 | 450 | 7% |
| 17 | Missouri | 6,113,532 | 435 | 7% |
| 18 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 375 | 7% |
| 19 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 279 | 7% |
| 20 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 251 | 7% |
Most common cities for audit specialists
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southfield | 2 | 3% | $54,001 |
| 2 | Leawood | 1 | 3% | $49,179 |
| 3 | Alpharetta | 1 | 2% | $50,087 |
| 4 | Altamonte Springs | 1 | 2% | $38,945 |
| 5 | East Hartford | 1 | 2% | $53,527 |
| 6 | Hamden | 1 | 2% | $55,118 |
| 7 | Pontiac | 1 | 2% | $53,896 |
| 8 | Naperville | 1 | 1% | $64,261 |
| 9 | Atlanta | 2 | 0% | $49,839 |
| 10 | Albuquerque | 1 | 0% | $47,406 |
| 11 | Chicago | 1 | 0% | $64,323 |
| 12 | Denver | 1 | 0% | $58,135 |
| 13 | Des Moines | 1 | 0% | $45,831 |
| 14 | Detroit | 1 | 0% | $54,043 |
| 15 | Houston | 1 | 0% | $59,386 |
| 16 | Kansas City | 1 | 0% | $49,767 |
| 17 | Tampa | 1 | 0% | $38,818 |
Audit Specialist job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of audit specialist experts
Bucknell University
Stacy Mastrolia Ph.D.
Associate Professor of AccountingBucknell University
Freeman College of Management
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Audit Specialist job market given the pandemic?
Stacy Mastrolia Ph.D.: I expect to see employers continue to screen candidates and conduct interviews remotely. This really emphasizes the need for job candidates to develop an impressive professional online appearance and demeanor. Judging from how students appear in remote class meetings, some students really need to work on this. There are plenty of online sources that talk about lighting, camera position and staged backgrounds to help a job candidate put their best foot forward in an online interview. And, of course, candidates should get rid of any distractions (like their phones) and stay focused on the interview - even though their computer is open, an interview is not the time to multi-task.
During the job interview, I expect hiring managers will try to evaluate a candidate's ability to innovate with technology. Job candidates should inquire what technology an employer uses to accomplish their day-to-day work and then be proactive and familiarize themselves with those programs or apps before their first day at their new job. Also, I think we will see hiring managers evaluating a candidate's ability to work independently and to work in virtual teams. In this case, most current students should be able to point to specific projects, assignments, and activities that they successfully completed during the past year as most students have experienced some level of remote learning. Candidates who can demonstrate effective collaboration in a remote environment will be highly valued by employers.
How have salaries changed over time for Audit Specialists?
Stacy Mastrolia Ph.D.: This is an interesting question. In 1989, I entered the workforce as a staff auditor for a Big 6 public accounting firm in NJ. My starting salary was $25,000 per year with paid overtime. According to an online inflation calculator, that would be $52,700 in 2021 dollars. According to the 2021 Robert Half Accounting & Finance Salary Guide, the starting salary for the same position in the same geographic location would be $61,250. So, inflation adjusted salaries for staff auditors have increased at a 16% premium over the past 32 years or a mere 0.05% per year on average. And, in most firms, staff auditors are no longer paid overtime. On the other hand, the public accounting firms, on average, have much better benefits today than 30 years ago.