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The differences between auditors and internal auditors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an internal auditor has an average salary of $63,013, which is higher than the $54,853 average annual salary of an auditor.
The top three skills for an auditor include audit reports, customer service and financial statements. The most important skills for an internal auditor are CPA, risk management, and SOX.
| Auditor | Internal Auditor | |
| Yearly salary | $54,853 | $63,013 |
| Hourly rate | $26.37 | $30.29 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 20,325 | 25,571 |
| Job satisfaction | 3 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
An auditor is responsible for reviewing financial statements and making sure that the reports align with the accounting principles and legislative standards. Some of the important duties of an auditor are verifying the company's account statements, ensuring that the business is free from fraud and other unusual activities, providing recommendations to boost operations' performance, and creating financial reports for the board. An auditor should have excellent analytical and decision-making skills to spot inaccuracies of financial statements and resolve financial issues immediately.
An internal auditor is an individual who takes responsibility for crucial accounting functions in an organization. Internal auditors have trusted consultants who advise upper management on how to handle corporate goals and risks. They review the business operations and processes of organizations. They have to assess the efficacy of the company's risk management procedures. They are expected to have superb communication skills, IT knowledge, and math aptitude. Also, they help protect the organization from potential theft and fraud of its assets.
Auditors and internal auditors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Auditor | Internal Auditor | |
| Average salary | $54,853 | $63,013 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $84,000 | Between $45,000 And $86,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New York |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between an auditor and an internal auditor in terms of educational background:
| Auditor | Internal Auditor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Accounting | Accounting |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between auditors' and internal auditors' demographics:
| Auditor | Internal Auditor | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 44.9% Female, 55.1% | Male, 54.6% Female, 45.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 12.1% White, 63.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.0% Asian, 12.9% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |