Compliance auditors are responsible for ensuring that companies adhere and conform to the state and federal regulations related to their line of work. In line with this duty, they develop compliance auditing plans based on thorough research on government agencies and professional organizations' studies. They also analyze potential risks within the company to avoid possible compliance issues. Compliance auditors earn a median sum of $62,000 annually or $29 per hour.

Compliance auditors may work in various industries, including accounting, insurance, and many more. They perform their duties to protect the company's assets and primarily enforce compliance with internal regulations. They may act as consultants. Due to the job's delicate nature, they need to understand operations and practices within the industry for which they are auditing and using relevant software when performing such duties as data analysis or quality assurance. Compliance auditors typically possess a bachelor's degree in a relevant field and an industry-specific certification.

Employers mostly prefer candidates with some years of auditing experience and in-depth knowledge of the industry's rules, guidelines, and regulations. They are also expected to have a keen eye for detail and solid analytical skills to boot.

What Does a Compliance Auditor Do

There are certain skills that many compliance auditors have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed analytical skills, communication skills and detail oriented.

Learn more about what a Compliance Auditor does

How To Become a Compliance Auditor

If you're interested in becoming a compliance auditor, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 62.9% of compliance auditors have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 12.0% of compliance auditors have master's degrees. Even though most compliance auditors have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Learn More About How To Become a Compliance Auditor

Compliance Auditor Career Paths

Average Salary for a Compliance Auditor

Compliance Auditors in America make an average salary of $64,606 per year or $31 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $92,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $45,000 per year.
Average Compliance Auditor Salary
$64,606 Yearly
$31.06 hourly

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Roles and Types of Compliance Auditor

The role of a compliance auditor includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general compliance auditor responsibilities:

  • Assure that r&d; remains in compliance with corporate
  • Demonstrates competence in the areas of critical thinking, interpersonal relationships,
  • Assisting in the execution and documentation of audit procedures analyzing data obtained for evidence of deficiencies in controls, fraud, or lack of compliance with laws, government regulations,

There are several types of compliance auditor, including:

Auditor

Role:

Auditors are high-level accountants who investigate accounting processes and cash-flow records of firms, corporations, or other organizations to make sure the books are not cooked and everything corresponds to regulations and legal standards.

An auditor does not necessarily work for the IRS. They might be internal auditors of a company or experts conducting external audits, employed by public or private accounting firms.

As auditors are usually associated with revealing fraud, they might trigger people's guilt complex, which can make it a bit hard for them to make new friends. Contrary to popular belief, though, auditors are much less the lone wolves we make them out to be. They work in teams and meet a lot of interesting people through their work, such as leaders of different industries. Sometimes, they even crack a joke. They are just accountants who control other accountants, really.

Auditing is a stable career option with the possibility to earn above average income. So what if people think you are boring?
  • Average Salary: $54,853
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Internal Auditor

Role:

The main goal of the internal auditing department of any organization is to gather information that can be analyzed and converted into valuable insights to determine how the company can be run more efficiently. There are four common techniques that are used in the practice of internal auditing to achieve this end. They include observing the target business environment; inspecting the specific risk management, financial reporting, and productivity strategies that are currently in place; inquiring or asking questions of management personnel related to the effectiveness of the current internal controls; and confirming whether the goals and objectives of the business are being met.

If you are interested in working in the area of internal auditing, while in college you might want to choose the electives, federal and state corporate income tax, accounting principals and financial management, and auditing. You will need at least a bachelor's degree in accounting or business administration.

An internal auditor makes an average of $63,273 a year, which translates to $30.42 an hour. Acording to the United States Bureau of Labour Statistics, the career is expected to grow by 6% between the years 2018 and 2028, producing 90,700 new jobs.

  • Average Salary: $63,013
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Compliance Analyst

Role:

Compliance analysts are also known as compliance managers. As a compliance analyst, you are to ensure that the operations and procedures of an organization meet the compliance standard of industry and government. Also, you are to research industry compliance regulations and policies. The evaluation of internal operational and procedural compliance is also part of your responsibilities.

In addition, you must be able to communicate compliance guidelines and policies to designated departments and management. The development and execution of new compliance procedures and policies as required is also something you are expected to do. Furthermore, you are expected to train employees on industry compliance requirements.

Usually, compliance analysts study finance, accounting, or business. To be a compliance analyst, you must hold a bachelor's degree or a master's degree in any of these relevant fields. You will make an average salary of $62,437 per year.

  • Average Salary: $59,108
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

States With The Most Compliance Auditor Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active compliance auditor jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where compliance auditors earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Compliance Auditor Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1California1,901$72,206
2Texas979$58,965
3Florida893$52,413
4New York719$79,367
5Illinois652$71,861
6Pennsylvania518$55,414
7Massachusetts486$59,695
8North Carolina464$60,706
9Georgia460$60,391
10Virginia438$59,442
11Arizona356$53,052
12Ohio352$51,414
13New Jersey337$88,232
14Washington321$69,027
15Minnesota305$71,913
16Colorado305$58,305
17Michigan275$62,585
18Missouri240$57,947
19Maryland223$63,253
20Wisconsin218$66,913
21Indiana210$57,668
22Tennessee191$48,277
23Oregon182$62,500
24Connecticut178$72,460
25Utah177$57,615
26South Carolina145$55,848
27Iowa142$56,920
28Louisiana110$56,305
29Kentucky109$56,610
30Alabama106$62,461
31Nebraska91$59,910
32Nevada89$55,572
33Kansas89$52,036
34Arkansas81$55,609
35Oklahoma76$58,241
36Delaware63$70,871
37Montana55$53,620
38Maine48$50,732
39Rhode Island44$73,901
40Idaho43$54,652
41New Hampshire41$68,815
42New Mexico35$50,214
43North Dakota31$54,676
44Mississippi29$57,181
45South Dakota28$65,139
46Alaska28$66,302
47Wyoming25$47,403
48Vermont24$63,432
49West Virginia23$64,433
50Hawaii22$52,004

Compliance Auditor Education

Compliance Auditor Majors

29.6 %
7.9 %

Compliance Auditor Degrees

Bachelors

62.9 %

Associate

14.7 %

Masters

12.0 %

Top Colleges for Compliance Auditors

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Biology
Finance
Business
Nursing
Economics

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-State Tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Biology
Business
Economics
Law
Communication

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Communication
Biology
Accounting
Health Care Administration

4. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Biology
Economics
Accounting
Psychology
Nursing

5. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Nursing
Business
Finance
Biology
Communication

6. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Biology
Psychology
Criminal Justice
Communication

7. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$49,880

Enrollment

4,177

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Accounting
Finance
Business
Computer Information Systems
Communication

8. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,306

Enrollment

9,394

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Liberal Arts
Criminal Justice
Biology
Nursing

9. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Biology
Communication
Economics
Psychology

10. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Biology
Nursing
Business
Psychology
Economics

Top Skills For a Compliance Auditor

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 6.9% of compliance auditors listed audit findings on their resume, but soft skills such as analytical skills and communication skills are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Compliance Auditor Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Compliance Auditor templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Compliance Auditor resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

Compliance Auditor Resume
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Compliance Auditor Demographics

Compliance Auditor Gender Distribution

Female
Female
61%
Male
Male
39%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among compliance auditors, 61.1% of them are women, while 38.9% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among compliance auditors is White, which makes up 64.1% of all compliance auditors.

  • The most common foreign language among compliance auditors is Spanish at 56.2%.

Online Courses For Compliance Auditor That You May Like

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1. Regulatory Compliance

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Every organization faces a myriad of risks that can threaten its operations, reputation, and bottom line. A robust, effective compliance program can make the difference between companies that successfully navigate those risks, and those that become cautionary tales.\n\nThis specialization will introduce the essential elements of effective organizational compliance by exploring the concepts, considerations, and strategies for assessing risks and managing the compliance function. You will learn...

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2. What is Compliance?

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Compliance isn’t only about preventing problems and ensuring that everyone is abiding by laws, rules, and regulations. It’s also about the positive impact a robust and ethical compliance program can have on a business or organization. In this course we will discuss why compliance is important – from the needs facing businesses in highly regulated industries to avoiding fines and penalties to preventing reputational and economic nightmares. We’ll examine real-world examples of compliance and...

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3. Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) Part 1 - Full Study Course

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4.6
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Full study course and instructor support for the Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) Part 1...

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Best States For a Compliance Auditor

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a compliance auditor. The best states for people in this position are New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. Compliance auditors make the most in New Jersey with an average salary of $88,232. Whereas in New York and Rhode Island, they would average $79,367 and $73,901, respectively. While compliance auditors would only make an average of $72,460 in Connecticut, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. New York

Total Compliance Auditor Jobs: 719
Highest 10% Earn:
$112,000
Location Quotient:
1.22

2. District of Columbia

Total Compliance Auditor Jobs: 200
Highest 10% Earn:
$119,000
Location Quotient:
2.59

3. New Jersey

Total Compliance Auditor Jobs: 337
Highest 10% Earn:
$125,000
Location Quotient:
0.92
Full List Of Best States For Compliance Auditors

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Top Compliance Auditor Employers

We've made finding a great employer to work for easy by doing the hard work for you. We looked into employers that employ compliance auditors and discovered their number of compliance auditor opportunities and average salary. Through our research, we concluded that Kaiser Permanente was the best, especially with an average salary of $68,848. Wells Fargo follows up with an average salary of $80,498, and then comes Bank of America with an average of $81,523. In addition, we know most people would rather work from home. So instead of having to change careers, we identified the best employers for remote work as a compliance auditor. The employers include Stanford Health Care, Sutter Health, and WellSpan Health

Most Common Employers For Compliance Auditor

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Abbott$94,972$45.6618
2JPMorgan Chase & Co.$92,831$44.6318
3Pfizer$91,397$43.9410
4Merck$87,952$42.289
5U.S. Bank$82,577$39.7014
6IBM$82,033$39.4411
7Bank of America$81,523$39.1934
8Wells Fargo$80,498$38.7036
9TEKsystems$79,205$38.089
10Schultheis & Panettieri$73,268$35.2313