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The differences between compliance officers and compliance auditors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a compliance auditor has an average salary of $64,606, which is higher than the $64,058 average annual salary of a compliance officer.
The top three skills for a compliance officer include oversight, risk management and compliance program. The most important skills for a compliance auditor are audit findings, compliance audits, and audit reports.
| Compliance Officer | Compliance Auditor | |
| Yearly salary | $64,058 | $64,606 |
| Hourly rate | $30.80 | $31.06 |
| Growth rate | - | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 69,161 | 33,704 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 46 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A compliance officer is responsible for monitoring company operations, ensuring that all the processes and members are adhering to the regulatory and procedural policies set by the company. Compliance officers' duties also include proposing compliance programs, reviewing and updating existing company policies with management approval, taking immediate actions for policy violations, and mitigating risks. A compliance officer must have extensive knowledge of legal procedures and regulatory standards to manage and evaluate problems, providing meaningful solutions, and keep the company's positive reputation.
A compliance auditor is responsible for reviewing the company's policies and procedures, ensuring the organization's adherence to state and federal regulations. Compliance auditors inspect the operations of each department, adjusting internal guidelines as needed. They also inspect the condition of all facilities, including tools and equipment, network systems, and business operations. A compliance auditor mitigates risks by analyzing the operational processes and conducting a risk assessment study to prevent compliance issues that may pose a negative effect on the company's performance and stability.
Compliance officers and compliance auditors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Compliance Officer | Compliance Auditor | |
| Average salary | $64,058 | $64,606 |
| Salary range | Between $42,000 And $96,000 | Between $45,000 And $92,000 |
| Highest paying City | Wilmington, DE | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Delaware | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Meta | PayPal |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a compliance officer and a compliance auditor in terms of educational background:
| Compliance Officer | Compliance Auditor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Harvard University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between compliance officers' and compliance auditors' demographics:
| Compliance Officer | Compliance Auditor | |
| Average age | 46 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 48.8% Female, 51.2% | Male, 38.9% Female, 61.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 8.3% White, 59.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 12.2% White, 64.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 7% |