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Internal audit director salary
Average internal audit director salary
$129,717
Understanding Internal Audit Director Salaries
As of October 2025, the average Internal Audit Director salary is $129,717 per year. This figure varies based on factors such as geographic location, years of experience, and the specific industry sector. For example, directors in finance tend to command higher salaries due to the complexity and regulatory requirements of financial audits.
Salary Variation by Experience
Entry-level positions can expect salaries around $100,000, while seasoned professionals with over ten years of experience may earn significantly more—up to $150,000 or higher. This reflects the increasing responsibility and expertise required at advanced levels.
Top Paying States
States such as California, New York, and Texas are among the highest-paying regions for Internal Audit Directors. For example, directors in California report average salaries exceeding $140,000, influenced by the concentration of major corporations and financial institutions.
Job Outlook
With growing emphasis on compliance and risk management, the demand for Internal Audit Directors is expected to rise. Organizations seeking to mitigate risks and ensure operational efficiency are increasingly investing in skilled audit professionals, creating numerous opportunities in this essential field.
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Where can an Internal Audit Director earn more?
Internal audit director salaries by experience level
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level internal audit director | $85,700 | $41.21 |
| Mid-level internal audit director | $123,000 | $59.36 |
| Senior-level internal audit director | $209,000 | $100.41 |
Internal audit director salary estimates from across the web
Average internal audit director salary by state
The highest-paying states for internal audit directors are New York, California, and Washington. The lowest average internal audit director salary states are Iowa, South Dakota, and Kentucky.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for internal audit directors
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $155,348 | $74.69 |
| 2 | California | $154,160 | $74.12 |
| 3 | Washington | $150,530 | $72.37 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $142,723 | $68.62 |
| 5 | Mississippi | $121,324 | $58.33 |
| 6 | Vermont | $130,136 | $62.57 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $136,178 | $65.47 |
| 8 | District of Columbia | $145,017 | $69.72 |
| 9 | Rhode Island | $127,144 | $61.13 |
| 10 | Oregon | $133,036 | $63.96 |
| 11 | Michigan | $135,165 | $64.98 |
| 12 | Virginia | $134,388 | $64.61 |
| 13 | Delaware | $133,210 | $64.04 |
| 14 | Nebraska | $122,978 | $59.12 |
| 15 | West Virginia | $112,597 | $54.13 |
| 16 | Oklahoma | $116,037 | $55.79 |
| 17 | Idaho | $126,767 | $60.95 |
| 18 | New Hampshire | $123,313 | $59.29 |
| 19 | Maine | $122,079 | $58.69 |
| 20 | Colorado | $120,523 | $57.94 |
| 21 | Minnesota | $121,446 | $58.39 |
| 22 | Arizona | $114,245 | $54.93 |
| 23 | Pennsylvania | $117,732 | $56.60 |
| 24 | Wisconsin | $111,378 | $53.55 |
| 25 | Georgia | $121,347 | $58.34 |
| 26 | Connecticut | $115,019 | $55.30 |
| 27 | North Carolina | $112,350 | $54.01 |
| 28 | Illinois | $113,096 | $54.37 |
| 29 | Texas | $113,743 | $54.68 |
| 30 | Missouri | $116,854 | $56.18 |
| 31 | South Carolina | $104,167 | $50.08 |
| 32 | Arkansas | $108,261 | $52.05 |
| 33 | Indiana | $111,789 | $53.74 |
| 34 | Alabama | $99,967 | $48.06 |
| 35 | Montana | $105,863 | $50.90 |
| 36 | South Dakota | $97,108 | $46.69 |
| 37 | North Dakota | $103,899 | $49.95 |
| 38 | Maryland | $119,639 | $57.52 |
| 39 | Louisiana | $100,192 | $48.17 |
| 40 | Ohio | $106,036 | $50.98 |
| 41 | Hawaii | $78,293 | $37.64 |
| 42 | Nevada | $102,299 | $49.18 |
| 43 | Alaska | $109,326 | $52.56 |
| 44 | Tennessee | $99,700 | $47.93 |
| 45 | Iowa | $97,845 | $47.04 |
| 46 | Utah | $100,546 | $48.34 |
| 47 | Kansas | $101,558 | $48.83 |
| 48 | Florida | $95,064 | $45.70 |
| 49 | New Mexico | $101,059 | $48.59 |
| 50 | Wyoming | $96,497 | $46.39 |
| 51 | Kentucky | $96,659 | $46.47 |
Highest paying cities for internal audit directors
The highest-paying cities for internal audit directors are Albany, NY, San Francisco, CA, and Seattle, WA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Albany, NY | $164,677 | $79.17 |
| 2 | San Francisco, CA | $163,585 | $78.65 |
| 3 | Seattle, WA | $154,320 | $74.19 |
| 4 | Washington, DC | $148,260 | $71.28 |
| 5 | Jersey City, NJ | $145,605 | $70.00 |
| 6 | Cambridge, MA | $138,074 | $66.38 |
| 7 | Arlington, VA | $137,870 | $66.28 |
| 8 | Taylor, MI | $137,707 | $66.21 |
| 9 | Atlanta, GA | $122,106 | $58.70 |
| 10 | Denver, CO | $121,190 | $58.26 |
| 11 | Peoria, AZ | $115,678 | $55.61 |
| 12 | Plano, TX | $115,303 | $55.43 |
| 13 | Chicago, IL | $114,387 | $54.99 |
| 14 | Stamford, CT | $114,365 | $54.98 |
| 15 | Raleigh, NC | $113,660 | $54.64 |
| 16 | Columbus, OH | $105,858 | $50.89 |
| 17 | Reno, NV | $104,830 | $50.40 |
| 18 | Salt Lake City, UT | $100,305 | $48.22 |
| 19 | Tallahassee, FL | $99,093 | $47.64 |
Internal audit director salary details
An internal audit director's salary ranges from $83,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $200,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is an internal audit director's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $200,000 | $16,667 | $96 |
| 75th Percentile | $163,000 | $13,583 | $78 |
| Average | $129,717 | $10,810 | $62 |
| 25th Percentile | $103,000 | $8,583 | $50 |
| 10th Percentile | $83,000 | $6,917 | $40 |
Highest paying internal audit director jobs
The highest paying types of internal audit directors are audit manager, director, and internal audit manager.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auditor Supervisor | $83,876 | $6,990 | $40.33 | 25,114 |
| Audit Internship | $48,313 | $4,026 | $23.23 | 59,053 |
| Auditor/Quality | $35,312 | $2,943 | $16.98 | 77,040 |
| Audit Manager | $121,419 | $10,118 | $58.37 | 70,168 |
| Quality Assurance Auditor | $77,535 | $6,461 | $37.28 | 79,931 |
| Auditor | $54,853 | $4,571 | $26.37 | 20,325 |
Top companies hiring internal audit directors now:
Which companies pay internal audit directors the most?
Internal audit director salaries at Citi and Meta are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average internal audit director salary at companies like Pure Storage and Victory Capital are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Citi | $193,067 | $92.82 |
| 2 | Meta | $186,237 | $89.54 |
| 3 | Pure Storage | $184,104 | $88.51 |
| 4 | Victory Capital | $177,915 | $85.54 |
| 5 | Revlon | $177,549 | $85.36 |
| 6 | Walmart | $176,453 | $84.83 |
| 7 | JPMorgan Chase & Co. | $175,842 | $84.54 |
| 8 | Cambridge Associates | $173,303 | $83.32 |
| 9 | BNY Mellon | $172,147 | $82.76 |
| 10 | Evercore | $170,939 | $82.18 |
| 11 | Barclays | $164,915 | $79.29 |
| 12 | Children's Minnesota | $164,005 | $78.85 |
| 13 | First Republic Bank | $163,495 | $78.60 |
| 14 | Starbucks | $157,695 | $75.81 |
| 15 | Morgan Stanley | $156,257 | $75.12 |
| 16 | CPI Card Group | $156,008 | $75.00 |
| 17 | Carle Foundation | $155,534 | $74.78 |
| 18 | Silicon Valley Bank | $154,038 | $74.06 |
| 19 | James River Ins | $154,025 | $74.05 |
| 20 | Intuit | $150,743 | $72.47 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Internal Audit Director salary by industry
The average internal audit director salary varies across industries:
- The average internal audit director salary in the retail industry is $132,801, the highest of any industry.
- The average internal audit director salary in the finance industry is $122,292.
- Internal audit directors in the hospitality industry earn an average salary of $104,847, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for internal audit directors
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Retail | $132,801 | $63.85 |
| 2 | Health Care | $122,292 | $58.79 |
| 3 | Technology | $122,080 | $58.69 |
| 4 | Finance | $119,330 | $57.37 |
| 5 | Manufacturing | $110,328 | $53.04 |
| 6 | Hospitality | $104,847 | $50.41 |
High paying internal audit director jobs
Internal audit director salary trends
The average internal audit director salary has risen by $18,886 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average internal audit director earned $110,831 annually, but today, they earn $129,717 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for internal audit directors over the last decade.
Compare internal audit director salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average internal audit director salary over time
Compare internal audit director salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Internal audit director salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $130,000 | $62.36 | +2.7% |
| 2024 | $126,000 | $60.66 | +1.5% |
| 2023 | $124,000 | $59.77 | +1.6% |
| 2022 | $122,000 | $58.79 | +1.7% |
| 2021 | $120,000 | $57.78 | +1.4% |
Recently added internal audit director salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mdlz | Director Internal Audit and Controls | East Hanover, NJ | 06/30/2025 | $141,000 |
| Aaamidatlantic | Director, Internal Audit | Wilmington, DE | 06/30/2025 | $141,769 |
| CNM LLP | Director-Internal Audit | Los Angeles, CA | 06/29/2025 | $170,000 |
| Gilead Sciences, Inc. | Director, GCP Audits | Foster City, CA | 06/28/2025 | $210,375 |
| Gilead Sciences, Inc. | Director, GCP Audits | Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ | 06/28/2025 | $210,375 |
| Jpmorgan Chase & Co | Internal Audit Executive Director-Commercial & Investment Banking Technology | Plano, TX | 06/28/2025 | $183,350 |
| State of New York | Director Internal Audit | Albany, NY | 06/28/2025 | $115,283 |
| State of Virginia | Director of Internal Audit | Blacksburg, VA | 06/28/2025 | $140,000 |
| KCU | Director Internal Audit | Bremerton, WA | 06/28/2025 | $110,582 |
| Armanino | Audit Director | New York, NY | 06/27/2025 | $165,000 |
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