How much do audit managers make in 2026?
Audit managers are counted in the BLS accountants and auditors series, and the caveat is the same one that applies across this occupation: SOC 13-2011 pools 1,449,500 people from first-year staff to managers into a single wage row, so its national median of $83,680 a year ($40.23 an hour) describes a mid-career auditor rather than a manager. The relevant anchors here are the 75th percentile at $109,810 and the 90th at $144,090 (OEWS May 2025). Two quite different roles carry this title. In public accounting, an audit manager runs engagements — planning, risk assessment, review of fieldwork, technical resolution, client relationships, budgets and realisation, and staff development — with progression toward senior manager and partner, and with busy season demands that define the year. In industry, an internal audit manager owns part of the audit plan, manages auditors, presents to management and often to an audit committee, and works to a steadier calendar for generally lower pay. Sector matters within both, with financial services above general industry. Employment is projected to grow 4.6% through 2034 with roughly 124,200 openings a year. → Full audit manager career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $83,680 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Audit Managers earn a national median $83,680/yr ($40.23/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 13-2011); the P10 to P90 range is $56,020 to $144,090.
- SOC 13-2011 pools 1,449,500 accountants and auditors from staff to manager, so its $83,680 median is not a manager figure — the $109,810 P75 and $144,090 P90 are the useful anchors.
- Two different roles share this title: public accounting audit managers run client engagements with busy season demands and a partner track, while internal audit managers own part of an audit plan on a steadier calendar for generally lower pay.
- Sector matters within both, with financial services paying above general industry for equivalent audit management experience.
US Audit Manager Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do audit managers earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 13-2011; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 13-2011, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does an audit manager earn at each career stage?
Audit management pay follows setting, sector and portfolio complexity. The BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 13-2011 spans staff to manager, so the tiers below sit at its upper percentiles.
By State
Which states pay audit managers the most in 2026?
State figures are modeled estimates — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers salary-calculator state wage index — not BLS state observations, and because they index off a pooled median including staff auditors they sit below manager pay. Read them as relative geography only.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($96,230), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay audit managers the most?
Metro figures are modeled — national median times state wage index times published metro index — not BLS MSA observations, and they carry the same pooled-median floor. Firm office scales and financial-centre concentration are the real drivers behind metro differences here.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise an audit manager’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does audit manager pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Audit Managers sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify audit manager wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does an audit manager actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Audit Manager Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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