Accounting - Auditing Careers

The terms accounting career and auditing career are often used in loose reference to each other, as if they're one in the same. Although very similar, and both rooted in financial record keeping, an accountant and auditor approach their jobs from two separate angles. For an accountant, the primary concern is with the day-to-day bookkeeping, invoicing, billing and tracking of all financial transactions that a company makes. The job of someone with an auditing career is to examine a company's financial statements and records for discrepancies. An auditing career also involves analyzing the transaction records prepared by accountants to make sure the information is accurate and meets federal law. Most auditors do have an educational background in accounting. For the most part, an accounting and auditing career have more in common than they do in contrast to one other. But if you're interested in either accounting or auditing careers, you might want to know how they vary according to salary as well as job description. PayScale's accounting and auditing salary data can help clarify the income differences between these two fields. For example, when comparing Auditing Career Salaries by Experience, to Accounting Career Salaries by Experience, it's clear that auditing careers generally command a higher income; the chart on auditing career salaries outweighs the report on accounting careers within all experience levels.

Auditing Career - Salary Data

When you think about an auditing career, what's the first place that pops into your head? If you're like many U.S. citizens, you might associate the word audit with the IRS, something most of us usually try to avoid. But, if you're looking into an auditing career, the IRS is just one small example of many job opportunities. The majority of auditing career options are actually within private companies. However, if you take a look at Auditing Career Salaries by Employer Type, you'll notice that the highest auditing career salaries go to government employees. If a government job doesn't fit to your liking, don't worry, there are plenty of opportunities for a well-paying auditing career within most U.S. cities.

Auditing Career by City

An auditing career doesn't need to be confined to any one location. As the Auditor Salary by City chart demonstrates, the salaries for an auditing career are comparable among different geographic locations. However, there are a couple of cities which could improve your auditing career earnings. Auditing career salaries rank the highest in New York and Chicago, with auditors in New York making about $2,000 more than those in Chicago. Median auditing career salaries drop to around $54,000 for those working in Los Angeles, Washington D.C. or Boston. But before you hop on a plane to advance your auditing career, be sure to compare the cost of living in multiple cities. An auditing career in New York might pay the most, but New York also has a very high cost of living. There may be advantages to pursuing an auditing career in an area with a lower cost of living. If you're wondering how to make the most of your auditing career and maximize your salary, PayScale's Cost of Living Calculator can help you decide if relocating is the best move.