Salary guide, May 2025

Quality Auditor / Lead Auditor pay, United States

Manufacturing Headhunters uses the published BLS OEWS figures below. They describe the mapped occupation and area, not an individual offer.

This is what we do all day: recruit manufacturing professionals.

The median annual wage for Compliance Officers in the United States was $80,730 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of workers earned between $61,280 and $109,010.

Broader occupation · SOC 13-1041 Compliance Officers

BLS measures this broader occupation across industries. It does not publish a separate wage for this manufacturing title.

Compliance Officers in U.S.: median $80,730; published 25th to 75th percentile $61,280 to $109,010.

Annual wage percentiles, U.S.
10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
$48,220	$61,280	$80,730	$109,010	$133,720

Compliance Officers in U.S.: median $38.81; published 25th to 75th percentile $29.46 to $52.41.

Hourly wage percentiles, U.S.
10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
$23.18	$29.46	$38.81	$52.41	$64.29

BLS estimated 417,070 workers employed in this occupation in the United States.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 13-1041 Compliance Officers, U.S.. Official occupation data · Official area tables. Released 2026-05-15.

How does pay compare in the target metros?

Quality Auditor / Lead Auditor pay in target metros (May 2025)
Metro	Median	25th to 75th	Employment	Location quotient
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	$79,770	$59,630 to $107,640	10,530	1.39
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL	$75,920	$54,470 to $101,640	4,110	1.06
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL	$70,930	$52,000 to $99,890	3,680	0.97
Raleigh-Cary, NC	$79,570	$62,980 to $105,250	2,200	1.1
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	$101,050	$75,660 to $128,790	23,380	0.92
Northern New Jersey within New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	$101,050	$75,660 to $128,790	23,380	0.92
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	$77,760	$57,320 to $105,570	12,530	1.15
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	$82,020	$65,130 to $108,970	8,320	0.69

Rank every metro for Quality Auditor / Lead Auditor

What should you know about pay by manufacturing industry, United States?

Same BLS occupation, national estimates for each manufacturing industry (NAICS) BLS publishes, May 2025. Industry names are BLS labels. Nested NAICS rows overlap; they are not independent samples and must not be added together. Identical source rows repeated at different publication levels appear once.

Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing (NAICS 334000)$103,260
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing (NAICS 324000)$101,650
Transportation Equipment Manufacturing (NAICS 336000)$97,940
Miscellaneous Manufacturing (NAICS 339000)$96,850
Textile Mills (NAICS 313000)$92,880
Chemical Manufacturing (NAICS 325000)$91,390
Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing (NAICS 326000)$88,100
Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing (NAICS 335000)$84,160
Machinery Manufacturing (NAICS 333000)$83,880
Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing (NAICS 327000)$81,860
Wood Product Manufacturing (NAICS 321000)$80,110
Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing (NAICS 312000)$77,600
Apparel Manufacturing (NAICS 315000)$77,340
Food Manufacturing (NAICS 311000)$76,430
Paper Manufacturing (NAICS 322000)$75,340

Bars compare up to 15 non-overlapping 3-digit manufacturing subsectors with exact annual medians. More detailed scopes remain in the table, identified by code and publication level.

Quality Auditor / Lead Auditor (SOC 13-1041) by manufacturing industry, national, May 2025
NAICS / scope	Industry	Employment	25th	Median	75th
31-33 · sector	Manufacturing	19,770	$68,760	$89,290	$117,560
325000 · 3-digit	Chemical Manufacturing	6,790	$70,180	$91,390	$121,460
325400 · 4-digit	Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing	5,380	$73,470	$96,520	$124,490
339000 · 3-digit	Miscellaneous Manufacturing	2,530	$74,720	$96,850	$123,710
334000 · 3-digit	Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing	2,510	$83,410	$103,260	$128,860
339100 · 4-digit	Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing	2,170	$78,800	$99,910	$128,530
336000 · 3-digit	Transportation Equipment Manufacturing	1,850	$80,100	$97,940	$127,430
311000 · 3-digit	Food Manufacturing	1,780	$59,640	$76,430	$93,660
334500 · 4-digit	Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing	1,520	$85,580	$105,890	$130,470
333000 · 3-digit	Machinery Manufacturing	1,180	$69,200	$83,880	$109,240
332000 · 3-digit	Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing	950	$56,150	$70,770	$98,280
3250A1 · 4-digit	Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only)	900	$64,860	$84,250	$109,200
336400 · 4-digit	Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing	820	$97,230	$123,240	$145,780
3330A1 · 4-digit	Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only)	660	$63,560	$84,480	$108,900
334400 · 4-digit	Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing	570	$79,650	$103,260	$126,620
3250A2 · 4-digit	Chemical Manufacturing (3255 and 3256 only)	510	$63,100	$76,020	$96,130
311900 · 4-digit	Other Food Manufacturing	490	$59,650	$77,150	$94,470
3320A1 · 4-digit	Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only)	410	$58,230	$77,320	$106,620
326000 · 3-digit	Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing	400	$66,140	$88,100	$106,220
312000 · 3-digit	Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing	390	$63,480	$77,600	$95,700
336100 · 4-digit	Motor Vehicle Manufacturing	360	$65,810	$83,410	$105,200
339900 · 4-digit	Other Miscellaneous Manufacturing	360	$53,500	$64,930	$85,500
336600 · 4-digit	Ship and Boat Building	350	$83,700	$83,700	$101,140
312100 · 4-digit	Beverage Manufacturing	330	$63,090	$76,030	$91,200
326100 · 4-digit	Plastics Product Manufacturing	330	$64,080	$88,630	$107,510
335000 · 3-digit	Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing	330	$69,090	$84,160	$111,630
311500 · 4-digit	Dairy Product Manufacturing	280	$67,620	$81,640	$97,960
311600 · 4-digit	Animal Slaughtering and Processing	280	$49,040	$67,960	$85,340
333300 · 4-digit	Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing	230	$60,900	$86,030	$104,770
333600 · 4-digit	Engine, Turbine, and Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing	220	$78,770	$80,890	$97,360
324000 · 3-digit	Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing	210	$84,720	$101,650	$122,560
324100 · 4-digit	Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing	210	$84,720	$101,650	$122,560
334200 · 4-digit	Communications Equipment Manufacturing	210	$83,040	$101,890	$130,230
332700 · 4-digit	Machine Shops; Turned Product; and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing	200	$57,140	$68,640	$94,850
334100 · 4-digit	Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing	190	$70,470	$97,670	$123,020
311100 · 4-digit	Animal Food Manufacturing	180	$60,870	$75,660	$87,350
331000 · 3-digit	Primary Metal Manufacturing	180	$54,710	$64,710	$91,610
3320A2 · 4-digit	Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only)	180	$57,020	$66,190	$86,230
311400 · 4-digit	Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing	170	$59,920	$70,270	$89,980
311800 · 4-digit	Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing	170	$58,230	$70,530	$85,430
335900 · 4-digit	Other Electrical Equipment and Component Manufacturing	170	$62,540	$81,860	$117,750
336300 · 4-digit	Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing	170	$70,320	$92,860	$109,950
323000 · 3-digit	Printing and Related Support Activities	150	$47,370	$63,590	$82,920
323100 · 4-digit	Printing and Related Support Activities	150	$47,370	$63,590	$82,920
332710 · 5-digit	Machine Shops	150	$51,100	$60,170	$75,190
332800 · 4-digit	Coating, Engraving, Heat Treating, and Allied Activities	150	$51,750	$60,290	$93,280
322000 · 3-digit	Paper Manufacturing	130	$58,590	$75,340	$106,810
337000 · 3-digit	Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing	110	$53,320	$71,940	$91,990
3370A1 · 4-digit	Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing (3371 and 3372 only)	110	$53,230	$71,940	$91,500
311300 · 4-digit	Sugar and Confectionery Product Manufacturing	100	$61,750	$79,430	$104,830
322200 · 4-digit	Converted Paper Product Manufacturing	100	$58,510	$74,560	$95,910
327000 · 3-digit	Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing	100	$67,880	$81,860	$98,790
335300 · 4-digit	Electrical Equipment Manufacturing	100	$78,370	$88,250	$94,170
311200 · 4-digit	Grain and Oilseed Milling	90	$61,310	$75,770	$85,530
315000 · 3-digit	Apparel Manufacturing	90	$56,880	$77,340	$99,090
315200 · 4-digit	Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing	80	$56,880	$73,770	$95,430
336200 · 4-digit	Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer Manufacturing	80	$55,650	$64,740	$80,740
321000 · 3-digit	Wood Product Manufacturing	70	$72,080	$80,110	$86,120
333500 · 4-digit	Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing	70	$83,290	$115,780	$120,000
326200 · 4-digit	Rubber Product Manufacturing	60	$76,300	$83,790	$97,180
331400 · 4-digit	Nonferrous Metal (except Aluminum) Production and Processing	60	$53,330	$68,010	$119,420
312200 · 4-digit	Tobacco Manufacturing	50	$71,170	$96,890	$126,950
331500 · 4-digit	Foundries	50	$52,910	$61,800	$82,570
332720 · 5-digit	Turned Product and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing	50	$75,290	$100,000	$135,200
335200 · 4-digit	Household Appliance Manufacturing	40	$73,140	$93,460	$134,850
336500 · 4-digit	Railroad Rolling Stock Manufacturing	40	$58,800	$61,910	$81,890
313000 · 3-digit	Textile Mills	30	$70,940	$92,880	$126,150
321900 · 4-digit	Other Wood Product Manufacturing	30	$75,020	$82,120	$99,610
331100 · 4-digit	Iron and Steel Mills and Ferroalloy Manufacturing	30	$56,920	$60,630	$112,760
336900 · 4-digit	Other Transportation Equipment Manufacturing	30	$69,810	$103,830	$111,940
331300 · 4-digit	Alumina and Aluminum Production and Processing	Not published by BLS	$52,930	$58,660	$84,250

What should you know about manufacturing pay mix?

For Quality Auditor / Lead Auditor, clarify the base pay before discussing call-outs, travel or extra shifts. OEWS measures straight-time gross wages, not pure base salary or total compensation. It includes base rate, guaranteed pay, commissions and production bonuses. It excludes overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and benefits.

An attendance bonus is not a production bonus; confirm its purpose and treatment rather than adding every bonus to the BLS figure. Skills-based pay steps affect the base rate when they are part of straight-time pay; BLS does not publish a separate rate for each plant's skill grade. Ask whether a tool allowance is expense reimbursement or wage pay. OEWS does not publish a separate tool-allowance component. Keep these items separate in the offer so the published wage is not mistaken for the whole package.

Pay mix here means how published medians for this one BLS occupation differ across manufacturing industries and against the all-industry median. It does not split pay into base, incentive or overtime. BLS wages are straight-time gross pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials and nonproduction bonuses.

What should you know about two BLS releases?

Quality Auditor / Lead Auditor in the United States, annual wages, May 2024 and May 2025
Release period	25th	Median	75th
May 2024	$59,130	$78,420	$104,800
May 2025	$61,280	$80,730	$109,010

These are two separate BLS estimates from different survey panels. The workers and employers behind them differ, so the gap is not like-for-like pay for the same workers and is not a growth rate. We show no percentage change.

Recruiter's read. Qualitative, not BLS data.

What should you know about the actual remit?

Write down who is accountable for audit planning and evidence-based findings against an applicable standard today. If responsibility for audit planning and evidence-based findings against an applicable standard is divided between several people, tell us where this hire's work begins and ends.

That explanation helps separate their capability from a team's success at audit planning and evidence-based findings against an applicable standard.

What should you know about questions?

Wages for the OEWS survey are straight-time, gross pay, exclusive of premium pay. Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.

What is the median pay for a Quality Auditor / Lead Auditor?

The median annual wage for Compliance Officers in the United States was $80,730 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of workers earned between $61,280 and $109,010. This is the broader occupation BLS publishes, not a figure for this exact title.

What does the 10th percentile mean here?

10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than $48,220. 90% earned less than $133,720.

Does this include overtime or bonuses?

Is this the pay for a Quality Auditor / Lead Auditor at a plant?

BLS measures this broader occupation across industries. It does not publish a separate wage for this manufacturing title. These are occupation estimates across all industries, not an offer for a particular manufacturing title.

How many people work in this occupation?

BLS estimated 417,070 workers employed in this occupation in the United States.

What should you know about related?

VP of Quality / Chief Quality Officer pay Director of Quality pay Quality Manager pay QC Manager pay Quality Engineer pay Quality Auditor / Lead Auditor pay ranked across all metros Open jobs Quality Auditor / Lead Auditor recruiting Check an offer for this role

Underlying BLS figures for this role (JSON)

Reading this wage estimate

What does this data mean for your opening?

The Quality Auditor or Lead Auditor role is centered on audit independence and findings supported by objective evidence, rather than direct responsibility for fixing audited work. Manufacturing Headhunters maps this role under the Compliance Officers occupation. Because the BLS does not maintain a specific salary row for this audit-focused manufacturing title, the provided metrics reflect the broader occupational group.

Managers should verify that the scope of their auditing roles aligns with the general SOC definition before relying on these figures.

For Quality Auditor / Lead Auditor in the United States, releases are separate survey estimates. The May 2025 median is $80,730; the May 2024 median is $78,420. Their arithmetic difference is $2,310. They are not the same workers' raises and do not establish a pay trend or its cause. The middle-band width is $47,730. For Quality Auditor / Lead Auditor in the United States, OEWS measures straight-time gross wages, not pure base salary or total compensation. Commissions and production bonuses are included; overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and benefits are excluded. Industry-specific wages show that Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing has a median of $123,240, Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing is at $115,780, and Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing is at $105,890.

For regional benchmarking, the New York-Newark-Jersey City area reports a median of $101,050 and a middle-band width of $53,130. The location quotient for the New York area is 0.92, while the Los Angeles area has a quotient of 1.05. These figures demonstrate the broader occupational distribution across high-employment hubs, though they do not reflect the specific difficulty of hiring experienced quality auditors.

The data is constrained by the broad scope of the Compliance Officers classification, which includes many auditing functions outside of manufacturing. It is not possible to isolate the pay profile specifically for lead auditors in manufacturing from this dataset. We provide these figures exactly as listed in the source and do not calculate estimates. Use the provided metrics to gauge the broader market while recognizing that specific audit-system expertise and credentials often warrant pay adjustments not represented in this aggregate.

Which pay questions should you settle before hiring?

Is this data specific to manufacturing auditors?

No, the data is from the broader Compliance Officers category. It represents an aggregate of auditing functions across many sectors.

What is the significance of the $101,050 median in the New York area?

It is the reported median salary for the broader Compliance Officers occupation within that specific metro area. It serves as a benchmark for the regional labor pool.

Why does the Aerospace median differ from the national median?

Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing has a higher median wage for this occupation, reflecting industry-specific compensation standards within that sector.