Wisconsin · Finance Director Salary
Director of Finance Salary in Wisconsin
What finance directors earn in Wisconsin — an estimated median and range built on the verified BLS OEWS May 2025 wage for accountants and auditors in the state.
Estimate · verified BLS Wisconsin wage ($79,400) → director of finance role multiplier · updated June 2026
How much does a Director of Finance make in Wisconsin?
Verified: the BLS OEWS May 2025 Wisconsin wage for Accountants & Auditors (SOC 13-2011). The director of finance figure is a modeled Estimate layered on it — BLS publishes no role-specific wage.
Director of Finance · estimated median
$194,500
Modeled median for a director of finance in Wisconsin, scaled from the verified BLS state wage.
Model your payWisconsin · verified BLS median
$79,400
The measured OEWS May 2025 median for accountants & auditors in Wisconsin — the base every estimate here is built on.
All Wisconsin payState rank (verified)
#24 of 51
Where Wisconsin ranks on the BLS-measured median for accountants & auditors.
Compare statesVerified baseline
The BLS measurement behind this page
BLS OEWS May 2025 reports wages for the broad occupation "Accountants and Auditors" (SOC 13-2011) in Wisconsin — not for finance directors, and not for CPAs. These percentiles are direct measurements.
| Percentile | Annual | Hourly | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $58,340 | $28.05/hr | Entry-level / lower pay |
| 25th percentile | $65,000 | $31.25/hr | Below median |
| Median (50th) | $79,400 | $38.17/hr | Typical pay |
| 75th percentile | $100,800 | $48.46/hr | Experienced / senior |
| 90th percentile | $127,800 | $61.44/hr | Top earners |
The Wisconsin figures above, straight from the OEWS May 2025 release: a $79,400 median across 25,100 accountants and auditors employed in Wisconsin.
Every director of finance figure on this page — $194,500 median included. It is the verified state median scaled by this role’s multiplier (2.45×), because BLS publishes no director of finance-specific wage.
Comparison
Director of Finance pay in Wisconsin vs. national
Wisconsin's measured accountant median runs -5.1% versus the U.S. figure. The role rows are estimates built on those two verified benchmarks.
Director of Finance — Wisconsin
estimated median
$194,500
+145.0%Director of Finance — national
estimated median
$205,000
+158.2%All accountants — Wisconsin
BLS OEWS May 2025 · verified
$79,400
baseAll accountants — national
BLS OEWS May 2025 · verified
$83,680
+5.4%
The director of finance estimate sits +145.0% above the verified Wisconsin accountant median and -5.1% versus the national director of finance estimate. Verified rows are BLS measurements; role rows are modeled.
Wisconsin market
What shapes director of finance pay in Wisconsin
Wisconsin combines a deep manufacturing base with a finance and insurance anchor in Milwaukee (home to Northwestern Mutual) and agriculture statewide. A moderate cost of living keeps real pay competitive with the national median.
The director of finance directs strategy, FP&A, and accounting leadership — budgeting, forecasting, business partnering, and capital planning. The orientation is forward-looking where a controller’s is backward-looking, and it is the most common last stop before the CFO seat.
Scope varies widely by company size, so local pay tracks the corporate headquarters and mid-market employer base in a market more than it tracks the public-accounting firm presence. Markets with more company headquarters carry more of these seats, and more of the larger-scope versions of them.
Role ladder
Director of Finance vs. other roles in Wisconsin
Each level's multiplier applied to Wisconsin's verified BLS median. Estimates — the comparison is consistent because every row shares one measured base.
Estimated pay by role · Wisconsin
On Wisconsin's verified pay base, estimated pay spans $81,000 (Senior Accountant) to $309,700 (Chief Financial Officer). Director of Finance sits at $194,500.
| Role / level | Low | Est. median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Financial Officer | $309,700 | ||
| Director of Finance | $194,500 | ||
| Controller | $154,800 | ||
| Accounting Manager | $112,700 | ||
| Senior Accountant | $81,000 |
Role multipliers applied to the BLS national median for Accountants & Auditors. The low–high band is a modeled typical range, not a guaranteed offer.
By experience
Director of Finance pay by experience in Wisconsin
Wisconsin's verified pay base scaled across experience bands at the director of finance level. Estimate.
| Experience | Est. median | CPA-licensed (est.) |
|---|---|---|
| 0–1 years | $167,300 | $187,400 |
| 2–4 years | $186,700 | $209,100 |
| 5–7 years | $210,100 | $235,300 |
| 8–12 years | $233,400 | $261,400 |
| 13–20 years | $256,800 | $287,600 |
| 20+ years | $276,200 | $309,300 |
Experience multipliers on the area median; CPA column adds a modeled +12% credential premium.
By employer
Director of Finance pay by employer type in Wisconsin
Big 4, national, regional, and local firms vs. industry — at this role's level on the verified state pay base. Estimate.
| Employer type | Est. manager-level pay | vs. industry |
|---|---|---|
| Big 4 firm | $217,900 | +7.7% |
| National firm | $204,300 | +1.0% |
| Regional firm | $190,600 | -5.8% |
| Local firm | $179,000 | -11.5% |
| Industry / corporate | $202,300 | — |
Employer-type multipliers applied at a manager-level base on the BLS national median.
By metro
Director of Finance pay across Wisconsin metros
BLS measures 13 metro areas for accountants and auditors in Wisconsin. The measured median is verified; the director of finance column applies this role's multiplier to it.
| Metro area | Accountants medianBLS verified | Director of Finance medianEstimate |
|---|---|---|
| Madison | $81,130 | $198,800 |
| Appleton | $80,360 | $196,900 |
| Sheboygan | $80,330 | $196,800 |
| Milwaukee-Waukesha | $80,290 | $196,700 |
| Kenosha | $78,840 | $193,200 |
| Green Bay | $77,720 | $190,400 |
| Wausau | $77,680 | $190,300 |
| Oshkosh-Neenah | $77,580 | $190,100 |
Metro medians are direct BLS OEWS May 2025 measurements. The director of finance column is modeled from them.
Peer markets
States that pay like Wisconsin
Ranked immediately around Wisconsin (#24 of 51) on the verified BLS accountant median — the closest comparables for a director of finance weighing a move.
Compare states
Director of Finance pay in other states
Where finance directors are estimated to earn the most, built on each state's verified BLS median — Wisconsin ranks #24 of 51.
Director of Finance salary in Wisconsin — FAQ
- How much does a Director of Finance make in Wisconsin?
- A director of finance in Wisconsin earns an estimated $194,500 per year, typically ranging from $159,200 to $246,900+. That is -5.1% versus the national director of finance estimate of $205,000. The figure is a modeled estimate: BLS publishes no director of finance-specific wage, so we scale the BLS OEWS May 2025 verified Wisconsin median for accountants and auditors ($79,400) by this role's multiplier.
- What do BLS figures actually say about Wisconsin?
- BLS measures the broad occupation "Accountants and Auditors" (SOC 13-2011), not CPAs or finance directors specifically. For Wisconsin, the verified OEWS May 2025 median is $79,400, with a 25th–75th percentile band of $65,000–$100,800 and 25,100 accountants and auditors employed in Wisconsin. Everything role-specific on this page is layered on top of that measurement and labeled Estimate.
- Is Wisconsin a good state to work as a Director of Finance?
- Wisconsin ranks #24 of 51 on the verified BLS median for accountants and auditors, running -5.1% versus the national median. Finance directors are estimated to track that same gap. Weigh it against cost of living, the local mix of firms and industry employers, and remote roles that may pay to a national band.
- Does a Director of Finance in Wisconsin earn more than the average accountant?
- Yes — the director of finance estimate of $194,500 runs +145.0% versus the verified Wisconsin median for all accountants and auditors ($79,400). That gap is the modeled role premium, not a measured one: BLS reports one wage for the whole occupation, and senior and specialized roles sit above that broad-occupation midpoint.
- Which Wisconsin metro pays finance directors the most?
- On the verified BLS metro medians for accountants and auditors, Madison leads Wisconsin at $81,130 — about +4.6% versus Oshkosh-Neenah ($77,580). Director of Finance pay is estimated to follow the same metro ordering, since the role multiplier applies on top of each metro's measured base.
How to read these numbers
National, state, and metro pay comes straight from the federal wage measurement for accountants & auditors — direct and source-backed, not scaled from anything.
Role, experience, CPA-license, and employer figures are modeled on top of that measurement and labeled Estimate — the federal data does not break those out, so we never present them as measurements.
Add your Wisconsin director of finance salary
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