Financial Analysts Salary: $101,350 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 340,580 financial analysts work nationally, and $101,350 is the BLS national median annual wage. Employment in the series shown rose about 14% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 2.5% annual growth.
Financial Analysts: what the data shows
Common questions about financial analysts careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a financial analysts?
Financial Analysts is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 13-2051.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 340,580 workers.
What does a financial analysts do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Getting Information, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Communicating with People Outside the Organization, Analyzing Data or Information, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a financial analysts make?
BLS national median annual wage: $101,350 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $131,249 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $71,899 |
| 25th percentile | $87,992 |
| Median (50th) | $113,160 |
| 75th percentile | $155,440 |
| 90th percentile | $205,175 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Writing, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, Economics and Accounting, English Language, Mathematics. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is financial analysts in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 2.5% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 13.1%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 27.8%.
Current U.S. headcount: 340,580.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do financial analystss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 340,580 | 19.1% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 321,700 | 18.1% |
| Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities | 171,100 | 9.6% |
| Finance and Insurance | 150,630 | 8.5% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 49,110 | 2.8% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 49,110 | 2.8% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Financial Analysts in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Sales & Office Occupations | 1,441,580 | — |
| Computer Systems Analysts | 497,800 | $103,790 |
| Marketing Managers | 384,980 | $161,030 |
| Accountants and Auditors | 1,448,290 | $81,680 |
| Personal Financial Advisors | 270,480 | $102,140 |
| General and Operations Managers | 3,584,420 | $102,950 |
| Financial Managers | 818,620 | $161,700 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Financial Analysts workforce.
Employment Over Time
340,580 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Financial Analysts grew from 105,900 in 2009 to 156,840 in 2025 (48.1%).
Historical employment for Financial Analysts from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$101,350 Median pay (BLS national)
Financial Analysts earn $101,350 as the BLS national median annual wage.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Financial Analysts.
Salary distribution for Financial Analysts.
Employment Growth Projections
2.5% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
177,319 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 13.1%
200,473 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 27.8%
This occupation is projected to grow at 2.5% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Financial Analysts.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Financial Analysts and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Financial Analysts employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Financial Analysts.
Wage Trends by Industry
6.0% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Financial Analysts.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Financial Analysts.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- NY: 47,130 employees, $147,260 avg wage
- CA: 40,570 employees, $128,860 avg wage
- TX: 26,940 employees, $102,870 avg wage
- FL: 21,690 employees, $100,630 avg wage
- MA: 18,020 employees, $131,500 avg wage
- IL: 17,950 employees, $114,760 avg wage
- PA: 12,220 employees, $101,420 avg wage
- NJ: 11,100 employees, $126,100 avg wage
- GA: 10,330 employees, $104,090 avg wage
- NC: 10,330 employees, $108,010 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Financial Analysts.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 49,940 employees, $148,980 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 15,880 employees, $133,690 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 14,970 employees, $117,210 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 14,390 employees, $116,110 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 10,570 employees, $124,330 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 10,480 employees, $104,190 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 9,950 employees, $110,850 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 9,580 employees, $152,390 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 8,150 employees, $107,310 avg wage
- Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO: 7,000 employees, $122,370 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Financial Analysts.
Diversity
Demographic information on Financial Analysts in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Financial Analysts is about 340,580 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for Financial Analysts.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Financial Analysts.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Financial Analysts.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Financial Analysts in 2023 were Finance, Business, Economics.
Common majors for Financial Analysts.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Financial Analysts workers.
Education level distribution for Financial Analysts.
Skills
Financial Analysts need many skills, but most especially Writing, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Critical Thinking.
Required skills for Financial Analysts.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Financial Analysts.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Financial Analysts include Customer and Personal Service, Economics and Accounting, English Language, Mathematics, Psychology.
Knowledge areas required for Financial Analysts.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Financial Analysts include Written Expression, Written Comprehension, Speech Clarity, Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension.
Required abilities for Financial Analysts.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Financial Analysts.
Daily Activities
Financial Analysts spend their time on activities such as Getting Information, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Communicating with People Outside the Organization.
Most important work activities for Financial Analysts.
About
Financial Analysts
Financial Analysts earn $101,350 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
13-2051 - Financial Analysts
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Financial Analysts reports an average salary of $131,249, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 340,580 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 2.5%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.