Budget Analysts Salary: $110,155 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 47,170 budget analysts nationally earn a mean of $110,155. Employment in the series shown fell about 22% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 7.2% annual decline.
Key Statistics
Budget Analysts: what the data shows
Common questions about budget analysts careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a budget analysts?
Budget Analysts is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 13-2031.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 47,170 workers.
What does a budget analysts do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Working with Computers, Getting Information, Analyzing Data or Information, Processing Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a budget analysts make?
BLS national median annual wage: $87,930 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $110,155 — 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 | $69,760 |
| 25th percentile | $84,233 |
| Median (50th) | $105,826 |
| 75th percentile | $131,259 |
| 90th percentile | $157,466 |
What education do you need?
For Budget Analysts, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Mathematics, Complex Problem Solving, and knowledge areas including Economics and Accounting, Mathematics, English Language, Administration and Management. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is budget analysts in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 7.2% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -31.2%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -52.7%.
Current U.S. headcount: 47,170.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do budget analystss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 47,170 | 16.8% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 28,730 | 10.2% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 23,410 | 8.3% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 23,410 | 8.3% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 18,440 | 6.6% |
| Educational Services | 13,000 | 4.6% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Budget 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Hardware Engineers | 75,710 | $155,020 |
| Computer Systems Analysts | 497,800 | $103,790 |
| Electronics Engineers, Except Computer | 93,940 | $127,590 |
| Information Security Analysts | 179,430 | $124,910 |
| Credit Analysts | 67,370 | $80,970 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Budget Analysts workforce.
Employment Over Time
47,170 Workforce in 2023
The Budget Analysts workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Budget Analysts.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$110,155 Average Wage
In 2023, Budget Analysts earned an average of $110,155.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Budget Analysts.
Salary distribution for Budget Analysts.
Employment Growth Projections
-7.2% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
10,054 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -31.2%
6,914 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -52.7%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Budget Analysts.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Budget Analysts and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Budget Analysts employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Budget Analysts.
Wage Trends by Industry
6.9% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Budget Analysts.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Budget 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:
- TX: 3,840 employees, $83,880 avg wage
- CA: 3,700 employees, $108,150 avg wage
- FL: 3,450 employees, $89,270 avg wage
- VA: 2,940 employees, $111,720 avg wage
- MD: 2,870 employees, $106,290 avg wage
- NY: 2,740 employees, $94,200 avg wage
- GA: 1,890 employees, $92,230 avg wage
- DC: 1,720 employees, $117,120 avg wage
- NC: 1,680 employees, $83,000 avg wage
- CO: 1,450 employees, $98,560 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Budget Analysts.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 4,830 employees, $119,610 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 1,890 employees, $100,640 avg wage
- Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD: 1,290 employees, $97,770 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 1,210 employees, $98,280 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 1,080 employees, $96,820 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 1,020 employees, $86,550 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 950 employees, $107,380 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 940 employees, $101,390 avg wage
- Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO: 870 employees, $100,230 avg wage
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 790 employees, $101,050 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Budget Analysts.
Diversity
Demographic information on Budget Analysts in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Budget Analysts in 2023 was 47,170 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Budget 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 Budget Analysts.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Budget Analysts.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Budget Analysts in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Budget Analysts.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Budget Analysts workers.
Education level distribution for Budget Analysts.
Skills
Budget Analysts need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Mathematics.
Required skills for Budget Analysts.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Budget Analysts.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Budget Analysts include Economics and Accounting, Mathematics, English Language, Administration and Management, Administrative.
Knowledge areas required for Budget Analysts.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Budget Analysts include Number Facility, Written Comprehension, Oral Comprehension, Mathematical Reasoning, Inductive Reasoning.
Required abilities for Budget Analysts.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Budget Analysts.
Daily Activities
Budget Analysts spend their time on activities such as Working with Computers, Getting Information, Analyzing Data or Information, Processing Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates.
Most important work activities for Budget Analysts.
About
Budget Analysts
The average yearly wage for Budget Analysts was $110,155 in 2023.
SOC Code
13-2031 - Budget Analysts
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Budget Analysts reports an average salary of $110,155, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 47,170 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -7.2%, 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.