Financial Managers Salary: $214,546 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 818,620 financial managers nationally earn a mean of $214,546. Projections imply about 2.3% annual growth; CA accounts for about 89,020 jobs in our geographic extract.
Key Statistics
Financial Managers: what the data shows
Common questions about financial managers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a financial managers?
Financial Managers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 11-3031.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 818,620 workers.
What does a financial managers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Working with Computers, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Processing Information, Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a financial managers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $161,700 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $214,546 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $99,817 |
| 25th percentile | $133,663 |
| Median (50th) | $178,163 |
What education do you need?
For Financial Managers, 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 Critical Thinking, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Writing, Monitoring, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, Administration and Management, Economics and Accounting, Mathematics. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is financial managers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 2.3% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 11.8%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 25.0%.
Current U.S. headcount: 818,620.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do financial managerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 818,620 | 18.8% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 747,500 | 17.2% |
| Finance and Insurance | 255,610 | 5.9% |
| Credit Intermediation and Related Activities | 133,730 | 3.1% |
| Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities | 123,660 | 2.8% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 115,660 | 2.7% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Financial Managers 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Accountants and Auditors | 1,448,290 | $81,680 |
| Personal Financial Advisors | 270,480 | $102,140 |
| Financial Analysts | 340,580 | $101,350 |
| Financial Examiners | 62,830 | $90,400 |
| Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents | 472,300 | $78,140 |
| Tax Preparers | 73,570 | $50,560 |
| Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks | 1,455,770 | $49,210 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Financial Managers workforce.
Employment Over Time
818,620 Workforce in 2023
The Financial Managers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Financial Managers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$214,546 Average Wage
In 2023, Financial Managers earned an average of $214,546.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Financial Managers.
Salary distribution for Financial Managers.
Employment Growth Projections
2.3% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
421,355 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 11.8%
471,054 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 25.0%
This occupation is projected to grow at 2.3% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Financial Managers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Financial Managers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Financial Managers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Financial Managers.
Wage Trends by Industry
24.5% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Financial Managers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Financial Managers.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 89,020 employees, $216,212 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Financial Managers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 24,210 employees, $206,424 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 11,310 employees, $266,919 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 11,110 employees, $198,673 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 9,350 employees, $302,099 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 8,120 employees, $196,263 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 6,400 employees, $218,221 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 5,050 employees, $174,059 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 4,430 employees, $165,747 avg wage
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA: 1,510 employees, $195,438 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 1,320 employees, $161,113 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Financial Managers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Financial Managers in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Financial Managers in 2023 was 818,620 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Financial Managers.
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 Managers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Financial Managers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Financial Managers in 2023 were Finance, Business Administration, Accounting.
Common majors for Financial Managers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Financial Managers workers.
Education level distribution for Financial Managers.
Skills
Financial Managers need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Writing.
Required skills for Financial Managers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Financial Managers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Financial Managers include Customer and Personal Service, Administration and Management, Economics and Accounting, Mathematics, Administrative.
Knowledge areas required for Financial Managers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Financial Managers include Written Comprehension, Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension, Deductive Reasoning, Speech Clarity.
Required abilities for Financial Managers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Financial Managers.
Daily Activities
Financial Managers spend their time on activities such as Working with Computers, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Processing Information, Getting Information.
Most important work activities for Financial Managers.
About
Financial Managers
The average yearly wage for Financial Managers was $214,546 in 2023.
SOC Code
11-3031 - Financial Managers
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Financial Managers reports an average salary of $214,546, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 818,620 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 2.3%, 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.