Financial Services · Pittsburgh, PA
Ten of the 11 finance occupations we track in Pittsburgh pay below the U.S. median, a budget edge that also makes local staff easy targets for remote offers. Careerscape's banking recruiters belong to a national practice organized by industry, not by city, and run Pittsburgh searches remotely.
Pay check
BLS May 2025 estimates for the Pittsburgh, PA metro, all industries: jobs, median annual wage, the U.S. median and the location quotient (1.0 means the same concentration as the U.S.).
| Occupation | Jobs in metro | Median pay · vs. U.S. | Concentration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Financial and Investment Analysts | 2,390 | $82,530−20% | 0.92 |
| Accountants and Auditors | 10,430 | $76,940−8% | 1.00 |
| Financial Managers | 6,460 | $136,330−18% | 1.07 |
| Loan Officers | 1,440 | $73,360−4% | 0.73 |
| Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents | 3,110 | $62,710−20% | 0.89 |
| Credit Analysts | 330 | $81,580−2% | 0.72 |
| Insurance Underwriters | 500 | $77,760−4% | 0.66 |
| Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators | 1,740 | $76,440−2% | 0.75 |
| Personal Financial Advisors | 2,030 | $115,600+10% | 1.06 |
| Compliance Officers | 2,730 | $70,560−13% | 0.91 |
| Actuaries | 170 | $117,600−10% | 0.87 |
Personal financial advisors are the only occupation here with a median above the U.S., at $115,600 against $105,070. Everywhere else Pittsburgh is cheaper: financial managers earn a median $136,330 against $166,570 nationally, financial and investment analysts $82,530 against $102,740, and compliance officers $70,560 against $80,730. Pool depth is close to average. Financial managers (1.07), personal financial advisors (1.06) and accountants and auditors (1.00) are at or slightly above the U.S. share; credit analysts (0.72), loan officers (0.73) and insurance underwriters (0.66) are thinner. Jobs and median annual pay for the Pittsburgh, PA metro area, all employers, from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey (May 2025). “Vs. U.S.” compares with the national median. Concentration is the BLS location quotient: above 1.0 means the job makes up a bigger share of local employment than it does nationally.
What it means
A Pittsburgh employer can hire a financial analyst at a median about 20% below the U.S. figure. That is good for budgets. It is also why remote-first banks and fintechs recruit here: a candidate earning $82,530 locally can take a national-rate remote offer without moving.
Remote competition also means mid-level analysts, auditors and compliance staff rarely sit on the market long, even in a metro where pool depth is close to the U.S. average.
The employer base is anchored by headquarters. PNC is based downtown, and it closed its acquisition of Colorado-based FirstBank on January 5, 2026. F.N.B. Corporation and Federated Hermes are also headquartered in Pittsburgh, Highmark runs its health insurance business from Fifth Avenue Place, and BNY's Mellon side traces back to T. Mellon & Sons, founded in Pittsburgh in 1869.
Careerscape recruits for these kinds of employers remotely, through our financial and banking recruiting practice. For the city's robotics, AI and health care hiring, and Pennsylvania's local wage taxes, see the Pittsburgh hiring guide.
Hiring advice
What the pay gap, the thin pools and the new CPA law mean for a Pittsburgh hiring plan.
Local financial and investment analysts have a median of $82,530 and a 75th percentile of $109,990. A strong candidate holding a remote offer will measure you against the national figure of $102,740, not the local one.
Credit analysts (LQ 0.72), loan officers (0.73) and insurance underwriters (0.66) are all thinner here than nationally. Open these roles to Ohio, the rest of Pennsylvania or remote candidates in the first week.
Bank integration work, like PNC's absorption of FirstBank, rewards people who have run a systems conversion or a merger close. Ask for the project, their role and the go-live date.
Under Act 27, a bachelor's graduate can reach licensure with two years of experience. Say how the role counts toward that experience and whether you pay for exam sections.
Talent sources
The best local candidates usually come out of one of these four places.
Treasury, regulatory reporting, credit and audit staff at the city's bank headquarters. After PNC's FirstBank closing in January 2026, integration and systems conversion experience is a useful screen for finance transformation roles.
Tepper's Master of Science in Computational Finance covers derivatives pricing, fixed income, portfolio management and Monte Carlo methods. Graduates fit quant, risk and model validation roles.
Federated Hermes and other investment firms in the city train fund accountants, investment analysts and operations staff who move well into bank wealth and trust businesses.
Highmark's health insurance business needs actuarial, underwriting and premium accounting staff. Those skills transfer to other insurers, and to bank roles that need regulated financial reporting.
PA licensing
Governor Josh Shapiro signed Act 27 (Senate Bill 719) on June 30, 2025. Three changes matter to Pittsburgh employers.
| Rule | Before | After Act 27 |
|---|---|---|
| Education and experience | 150 credit hours plus one year of accounting work | Also allowed: a bachelor's degree (120 credit hours) with required accounting coursework plus two years of experience |
| Time to pass all four exam sections | 18 months | 30 months from passing the first section |
| CPAs licensed in other states | Not written into the CPA law | Codified: they can practice in Pennsylvania, such as performing an audit, without a separate permit |
The 150-hour and master's degree routes remain. For employers, the new route means a bachelor's graduate can join an audit or tax team and reach licensure without a fifth year of school, and a longer exam window lowers the risk that a working candidate loses credit for passed sections. Source: WITF, "PA lawmakers approve new accountant licensure path" (July 29, 2025).
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FAQ
Less than in most U.S. metros: $82,530 is the BLS May 2025 median for financial and investment analysts in the Pittsburgh metro, against $102,740 nationally. The metro has 2,390 of them, a location quotient of 0.92. Experienced analysts weighing remote offers from national firms will often ask for more than the local median. See our financial analyst salary guide for national pay by experience.
Yes. PNC announced in September 2025 that it would buy FirstBank, a Colorado lender, and closed the deal on January 5, 2026. For Pittsburgh hiring, the practical effect is integration work, so candidates who have been through a bank merger's systems conversion, finance close or regulatory reporting changes are worth screening for.
Yes. Act 27 of 2025 added a route for candidates with a bachelor's degree (120 credit hours) and the required accounting coursework who complete two years of professional experience and pass the CPA Exam. It also extended the exam window to 30 months. The 150-hour route with one year of experience is still available.
Roles where the local pool is thin. BLS puts credit analysts (330 jobs, LQ 0.72), loan officers (LQ 0.73) and insurance underwriters (LQ 0.66) well below the U.S. concentration, and actuaries number only 170 in the metro. For these, plan to recruit regionally or nationally from the start. Careerscape recruits for Pittsburgh employers remotely through direct hire and contract staffing.
Whether you need one controller or a contract team for a conversion, we send a pre-screened shortlist you review in the private Employer Portal. Looking for work? See open jobs.
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