2027 Salary Guide · Accounting & Finance
The median financial analyst earned $102,740 in May 2025, per BLS, which works out to about $109,000 for 2027 planning. BLS puts corporate FP&A analysts in the same occupation as equity research and portfolio analysts, so the national figures blend two quite different pay markets.
Pay distribution
Corporate budgeting, forecasting and planning analysts fill much of the middle of this range. Pay above the 75th percentile, $133,340, is more common in investment roles and in large finance centers: New York's 75th percentile was $174,990.
Typical for the Financial Analyst title: $79,290 to $133,340 (25th to 75th percentile of Financial and Investment Analysts)
| Percentile | BLS, May 2025 | 2027 planning estimate |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $63,720 | $67,500 |
| 25th percentile | $79,290 | $84,500 |
| Median | $102,740 | $109,000 |
| 75th percentile | $133,340 | $141,500 |
| 90th percentile | $180,860 | $192,000 |
Career ladder
BLS does not report pay by title level. These stages map common corporate finance steps onto the BLS percentiles as a planning guide.
About $64,000 to $79,000 (10th to 25th percentile)
Builds monthly variance reports, updates forecasts and maintains models someone else designed. Strong Excel skills and working knowledge of the company's ERP are the baseline.
About $79,000 to $133,000 (25th to 75th percentile)
Owns the budget or forecast for a business unit and presents it to that unit's leaders. Analysts who can pull their own data with SQL or a BI tool, instead of waiting on IT, have an edge for promotion.
About $133,000 to $181,000 (75th to 90th percentile)
Runs the planning cycle and manages analysts. The step after that, controller or director of FP&A, falls under BLS's Financial Managers occupation, where the median was $166,570.
Local pay
Only 11 of the 29 metros we track beat the national median. The San Francisco Bay Area ($130,520), New York ($128,930) and Seattle ($124,790) lead, while Tampa ($79,910) and Pittsburgh ($82,530) trail the leaders by about $50,000.
| Metro area | Median | 10th – 90th | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco Bay Area | $130,520 +27% | $82,570 – $217,160 | 9,910 |
| New York City | $128,930 +25% | $79,340 – $225,390 | 53,870 |
| Seattle | $124,790 +21% | $80,880 – $177,940 | 6,170 |
| Boston | $117,520 +14% | $79,030 – $207,010 | 13,010 |
| Portland | $117,280 +14% | $76,800 – $214,610 | 2,590 |
| Washington, DC | $108,330 +5% | $74,190 – $195,190 | 10,930 |
| Charlotte | $106,510 +4% | $65,540 – $172,310 | 6,790 |
| San Diego | $106,040 +3% | $66,830 – $173,670 | 3,830 |
| Miami | $105,160 +2% | $64,200 – $168,770 | 6,400 |
| Denver | $104,480 +2% | $74,860 – $176,020 | 5,960 |
| Metro area | Median | 10th – 90th | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minneapolis-St. Paul | $103,350 +1% | $65,640 – $165,510 | 6,380 |
| Los Angeles | $102,260 +-0% | $67,500 – $181,190 | 19,600 |
| Chicago | $101,750 -1% | $67,480 – $167,300 | 17,150 |
| Houston | $101,660 -1% | $66,730 – $174,220 | 6,510 |
| Detroit | $101,550 -1% | $64,470 – $160,350 | 3,930 |
| Austin | $101,530 -1% | $66,710 – $189,180 | 3,530 |
| Atlanta | $100,830 -2% | $69,350 – $169,540 | 7,740 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth | $100,350 -2% | $64,040 – $186,510 | 11,530 |
| Providence | $100,290 -2% | $63,630 – $171,090 | 1,950 |
| Hartford | $99,220 -3% | $66,340 – $159,100 | 1,950 |
| Raleigh | $99,200 -3% | $63,060 – $160,710 | 1,380 |
| Baltimore | $98,880 -4% | $63,770 – $192,950 | 3,040 |
| Nashville | $97,490 -5% | $57,710 – $131,960 | 2,380 |
| Buffalo | $96,490 -6% | $62,910 – $166,780 | 1,060 |
| Philadelphia | $95,400 -7% | $57,260 – $165,600 | 10,050 |
| Phoenix | $94,700 -8% | $62,610 – $161,650 | 4,510 |
| Albany | $91,270 -11% | $58,530 – $160,330 | 1,190 |
| Pittsburgh | $82,530 -20% | $53,910 – $133,530 | 2,390 |
| Tampa | $79,910 -22% | $61,370 – $132,030 | 5,370 |
BLS metro estimates, May 2025. Percent compares the metro median with the national median. "Jobs" is BLS estimated employment in the metro; blank where BLS does not publish it.
Skills employers list
O*NET lists these among the tools used in the occupation; several are flagged as hot technologies, meaning they appear often in employer postings.
Excel remains the core tool. O*NET flags Visual Basic for Applications as a hot technology, which matters for analysts who automate recurring reports.
Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle Database, Tableau, Power BI and Alteryx are all on O*NET's list. Analysts who can query source data close the gap between FP&A and business intelligence work.
Oracle PeopleSoft, Workday and SAP appear for the occupation, along with Oracle Hyperion Financial Management. Experience with the system an employer already runs is a practical advantage in an interview.
SAS, SPSS, MATLAB and R are listed too. They matter more in investment and risk-adjacent roles than in standard budgeting work.
Compare
At the median, financial analysts earn about $11,100 more than budget analysts and about $19,230 more than credit analysts. The usual next step, controller or head of FP&A, falls under Financial Managers, where the median is $166,570.
| Role | BLS median | 2027 estimate | Outlook |
|---|---|---|---|
| Financial Analyst | $102,740 | $109,000 | Much faster than average |
| Budget Analyst | $91,640 | $97,500 | Slower than average |
| Credit Analyst | $83,510 | $89,000 | Decline |
| Risk Analyst | $117,330 | $124,500 | Much faster than average |
| Controller | $166,570 | $177,000 | Much faster than average |
Outlook
BLS projects much faster than average growth through 2035 and about 24,700 openings a year. It ties demand to overall economic activity, more global investing and the growing volume of data that analysts are needed to assess.
BLS Employment Projections via O*NET OnLine. Projections cover Financial and Investment Analysts as a whole.
FAQ
BLS reports a median of $102,740 for financial and investment analysts in May 2025. The middle half earned between $79,290 and $133,340. Adding two years of wage growth at 3.1% a year gives a 2027 planning median of about $109,000.
First-year analyst pay is not a separate BLS figure. The 10th percentile, $63,720 in May 2025, is a reasonable floor for first-year analysts, and the 25th percentile was $79,290. BLS says analysts typically need a bachelor's degree in finance or a related field such as business.
The BLS median hourly wage for the occupation was $49.40 in May 2025, according to O*NET OnLine. The 10th percentile was $30.64 and the 90th percentile $86.95 an hour. Hourly rates are most relevant for contract FP&A and month-end support work.
BLS combines them in one occupation, so there is no separate official figure for either. Investment roles concentrate in high-paying finance centers: New York's 75th percentile was $174,990, versus $133,340 nationally. The investment analyst page covers that side of the market in more detail.
BLS says some employers prefer a master's degree, and a master's in finance or business administration can help with advancement. Some positions need a FINRA license, but BLS notes most licenses require employer sponsorship, so candidates are not usually expected to hold one before hire.
Careerscape's accounting and finance recruiters send pre-screened financial analyst shortlists for direct hire, contract and contract-to-hire roles.
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