Budget Analysts
Also called: Budget Analyst, Budget and Policy Analyst, Budget Officer, Budget Planning AnalystExamine budget estimates for completeness, accuracy, and conformance with procedures and regulations. Analyze budgeting and accounting reports.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 12 of its 13 tasks, yet jobs are projected to grow 1.9% by 2035. In the most exposed occupations, the squeeze shows up first among early-career workers. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 0.9% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 4.3 hires for every 10 job openings in government, which employs about 52% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.4.3 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $99,490 | $76,400 to $124,380 | 870 |
| Alaska | $94,740 | $83,600 to $114,490 | 220 |
| Arizona | $84,810 | $71,500 to $102,340 | 730 |
| Arkansas | $71,800 | $53,300 to $88,610 | 320 |
| California | $99,520 | $80,860 to $129,140 | 4,160 |
| Colorado | $97,100 | $81,270 to $115,000 | 1,290 |
| Connecticut | $95,440 | $81,040 to $111,830 | 970 |
| Delaware | $82,000 | $77,570 to $102,520 | 260 |
| District of Columbia | $124,590 | $101,400 to $144,680 | 1,490 |
| Florida | $84,170 | $66,900 to $101,910 | 3,150 |
| Georgia | $91,870 | $71,280 to $115,210 | 1,900 |
| Guam | $67,200 | $58,720 to $79,440 | 70 |
| Hawaii | $92,380 | $76,780 to $107,930 | 210 |
| Idaho | $83,220 | $71,280 to $100,420 | 190 |
| Illinois | $94,880 | $73,320 to $112,260 | 750 |
| Indiana | $82,080 | $64,940 to $92,410 | 390 |
| Iowa | $86,550 | $77,320 to $104,120 | 390 |
| Kansas | $80,140 | $67,090 to $103,080 | 270 |
| Kentucky | $76,860 | $65,170 to $95,070 | 630 |
| Louisiana | $80,530 | $63,510 to $97,690 | 330 |
| Maine | $88,130 | $69,040 to $101,590 | 200 |
| Maryland | $106,020 | $83,820 to $133,220 | 2,490 |
| Massachusetts | $92,260 | $80,940 to $109,100 | 1,280 |
| Michigan | $96,430 | $79,190 to $134,900 | 1,020 |
| Minnesota | $85,970 | $80,000 to $107,310 | 450 |
| Mississippi | $78,850 | $64,130 to $92,600 | 390 |
| Missouri | $81,980 | $68,310 to $100,740 | 520 |
| Montana | $79,700 | $63,070 to $86,260 | 360 |
| Nebraska | $83,010 | $73,320 to $100,210 | 200 |
| Nevada | $81,600 | $70,740 to $98,950 | 440 |
| New Hampshire | $92,600 | $74,090 to $113,170 | 80 |
| New Jersey | $96,250 | $81,500 to $117,420 | 840 |
| New Mexico | $87,360 | $69,390 to $106,520 | 740 |
| New York | $88,540 | $75,490 to $108,840 | 2,760 |
| North Carolina | $82,350 | $68,060 to $100,360 | 1,830 |
| North Dakota | $77,400 | $68,790 to $87,700 | 150 |
| Ohio | $89,840 | $74,880 to $113,710 | 800 |
| Oklahoma | $80,990 | $65,170 to $101,330 | 670 |
| Oregon | $95,250 | $77,320 to $113,240 | 1,090 |
| Pennsylvania | $84,240 | $68,970 to $104,810 | 1,490 |
| Puerto Rico | $50,560 | $43,970 to $67,200 | 370 |
| Rhode Island | $92,790 | $77,390 to $120,430 | 90 |
| South Carolina | $86,260 | $73,920 to $107,480 | 470 |
| South Dakota | $79,180 | $64,920 to $96,100 | 120 |
| Tennessee | $86,570 | $76,400 to $108,010 | 1,140 |
| Texas | $82,970 | $70,080 to $103,830 | 3,340 |
| Utah | $88,610 | $76,400 to $107,910 | 280 |
| Vermont | $93,430 | $78,890 to $102,890 | 90 |
| Virgin Islands | $64,990 | $59,330 to $73,320 | 50 |
| Virginia | $105,470 | $84,590 to $133,490 | 2,730 |
| Washington | $96,640 | $79,740 to $129,480 | 1,510 |
| West Virginia | $78,850 | $64,000 to $100,420 | 180 |
| Wisconsin | $82,180 | $69,360 to $94,490 | 820 |
| Wyoming | $81,100 | $69,240 to $94,520 | 80 |
Nationally: $91,640. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 12 of its 13 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI + software | Analyze monthly department budgeting and accounting reports to maintain expenditure controls. | Not published |
| AI alone | Provide advice and technical assistance with cost analysis, fiscal allocation, and budget preparation. | 0.02% |
| AI + software | Examine budget estimates for completeness, accuracy, and conformance with procedures and regulations. | Not published |
| AI + software | Review operating budgets to analyze trends affecting budget needs. | Not published |
| AI alone | Direct the preparation of regular and special budget reports. | Not published |
| AI alone | Summarize budgets and submit recommendations for the approval or disapproval of funds requests. | Not published |
See all 13 tasks
| AI + software | Compile and analyze accounting records and other data to determine the financial resources required to implement a program. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Consult with managers to ensure that budget adjustments are made in accordance with program changes. | Not published |
| AI + software | Seek new ways to improve efficiency and increase profits. | 0.01% |
| AI alone | Interpret budget directives and establish policies for carrying out directives. | Not published |
| AI + software | Perform cost-benefit analyses to compare operating programs, review financial requests, or explore alternative financing methods. | 0.01% |
| AI + software | Match appropriations for specific programs with appropriations for broader programs, including items for emergency funds. | Not published |
| Not much | Testify before examining and fund-granting authorities, clarifying and promoting the proposed budgets. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 4 of the 13 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 13 tasks fall under 9 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #1 Gather information from physical or electronic sources
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Analyze business or financial data | |||
| Advise others on financial matters | |||
| Prepare financial documents, reports, or budgets | |||
| Gather information from physical or electronic sources | |||
| Evaluate the quality or accuracy of data | |||
| Identify business or organizational opportunities | |||
| Develop organizational policies, systems, or processes | |||
| Communicate with others about business strategies |
Show all 9 activities
| Present information in legal proceedings |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- Data or a spreadsheet20%
- A document or report15%
- A plan or strategy14%
- Advice or a recommendation9%
- A chart or visualization9%
How they worked with Claude
51% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for budget analysts specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 12,251 moves out
- 1 Financial Managers Very high +9.7% 9%
- 2 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 8%
- 3 Management Analysts Very high +10.1% 7%
- 4 Financial Analysts (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 7%
- 5 Accountants and Auditors Very high +5.0% 7%
Where people moved in from
of 13,575 moves in
- 1 Accountants and Auditors Very high +5.0% 10%
- 2 Financial Analysts (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 9%
- 3 Financial Managers Very high +9.7% 6%
- 4 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 6%
- 5 Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks Very high -5.6% 6%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 13% high school
- 2% some college
- 77% bachelor's
- 8% master's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 17 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 6% high school
- 10% some college
- 4% associate's
- 48% bachelor's
- 30% master's
- 1% professional degree
- 2% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 587 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
4 programs, such as Accounting, Accounting and Finance and Finance, General.
See all
- Accounting
- Accounting and Finance
- Finance, General
- Public Finance
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
9.8% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| an educational certificate | <0.5% | 2.8% |
| a license | not published | |
| a certification | not published |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS · Brynjolfsson, Chandar and Chen, Stanford (Aug 2026)
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/13-2031.00