Financial and Investment Analysts
Also called: Analyst, Financial Analyst, Investment Analyst, Securities AnalystConduct quantitative analyses of information involving investment programs or financial data of public or private institutions, including valuation of businesses.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 22 of its 26 tasks, yet jobs are projected to grow 7.2% 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, 1.8% 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 finance and insurance, which employs about 43% 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 | $91,290 | $70,190 to $109,450 | 3,410 |
| Alaska | $102,240 | $80,350 to $154,120 | 190 |
| Arizona | $93,540 | $75,230 to $120,250 | 5,940 |
| Arkansas | $81,110 | $66,260 to $107,220 | 1,390 |
| California | $109,110 | $86,440 to $146,840 | 45,380 |
| Colorado | $103,850 | $82,060 to $131,010 | 8,040 |
| Connecticut | $109,500 | $87,190 to $165,270 | not published |
| Delaware | $101,800 | $79,950 to $133,960 | 2,290 |
| District of Columbia | $105,780 | $84,290 to $134,370 | 3,670 |
| Florida | $94,490 | $70,710 to $119,710 | 23,900 |
| Georgia | $99,420 | $78,380 to $129,420 | 9,780 |
| Hawaii | $94,640 | $71,530 to $107,990 | 600 |
| Idaho | $100,830 | $75,660 to $119,200 | 680 |
| Illinois | $101,180 | $78,430 to $128,620 | 20,520 |
| Indiana | $81,760 | $64,990 to $107,160 | 3,680 |
| Iowa | $92,370 | $76,500 to $115,220 | 2,000 |
| Kansas | $84,860 | $67,420 to $105,070 | 1,870 |
| Kentucky | $81,660 | $62,230 to $105,710 | 2,460 |
| Louisiana | $75,680 | $62,470 to $99,680 | 1,450 |
| Maine | $88,320 | $76,980 to $106,350 | 710 |
| Maryland | $100,370 | $80,550 to $134,690 | 5,360 |
| Massachusetts | $111,040 | $90,190 to $161,530 | 14,790 |
| Michigan | $95,420 | $76,290 to $121,580 | 7,400 |
| Minnesota | $102,990 | $78,860 to $128,250 | 7,450 |
| Mississippi | $79,580 | $60,710 to $103,870 | 720 |
| Missouri | $98,420 | $76,280 to $120,840 | 4,430 |
| Montana | $99,190 | $80,360 to $117,210 | 440 |
| Nebraska | $85,320 | $75,080 to $113,100 | not published |
| Nevada | $83,430 | $66,550 to $104,610 | 1,830 |
| New Hampshire | $82,520 | $62,900 to $115,620 | 580 |
| New Jersey | $108,610 | $83,630 to $152,880 | 10,380 |
| New Mexico | $87,630 | $64,470 to $117,950 | 930 |
| New York | $127,930 | $101,570 to $174,990 | 52,380 |
| North Carolina | $102,390 | $76,510 to $131,440 | 12,710 |
| North Dakota | $78,170 | $60,430 to $96,040 | 300 |
| Ohio | $94,280 | $72,370 to $114,010 | 9,760 |
| Oklahoma | $79,640 | $65,430 to $104,680 | 1,550 |
| Oregon | $120,590 | $95,470 to $148,880 | 2,820 |
| Pennsylvania | $84,460 | $66,620 to $121,470 | 13,310 |
| Puerto Rico | $63,000 | $48,190 to $81,800 | 1,460 |
| Rhode Island | $100,550 | $77,870 to $131,140 | 1,790 |
| South Carolina | $93,670 | $73,570 to $124,070 | 3,600 |
| South Dakota | $99,150 | $69,690 to $140,150 | 820 |
| Tennessee | $92,990 | $71,910 to $104,700 | 4,910 |
| Texas | $99,150 | $77,350 to $126,200 | 28,820 |
| Utah | $91,370 | $68,680 to $117,290 | 4,510 |
| Vermont | $99,090 | $79,110 to $124,390 | 230 |
| Virgin Islands | $69,990 | $60,420 to $149,990 | 40 |
| Virginia | $105,490 | $80,990 to $137,490 | 10,410 |
| Washington | $107,210 | $82,200 to $136,340 | 8,820 |
| West Virginia | $69,030 | $61,190 to $84,090 | 400 |
| Wisconsin | $95,570 | $76,400 to $121,190 | 5,430 |
| Wyoming | $187,090 | $84,190 to $347,540 | 190 |
Nationally: $102,740. 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 22 of its 26 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI + software | Advise clients on aspects of capitalization, such as amounts, sources, or timing. | 0.02% |
| AI + software | Analyze financial or operational performance of companies facing financial difficulties to identify or recommend remedies. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Assess companies as investments for clients by examining company facilities. | Not published |
| Not much | Collaborate on projects with other professionals, such as lawyers, accountants, or public relations experts. | Not published |
| AI + software | Collaborate with investment bankers to attract new corporate clients. | Not published |
| AI alone | Conduct financial analyses related to investments in green construction or green retrofitting projects. | Not published |
See all 26 tasks
| AI alone | Confer with clients to restructure debt, refinance debt, or raise new debt. | 0.01% |
| AI + software | Create client presentations of plan details. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Determine the prices at which securities should be syndicated and offered to the public. | Not published |
| Not much | Develop and maintain client relationships. | Not published |
| AI + software | Draw charts and graphs, using computer spreadsheets, to illustrate technical reports. | under 0.01% |
| AI alone | Employ financial models to develop solutions to financial problems or to assess the financial or capital impact of transactions. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Evaluate and compare the relative quality of various securities in a given industry. | Not published |
| AI + software | Evaluate capital needs of clients and assess market conditions to inform structuring of financial packages. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Inform investment decisions by analyzing financial information to forecast business, industry, or economic conditions. | 0.01% |
| AI + software | Interpret data on price, yield, stability, future investment-risk trends, economic influences, and other factors affecting investment programs. | 0.03% |
| AI + software | Monitor developments in the fields of industrial technology, business, finance, and economic theory. | 0.03% |
| AI + software | Monitor fundamental economic, industrial, and corporate developments by analyzing information from financial publications and services, investment banking firms, government agencies, trade publications, company sources, or personal interviews. | 0.04% |
| AI + software | Perform securities valuation or pricing. | Not published |
| AI alone | Prepare all materials for transactions or execution of deals. | 0.02% |
| AI + software | Prepare plans of action for investment, using financial analyses. | 0.07% |
| AI + software | Present oral or written reports on general economic trends, individual corporations, and entire industries. | 0.01% |
| Not much | Purchase investments for companies in accordance with company policy. | Not published |
| AI + software | Recommend investments and investment timing to companies, investment firm staff, or the public. | 0.07% |
| AI + software | Specialize in green financial instruments, such as socially responsible mutual funds or exchange-traded funds (ETF) that are comprised of green companies. | Not published |
| Not much | Supervise, train, or mentor junior team members. | Not published |
O*NET hasn't rated these tasks, so they're in O*NET's own order. 15 of the 26 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 26 tasks fall under 20 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.
- #4 Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise
- #7 Explain technical details of products or services
- #11 Provide information to guests, clients, or customers
- and 3 more, in the table below
| 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 | |||
| Determine values or prices of goods or services | |||
| Analyze market or industry conditions | |||
| Advise others on financial matters | |||
| Analyze business or financial risks | |||
| Evaluate condition of financial assets, property, or other resources | |||
| Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise | |||
| Explain technical details of products or services |
Show all 20 activities
| Provide information to guests, clients, or customers | |||
| Create visual designs or displays | |||
| Purchase goods or services | |||
| Advise others on business or operational matters | |||
| Prepare documentation for contracts, applications, or permits | |||
| Develop professional relationships or networks | |||
| Identify business or organizational opportunities | |||
| Coordinate activities with clients, agencies, or organizations | |||
| Communicate with others about business strategies | |||
| Develop financial or business plans | |||
| Train others on operational or work procedures | |||
| Supervise personnel activities |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- A document or report23%
- An analysis or summary17%
- Advice or a recommendation16%
- Data or a spreadsheet9%
- An explanation or answer8%
How they worked with Claude
47% 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 financial and investment 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 198,581 moves out
- 1 Financial Managers Very high +9.7% 12%
- 2 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 8%
- 3 Accountants and Auditors Very high +5.0% 8%
- 4 Management Analysts Very high +10.1% 7%
- 5 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 5%
Where people moved in from
of 178,721 moves in
- 1 Accountants and Auditors Very high +5.0% 11%
- 2 Financial Managers Very high +9.7% 8%
- 3 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 6%
- 4 Management Analysts Very high +10.1% 5%
- 5 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 4%
The resume data uses 2010 occupation codes. This occupation comes from “Financial Analysts”, which today also includes “Financial Risk Specialists”, so these figures cover it too. Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 1% less than high school
- 4% high school
- 5% some college
- 3% associate's
- 55% bachelor's
- 29% master's
- 2% professional degree
- 2% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 3,716 people surveyed.
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
9 programs, such as Financial Mathematics, Financial Analytics and Accounting and Finance.
See all
- Financial Mathematics
- Financial Analytics
- Accounting and Finance
- Accounting and Business/Management
- Finance, General
- International Finance
- Investments and Securities
- Public Finance
- Financial Risk Management
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
11.9% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | 3.0% | 19.1% |
| a certification | 4.3% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | <0.5% | 2.8% |
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/13-2051.00