Best Paying Jobs in Finance (BLS Pay Data, Ranked)

Finance pays well, but the headline numbers on most "highest paying finance jobs" lists come from investment-banking bonuses and hedge-fund folklore, not from the wage data the government actually collects. So here is what the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) measured: in May 2025, the median financial manager in the US earned $166,570 a year, and the top 10% of personal financial advisors earned more than $357,000.

That spread is the real story. Finance has some of the widest pay ranges of any field, and where you land depends less on the job title than on whether the role pays a salary or a commission. Below: 13 finance roles ranked by BLS median pay, the 90th-percentile pay that shows each role's ceiling, job growth through 2035, what it takes to qualify, and which of them can realistically be done from home.

Best paying jobs in finance: ranked by median pay

The figures below are national estimates from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program, May 2025, the latest data available. The median is the midpoint, so half of workers earn more and half earn less. The 90th percentile is the pay level that 10% of workers exceed. Both cover wages and salaries only; bonuses and carried interest are largely outside what this survey captures.

Data scientists are included because they are a common hire at banks, insurers and fintechs, though BLS does not classify the occupation as finance-specific. Credit analysts (13-2041), a role many lenders hire for, sit just below accountants at a $83,510 median and a $169,230 90th percentile in the same dataset.

Two patterns jump out. First, the median ranking and the ceiling ranking are different lists. Personal financial advisors rank fifth by median but first by 90th percentile, and securities sales agents rank twelfth by median but carry a ceiling above $212,000. Those are commission-driven jobs: the typical worker does fine, and a minority earns multiples of that. Second, the salaried, credentialed roles (financial managers, actuaries) have high floors and high ceilings both.

Job growth and entry requirements

Pay tells you what a job offers today. This table covers where demand is heading, using BLS Employment Projections for 2025 to 2035 from the Occupational Outlook Handbook.

For comparison, BLS describes 4% growth as about the average for all occupations. The fast-growing roles are data scientists (35%), financial managers (10%), actuaries (9%) and financial examiners (9%). Insurance underwriting is the one finance job BLS expects to shrink, because automation is handling more routine applications. Slow growth doesn't mean no jobs, though: BLS still projects roughly 17,100 loan officer openings and 35,100 securities sales agent openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers.

The best paying finance jobs, explained

Financial managers ($166,570 median). These are the controllers, finance directors and treasurers who run a company's reporting, cash and investment decisions. BLS notes that the job typically requires a bachelor's degree plus five or more years in a role such as accounting or financial analysis. It is a promotion, not a first job, which is why the pay is high and the entry point is not.

Actuaries ($130,000 median). Actuaries price risk for insurers and pension plans. The catch is the exam series: BLS says reaching associate status can take up to seven years, with more years for fellowship. Many people work full time as actuarial analysts while they pass exams, often with employer support.

Personal financial advisors ($105,070 median, $357,020 at the 90th percentile). The widest pay gap on this list. Pay depends heavily on how many client assets you manage, and BLS projects only 1% growth. The first few years are the hard part, which the credentials section below covers.

Financial and investment analysts ($102,740 median). The classic entry route into corporate finance, asset management and equity research. Financial risk specialists, who model exposure to market and credit risk, earn more ($117,330) and are counted in the same BLS profile.

Financial examiners ($94,160 median). Examiners work for regulators and check that banks and credit unions follow the rules. BLS projects 9% growth driven by regulatory demand. Pay is lower than the private sector, but the roles come with government-style stability.

Accountants and auditors ($83,680 median). The largest occupation on the list by far, with about 1.45 million workers in May 2025 in OEWS data. A CPA license isn't required for every job, but anyone signing audit reports filed with the SEC needs one, per BLS. Growth is 5%, with about 115,300 openings a year.

Securities, commodities and financial services sales agents ($78,660 median, $212,880 at the 90th percentile). Brokers and sales agents at banks and investment firms. A sponsored license is the gate, covered below.

Loan officers ($76,690 median). Loan officers who originate mortgages must hold a Mortgage Loan Originator license issued through the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System (NMLS), which involves prelicensing courses, a national exam and a background check. Pay is often partly commission, so individual years vary widely.

Can you get a high-paying finance job without a degree?

Honest answer: partly. BLS lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry requirement for every occupation in the tables above. Employers mostly screen on it. But "typical" is not "required by law," and a few doors open without a four-year degree.

Financial advisor. One SmartAsset guide notes the job has no legal degree requirement, though most working advisors have a four-year degree, and FINRA's Series 7 license carries no specific educational requirement. The license does, however, need a sponsoring firm: per FINRA, candidates must be associated with a member firm to sit the Series 7, and the Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) exam is a corequisite. Firms that hire non-degreed trainees do exist, but they are the minority, and the work is sales.

Securities sales agent. Same route, same exams, same caveat: you are being hired to bring in clients.

Mortgage loan officer. The licensing steps are open to anyone who completes the NMLS requirements, and lenders in a hot market hire on hustle. BLS still lists a bachelor's as typical, so expect to compete against degree holders.

Bookkeeping and tax preparation. These are the genuinely accessible entry points, but the pay is lower. In May 2025, bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks had a median of $50,670 and a 90th percentile of $74,550, and tax preparers a median of $54,920 and a 90th percentile of $99,270. Treat them as a foothold, not a destination: many people use them to fund accounting coursework toward the $83,680-median accountant track.

The trade-off, stated plainly: without a degree, the realistic high-paying route is commission work where you can earn a lot but are not guaranteed to. The salaried six-figure roles (financial manager, actuary, analyst) are effectively degree-gated.

Licenses and time to qualify

Sources: FINRA, CFP Board, and the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook pages linked above. The CFP Board says the typical path from start to certification is about 18 to 24 months of coursework plus the experience hours, which overlap the job itself.

Which finance jobs can be done remotely?

Most of the high-paying finance roles are desk work, but remote options are narrower than the general "work from home" boom suggests. Banks and brokerages lean toward the office, while fintech, insurance-tech and crypto employers post more remote roles, mostly in analysis, credit, compliance and accounting.

Employer career boards showed these openings on September 30, 2026. Postings close quickly, so treat them as a snapshot of what employers are hiring remotely rather than a permanent list:

• Accounting: Coinbase listed an Accounting Manager for lending and credit products as Remote, USA.
• Compliance: Upstart listed a Compliance Manager for its BSA/AML program as remote in the United States.
• Credit risk: Toast listed a Lead Credit Risk Analyst as remote, and Figure listed a Credit Risk Manager as remote.
• Financial planning and analysis: Gemini listed a Senior Associate, Financial Planning & Analysis with a remote (USA) option.
• Actuarial: Oscar listed an Associate, Actuarial role as remote.

The pattern holds: compliance, credit risk, accounting, FP&A and actuarial work travel well because the output is a model, a report or a sign-off. Client-facing advisor and sales roles often have remote components, but many firms still want in-person meetings. To see what is live right now, browse JobSnag's remote job listings.

What people in finance say about the job

A few worker-side data points are worth weighing against the pay tables.

Flexibility is a dealbreaker for many. In a 2023 Bloomberg survey of 1,320 financial professionals, reported by Fortune, about half said they would consider quitting if required to spend more time in the office. Over half preferred a hybrid schedule, and only about 20% wanted a full return to the office. The survey is from 2023, so it shows a preference, not today's policies.

Advisor careers are harder than the pay suggests. Cerulli Associates research, reported by Financial Advisor magazine in January 2025, found that 71% of rookie advisors leave the profession within five years, most within the first three. The top obstacle is finding clients: 55% of new clients come through referrals and relationships, which favors people who already know wealthy households. Advisors who start on an established team, rather than alone, do better. That is the context for that $357,020 90th percentile: it is real, but it rewards the survivors.

So is finance a good career path?

For a salaried route with real wage growth, yes: financial managers, actuaries and analysts earn six-figure medians, and BLS projects growth of 7 to 10% for most of them. The price is usually a bachelor's degree, a credential or two, and, for the highest-paid tracks, years of experience first.

Finance is a worse bet when you chase the ceiling instead of the median. The advisor and sales tracks can pay far more than any salaried role, but the typical outcome is closer to the median than the 90th percentile, and plenty of people exit early. The smart move is usually to pick the role whose median you'd be happy with, then treat the upside as a bonus. To see which of these roles are hiring now, start with JobSnag's job listings. For another data-first ranking, see our guide to the best paying jobs in consumer non-durables.