$Who Earns What

How much does a risk analyst make?

US Financial Risk Specialists

Answer: A typical risk analyst in the United States makes $117,330 a year (median, May 2025, US Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Yearly pay of a typical person doing this job in the US
$117,330

Line up 100 people; this is the one in the middle (median). about 64,000 people work in this job. Well above the US-wide typical pay ($50,980).

Lower earner
$64,820
10th from the bottom of 100
Typical person
$117,330
Right in the middle (median)
Higher earner
$196,110
10th from the top of 100

If 100 people had this job

Lowest at bottom-left, highest at top-right

Hover over a person to see their yearly pay

48 of 100
not many

Risk analyst pay in the United States (May 2025, median and spread)

Risk analyst pay in the United States (May 2025, median and spread) — Data: US BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lower earner (10th from bottom)Typical person (median)Higher earner (10th from top)People in this job
$64,820$117,330$196,110about 64,000
States where risk analysts earn the most (median, May 2025)
StateTypical person (median)People in this job
Delaware$139,440about 1,000
New York$136,830about 12,000
North Carolina$132,040about 3,000
Massachusetts$130,400about 1,000
New Jersey$129,220about 3,000

Why does pay differ?

In the U.S., pay can differ with experience, useful credentials such as FRM, and skill with complex risk models. It also varies by employer or industry, location, and the difficulty of the work.

What if you lived in a different state?

Pay varies a lot by state in the US
Whole US$117,330
Delaware$139,440
New York$136,830
North Carolina$132,040
Massachusetts$130,400
New Jersey$129,220
Utah$77,770
Kentucky$74,640
Louisiana$58,440

Top 5 and bottom 3 states, typical (median) yearly pay.

What does a risk analyst do?

Analyze and measure exposure to credit and market risk threatening the assets, earning capacity, or economic state of an organization. May make recommendations to limit risk. Excludes “Credit Analysts” (13-2041).

What's a typical day like?

They review company and market data, use statistical models to measure risk, and consider how market scenarios could affect a business. They explain their findings to clients or coworkers and discuss what the risk numbers mean.

How to get this job

In the U.S., a bachelor’s degree in finance or a related field is typical, and internships can provide useful experience. An optional FRM credential requires passing two exams and gaining two years of relevant work experience.

Usually a bachelor's degree (preparation level 4 of 5)

Good for people who like keeping things organized and figuring things out.

Did you know?

A bank stress test is not a prediction: the Fed uses made-up recession scenarios to check whether big banks could keep lending to families and businesses.

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Sources and data

Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (bls.gov); descriptions and related jobs from O*NET 31.0. Figures as of May 2025, full-time yearly pay (hourly × 2,080 hours). bls.gov/oes · O*NET OnLine

Pages used for the text

Data: US BLS OEWS, May 2025 · 1 USD = 150 JPY