Business and Financial Operations Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages O*NET task lead SOC 13-2031

Budget Analysts

O*NET task statements lead this Budget Analysts card before OEWS pay; neighboring titles include Financial and Investment Analysts, Credit Analysts, Labor Relations Specialists, Management Analysts.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Budget Analysts: Financial and Investment Analysts ($103K) , Credit Analysts ($84K) , Labor Relations Specialists ($95K) , Management Analysts ($102K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Budget Analysts publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 13-2031 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Analyze monthly department budgeting and accounting reports to maintain expenditure controls
  2. 2. Provide advice and technical assistance with cost analysis, fiscal allocation, and budget preparation
  3. 3. Review operating budgets to analyze trends affecting budget needs
  4. 4. Compile and analyze accounting records and other data to determine the financial resources required to implement a program
  5. 5. Examine budget estimates for completeness, accuracy, and conformance with procedures and regulations
  6. 6. Summarize budgets and submit recommendations for the approval or disapproval of funds requests
  7. 7. Consult with managers to ensure that budget adjustments are made in accordance with program changes
  8. 8. Direct the preparation of regular and special budget reports
  9. 9. Interpret budget directives and establish policies for carrying out directives
  10. 10. Testify before examining and fund-granting authorities, clarifying and promoting the proposed budgets
  11. 11. Perform cost-benefit analyses to compare operating programs, review financial requests, or explore alternative financing methods
  12. 12. Match appropriations for specific programs with appropriations for broader programs, including items for emergency funds

Budget Analysts: O*NET ranks Mathematics first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 13-2031 - lead skill Mathematics at 3.9 ; lead knowledge Economics and Accounting. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Mathematics 3.9
  2. 2. Critical Thinking 3.9
  3. 3. Reading Comprehension 3.8
  4. 4. Active Listening 3.8
  5. 5. Speaking 3.8
  6. 6. Complex Problem Solving 3.8
  7. 7. Judgment and Decision Making 3.8
  8. 8. Management of Financial Resources 3.4

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Economics and Accounting 4.4
  2. 2. Mathematics 4.0
  3. 3. English Language 3.9
  4. 4. Administration and Management 3.7
  5. 5. Administrative 3.4
  6. 6. Computers and Electronics 3.4
National median after O*NET task lead
$91,640
/year · 12 published task lines above
Lead task: Analyze monthly department budgeting and accounting reports to maintain expenditure controls
$92K
National median
↑ +1%
Growth 2024-2034
3,100
Annual openings
47,160
Estimated US jobs
Financial and Investment Analysts
Highest-pay peer · $103K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Bachelor's degree

Top Paying States for Budget Analysts

1. Washington $96,640
2. Maryland $106,020
3. New Jersey $96,250
4. Colorado $97,100
5. Connecticut $95,440
6. Virginia $105,470
7. California $99,520
8. District of Columbia $124,590
9. Michigan $96,430
10. Alabama $99,490

Other Business and Financial Operations Occupations titles

  1. 1. Labor Relations Specialists $95,420
  2. 2. Management Analysts $101,860
  3. 3. Accountants and Auditors $83,680
  4. 4. Financial Examiners $94,160
  5. 5. Financial and Investment Analysts $102,740
  6. 6. Credit Analysts $83,510

O*NET publishes 12 leading task statements for Budget Analysts (SOC 13-2031). The national OEWS median is $91,640 inside Business and Financial Operations Occupations. Same-group neighbors: Financial and Investment Analysts, Credit Analysts, Labor Relations Specialists, Management Analysts. Lead published task: Analyze monthly department budgeting and accounting reports to maintain expenditure controls.

Employment Projections expect +1% change between 2024 and 2034 (slower than average vs baseline 3.1%). About 3,100 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Washington at $96,640. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Financial and Investment Analysts at $102,740. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Budget Analysts pay-rank #8 in Business and Financial Operations Occupations

Among 32 detailed Business and Financial Operations Occupations with a published OEWS median, Budget Analysts is pay-rank #8, the upper third of that major group. The order is ROW_NUMBER on national median (title as tiebreak), not a worker-level percentile.

Other upper-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

SOC 13-2031 · national median $91,640 · upper third of Business and Financial Operations Occupations (#8/32). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Budget Analysts salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 13-2031

Washington · top state for Budget Analysts

$97K published median

Maryland · #2 state pay

$106K · behind Washington

Financial and Investment Analysts

Highest-pay peer vs Budget Analysts · $103K

Credit Analysts

Lower-pay peer beside Budget Analysts · $84K

Compare Budget Analysts

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Budget Analysts with another occupation →

Role and task next reads

Budget Analysts full salary map

State and metro OEWS after the task lead

Compare tasks and pay

Side-by-side with another occupation

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Business and Financial Operations Occupations titles sit near Budget Analysts at the top of the pay table? ▼
Budget Analysts is pay-rank #8 of 32 detailed Business and Financial Operations Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Financial Examiners ($94K), Labor Relations Specialists ($95K), Accountants and Auditors ($84K), Credit Analysts ($84K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do budget analysts do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Budget Analysts. Leading ones include: Analyze monthly department budgeting and accounting reports to maintain expenditure controls; Provide advice and technical assistance with cost analysis, fiscal allocation, and budget preparation; Review operating budgets to analyze trends affecting budget needs; Compile and analyze accounting records and other data to determine the financial resources required to implement a program. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for budget analysts? ▼
For SOC 13-2031, O*NET importance scores lead with Mathematics (3.9), Critical Thinking (3.9), Reading Comprehension (3.8), Active Listening (3.8). Knowledge areas emphasize Economics and Accounting, Mathematics, English Language. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Budget Analysts? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $91,640 as the national median for Budget Analysts. The published 10th-90th range is $62,250 to $136,660. Beside Financial and Investment Analysts ($102,740), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Budget Analysts? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Budget Analysts is +1%. Projected annual openings: about 3,100. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: slower than average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Budget Analysts? ▼
BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Budget Analysts. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Budget Analysts? ▼
Washington ($96,640), Maryland ($106,020), New Jersey ($96,250) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Budget Analysts card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 13-2031. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Budget Analysts. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics