Business and Financial Operations Occupations·SOC 13-2031

Best degree programs for Budget Analysts, ranked by enrollment

Q: What degree do you need to become a Budget Analyst?

Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Accounting, which awarded 60,383 degrees in 2024-25, 53.1% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Q: Which college majors lead to becoming a Budget Analyst?

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 4 programs to this occupation. The largest are Accounting and Related Services, Finance and Financial Management Services. Together they graduate about 113,636 people a year.

Q: How much do budget analysts earn?

The median is $91,640 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $62,250 at the 10th percentile to $136,660 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Q: Is demand for budget analysts growing?

BLS projects a +1.0% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, little or no change, with roughly 3,100 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

Q: How many schools offer programs for this career?

1,488 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 4 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

Q: What other job titles do budget analysts work under?

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Budget Analyst, Budget Officer, Budget Planning Analyst, Budget and Policy Analyst among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 13-2031.

4 college programs and 1,488 schools train Budget Analysts. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $91,640 median wage, 47,160 U.S. jobs. Federal data.

4 college programs at 1,488 schools train budget analysts, graduating 113,636 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Accounting. The job pays a median of $91,640 (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Graduates / yr

113,636

from every feeder program

Median annual wage

$91,640

BLS OEWS May 2025

Projected growth

+1.0%

Little or no change

Openings / yr

3,100

new plus replacement

Schools

1,488

with a feeder program

States with jobs

BLS reports wages

About budget analysts

Examine budget estimates for completeness, accuracy, and conformance with procedures and regulations. Analyze budgeting and accounting reports.

Also calledBudget AnalystBudget OfficerBudget Planning AnalystBudget and Policy AnalystCost AnalystFiscal AgentFiscal AnalystFiscal OfficerBudget EngineerBudget ExaminerCost AccountantProgram Analyst

Fields of study that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.

Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services

CIP 52.03

Accounting and Related Services

64,159graduates / yr

1,352 schools · 2 specializations · 56.4% of pipeline

Grad earnings $51,824

Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services

CIP 52.08

Finance and Financial Management Services

49,477graduates / yr

753 schools · 2 specializations · 43.5% of pipeline

Grad earnings $53,572

4 degree programs that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#	Program	Graduates / yr	Share of pipeline	Schools	Grad earnings (1 yr)	Median debt
1	Accounting CIP 52.0301	60,383	53.1%	1,352	$51,824	$24,433
2	Finance, General CIP 52.0801	49,441	43.5%	753	$53,572	$23,672
3	Accounting and Finance CIP 52.0304	3,776	3.3%	134	$51,824	$24,433
4	Public Finance CIP 52.0808	36	0.0%	4	$53,572	$23,672

Top 50 schools by graduates into this job

Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#	School	Graduates / yr	Top feeder program	Grad rate	Net price	Acceptance
1	Western Governors University Salt Lake City, UT Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs	2,471	Accounting	46%	$11,580	—
2	Southern New Hampshire University Manchester, NH Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs	2,312	Accounting	43%	$34,565	100%
3	CUNY Bernard M Baruch College New York, NY Public · 2 feeder programs	1,524	Finance, General	72%	—	48%
4	Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH Public · 2 feeder programs	1,222	Finance, General	88%	—	61%
5	Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, TX Public · 3 feeder programs	1,008	Accounting	84%	—	57%
6	Florida State University Tallahassee, FL Public · 2 feeder programs	935	Finance, General	86%	—	24%
7	University of Georgia Athens, GA Public · 2 feeder programs	910	Finance, General	90%	—	38%
8	The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL Public · 2 feeder programs	899	Finance, General	73%	—	77%
9	Florida International University Miami, FL Public · 2 feeder programs	837	Finance, General	74%	—	55%
10	Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus University Park, PA Public · 2 feeder programs	787	Finance, General	86%	—	61%
11	University of South Florida Tampa, FL Public · 2 feeder programs	783	Finance, General	77%	—	43%
12	University of Houston Houston, TX Public · 2 feeder programs	779	Finance, General	65%	—	74%
13	University of Phoenix - Arizona Phoenix, AZ Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs	728	Accounting	21%	$15,478	—
14	University of Iowa Iowa City, IA Public · 2 feeder programs	727	Finance, General	75%	—	84%
15	Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ Public · 2 feeder programs	716	Finance, General	68%	—	90%
16	University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR Public · 2 feeder programs	710	Finance, General	71%	—	74%
17	Auburn University Auburn, AL Public · 2 feeder programs	685	Finance, General	82%	—	46%
18	Utah Valley University Orem, UT Public · 2 feeder programs	678	Accounting	45%	—	—
19	Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL Public · 2 feeder programs	676	Accounting	63%	—	66%
20	Miami University - Oxford Oxford, OH Public · 3 feeder programs	671	Finance, General	80%	—	75%
21	University of Central Florida Orlando, FL Public · 2 feeder programs	667	Finance, General	78%	—	40%
22	The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX Public · 2 feeder programs	666	Finance, General	89%	—	27%
23	Grand Canyon University Phoenix, AZ Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	665	Accounting	43%	$21,535	79%
24	University of Massachusetts - Amherst Amherst, MA Public · 2 feeder programs	657	Finance, General	83%	—	60%
25	Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX Public · 2 feeder programs	638	Finance, General	69%	—	73%
26	Wake Technical Community College Raleigh, NC Public · 1 feeder programs	634	Accounting and Finance	33%	—	—
27	Clemson University Clemson, SC Public · 2 feeder programs	631	Finance, General	87%	—	38%
28	Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ Public · 2 feeder programs	629	Finance, General	84%	—	58%
29	University of South Carolina - Columbia Columbia, SC Public · 2 feeder programs	620	Finance, General	79%	—	60%
30	The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN Public · 2 feeder programs	613	Finance, General	74%	—	42%
31	DeVry University - Illinois Lisle, IL Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs	610	Accounting	37%	$32,381	98%
32	University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC Public · 2 feeder programs	587	Finance, General	69%	—	80%
33	University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign Champaign, IL Public · 2 feeder programs	570	Accounting	85%	—	42%
34	University of Maryland - College Park College Park, MD Public · 2 feeder programs	560	Finance, General	89%	—	45%
35	Michigan State University East Lansing, MI Public · 2 feeder programs	557	Finance, General	81%	—	85%
36	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA Public · 3 feeder programs	555	Finance, General	86%	—	55%
37	University of Mississippi University, MS Public · 2 feeder programs	554	Accounting	72%	—	97%
38	University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, WI Public · 2 feeder programs	549	Finance, General	90%	—	45%
39	Bentley University Waltham, MA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs	548	Finance, General	87%	$31,677	45%
40	Baylor University Waco, TX Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	541	Accounting	80%	$35,682	51%
41	Liberty University Lynchburg, VA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	537	Accounting	65%	$28,911	99%
42	University of Florida Gainesville, FL Public · 2 feeder programs	512	Finance, General	91%	—	24%
43	University of Oklahoma - Norman Campus Norman, OK Public · 2 feeder programs	509	Accounting	75%	—	77%
44	University of Kentucky Lexington, KY Public · 2 feeder programs	498	Finance, General	71%	—	93%
45	University of Maryland Global Campus Adelphi, MD Public · 3 feeder programs	487	Accounting	33%	—	—
46	University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT Public · 2 feeder programs	484	Finance, General	65%	—	86%
47	University of Miami Coral Gables, FL Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs	483	Finance, General	84%	$26,589	19%
48	The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX Public · 2 feeder programs	477	Finance, General	76%	—	65%
49	Purdue University Global West Lafayette, IN Public · 2 feeder programs	476	Accounting	50%	—	—
50	Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA Public · 2 feeder programs	475	Accounting	52%	—	69%

What budget analysts earn

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual wage

$91,640

Mean annual

$96,370

Median hourly

$44.06/hr

People employed

47,160

What the range looks like

10th pct$62,250Median$91,64090th pct$136,660

Top-paying states

Top-paying metro areas

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

$131,730median

340 jobs

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

$125,050median

4,100 jobs

Iowa City, IA

$134,850median

40 jobs

San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA

$117,360median

760 jobs

Ann Arbor, MI

$127,860median

90 jobs

Huntsville, AL

$113,400median

520 jobs

San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA

$107,010median

290 jobs

Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT

$102,260median

110 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34

+1.0%

Little or no change

Openings per year

3,100

new jobs plus replacements

Employment change

500

50,400 → 51,000

Typical entry education

Bachelor's degree

Where the jobs are, state by state

Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.

This occupation state by state: pay, jobs, and schools
State	Median pay	Jobs	Concentration	Schools	Graduates / yr
Texas	$82,970	3,340	0.78×	82	11,080
Florida	$84,170	3,150	1.05×	45	6,969
New York	$88,540	2,760	0.94×	85	6,629
Ohio	$89,840	800	0.47×	64	5,175
Pennsylvania	$84,240	1,490	0.81×	88	4,803
North Carolina	$82,350	1,830	1.22×	82	4,717
Utah	$88,610	280	0.54×	12	4,635
Illinois	$94,880	750	0.40×	72	4,179
Arizona	$84,810	730	0.74×	22	3,571
Massachusetts	$92,260	1,280	1.16×	41	3,170
Michigan	$96,430	1,020	0.76×	41	3,095
New Jersey	$96,250	840	0.65×	31	3,072
Georgia	$91,870	1,900	1.28×	35	3,052
Wisconsin	$82,180	820	0.92×	46	2,761
Alabama	$99,490	870	1.36×	22	2,650
New Hampshire	$92,600	80	0.37×	16	2,524
South Carolina	$86,260	470	0.68×	35	2,340
Indiana	$82,080	390	0.40×	38	2,338
Virginia	$105,470	2,730	2.19×	30	2,318
Minnesota	$85,970	450	0.50×	51	2,269
California	$99,520	4,160	0.75×	52	2,218
Connecticut	$95,440	970	1.88×	15	1,977
Iowa	$86,550	390	0.82×	37	1,953
Tennessee	$86,570	1,140	1.15×	31	1,931
Louisiana	$80,530	330	0.56×	22	1,790
Washington	$96,640	1,510	1.40×	17	1,782
Missouri	$81,980	520	0.59×	34	1,698
Maryland	$106,020	2,490	2.97×	22	1,607
Colorado	$97,100	1,290	1.48×	23	1,599
Kansas	$80,140	270	0.62×	23	1,527
Kentucky	$76,860	630	1.03×	20	1,428
Oklahoma	$80,990	670	1.29×	20	1,386
Arkansas	$71,800	320	0.81×	27	1,274
Mississippi	$78,850	390	1.11×	16	1,167
Rhode Island	$92,790	90	0.60×	9	958
Oregon	$95,250	1,090	1.82×	20	875
District of Columbia	$124,590	1,490	7.02×	10	820
Delaware	$82,000	260	1.80×	5	751
Nebraska	$83,010	200	0.63×	14	704
Idaho	$83,220	190	0.73×	7	697
Nevadamoderate	$81,600	440	0.94×	4	591
West Virginia	$78,850	180	0.87×	16	465
North Dakota	$77,400	150	1.17×	7	405
Maine	$88,130	200	1.03×	12	333
Hawaiimoderate	$92,380	210	1.10×	3	280
South Dakota	$79,180	120	0.88×	12	260
New Mexico	$87,360	740	2.81×	9	233
Montana	$79,700	360	2.33×	7	156
Vermont	$93,430	90	1.02×	6	124
Wyoming	$81,100	80	0.90×	7	95
Alaskamoderate	$94,740	220	2.21×	3	80

Skills and tools

From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.

What they do day to day

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.
Examine budget estimates for completeness, accuracy, and conformance with procedures and regulations.
Summarize budgets and submit recommendations for the approval or disapproval of funds requests.
Consult with managers to ensure that budget adjustments are made in accordance with program changes.
Direct the preparation of regular and special budget reports.

Skills

Critical Thinking3.9
Mathematics3.9
Reading Comprehension3.8
Speaking3.8
Active Listening3.8
Active Learning3.3
Writing3.1
Monitoring3.1

Knowledge areas

Economics and Accounting4.4
Mathematics4.0
English Language3.9
Administration and Management3.7
Administrative3.4
Computers and Electronics3.4

Abilities

Oral Expression3.9
Written Comprehension3.9
Mathematical Reasoning3.9
Oral Comprehension3.9
Number Facility3.9
Information Ordering3.8

Core activities

Working with Computers4.5
Getting Information4.5
Processing Information4.4
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.2
Analyzing Data or Information4.0
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work4.0

Tools and technology

hotmarks an O*NET hot technology

Microsoft AccesshotMicrosoft ExcelhotMicrosoft Office softwarehotMicrosoft OutlookhotMicrosoft Power BIhotMicrosoft PowerPointhotMicrosoft SharePointhotMicrosoft Visual BasichotMicrosoft WordhotSAP softwarehot

How to get in

How to become a Budget Analyst

Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0

Typical entry education: Bachelor's degree

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 4 majors mapped to Budget Analysts4 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+

52.0301Accounting
52.0304Accounting and Finance
52.0801Finance, General
52.0808Public Finance

Related careers

Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.

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Common questions

What degree do you need to become a Budget Analyst?+

Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Accounting, which awarded 60,383 degrees in 2024-25, 53.1% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Budget Analyst?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 4 programs to this occupation. The largest are Accounting and Related Services, Finance and Financial Management Services. Together they graduate about 113,636 people a year.

How much do budget analysts earn?+

The median is $91,640 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $62,250 at the 10th percentile to $136,660 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for budget analysts growing?+

BLS projects a +1.0% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, little or no change, with roughly 3,100 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career?+

1,488 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 4 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do budget analysts work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Budget Analyst, Budget Officer, Budget Planning Analyst, Budget and Policy Analyst among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 13-2031.

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025
Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
Official source →
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34
Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
Official source →
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)
Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
Official source →
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohorts
Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Official source →
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest available
Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
Official source →
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018
Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
Official source →
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3
Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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