Business and Financial Operations Occupations·SOC 13-2041

Best degree programs for Credit Analysts, ranked by enrollment

Q: What degree do you need to become a Credit 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, 55.0% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Q: Which college majors lead to becoming a Credit 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 109,836 people a year.

Q: How much do credit analysts earn?

The median is $83,510 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $56,250 at the 10th percentile to $169,230 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 credit analysts growing?

BLS projects a -4.4% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, decline, with roughly 3,700 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

Q: How many schools offer programs for this career?

1,417 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 credit analysts work under?

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Credit Analyst, Credit Officer, Credit Administrator, Credit Representative among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 13-2041.

4 college programs and 1,417 schools train Credit Analysts. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $83,510 median wage, 64,390 U.S. jobs. Federal data.

4 college programs at 1,417 schools train credit analysts, graduating 109,836 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Accounting. The job pays a median of $83,510 (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Graduates / yr

109,836

from every feeder program

Median annual wage

$83,510

BLS OEWS May 2025

Projected growth

-4.4%

Decline

Openings / yr

3,700

new plus replacement

Schools

1,417

with a feeder program

States with jobs

BLS reports wages

About credit analysts

Analyze credit data and financial statements of individuals or firms to determine the degree of risk involved in extending credit or lending money. Prepare reports with credit information for use in decisionmaking.

Also calledCredit AnalystCredit OfficerCredit AdministratorCredit RepresentativeFactorerCredit ManagerCredit NegotiatorCredit SpecialistCredit CoordinatorCredit Risk AnalystCredit Risk ManagerLoan Review Analyst

Background

A credit analyst is a person employed by an organization to analyze the credit worthiness of customers and potential customers, and to assist in the ongoing management, classification and quantification of credit risk thereafter. See Credit analysis § Role and Financial analyst § Corporate and other for discussion. In May 2015, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 70,840 people employed as credit analysts. The salary for this position ranged from $40,250 to $134,080 with a mean average wage of $79,720.

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

60,383graduates / yr

1,352 schools · 1 specialization · 55.0% of pipeline

Grad earnings $51,824

Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services

CIP 52.08

Finance and Financial Management Services

49,453graduates / yr

753 schools · 3 specializations · 45.0% 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	55.0%	1,352	$51,824	$24,433
2	Finance, General CIP 52.0801	49,441	45.0%	753	$53,572	$23,672
3	Credit Management CIP 52.0809	6	0.0%	3	$53,572	$23,672
4	Financial Risk Management CIP 52.0810	6	0.0%	2	$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 · 2 feeder programs	2,460	Accounting	46%	$11,580	—
2	Southern New Hampshire University Manchester, NH Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	2,030	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	Florida State University Tallahassee, FL Public · 2 feeder programs	935	Finance, General	86%	—	24%
6	University of Georgia Athens, GA Public · 2 feeder programs	910	Finance, General	90%	—	38%
7	The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL Public · 2 feeder programs	899	Finance, General	73%	—	77%
8	Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, TX Public · 2 feeder programs	863	Accounting	84%	—	57%
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	Grand Canyon University Phoenix, AZ Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs	670	Accounting	43%	$21,535	79%
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	Miami University - Oxford Oxford, OH Public · 2 feeder programs	660	Finance, General	80%	—	75%
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	Clemson University Clemson, SC Public · 2 feeder programs	631	Finance, General	87%	—	38%
27	Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ Public · 2 feeder programs	629	Finance, General	84%	—	58%
28	University of South Carolina - Columbia Columbia, SC Public · 2 feeder programs	620	Finance, General	79%	—	60%
29	The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN Public · 2 feeder programs	613	Finance, General	74%	—	42%
30	University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC Public · 2 feeder programs	587	Finance, General	69%	—	80%
31	University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign Champaign, IL Public · 2 feeder programs	570	Accounting	85%	—	42%
32	University of Maryland - College Park College Park, MD Public · 2 feeder programs	560	Finance, General	89%	—	45%
33	Michigan State University East Lansing, MI Public · 2 feeder programs	557	Finance, General	81%	—	85%
34	University of Mississippi University, MS Public · 2 feeder programs	554	Accounting	72%	—	97%
35	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA Public · 2 feeder programs	554	Finance, General	86%	—	55%
36	University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, WI Public · 2 feeder programs	549	Finance, General	90%	—	45%
37	Baylor University Waco, TX Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	541	Accounting	80%	$35,682	51%
38	Liberty University Lynchburg, VA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	537	Accounting	65%	$28,911	99%
39	University of Florida Gainesville, FL Public · 2 feeder programs	512	Finance, General	91%	—	24%
40	University of Oklahoma - Norman Campus Norman, OK Public · 2 feeder programs	509	Accounting	75%	—	77%
41	University of Kentucky Lexington, KY Public · 2 feeder programs	498	Finance, General	71%	—	93%
42	University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT Public · 2 feeder programs	484	Finance, General	65%	—	86%
43	The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX Public · 2 feeder programs	477	Finance, General	76%	—	65%
44	Purdue University Global West Lafayette, IN Public · 2 feeder programs	476	Accounting	50%	—	—
45	Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA Public · 2 feeder programs	475	Accounting	52%	—	69%
46	Bentley University Waltham, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	470	Finance, General	87%	$31,677	45%
47	University of North Texas Denton, TX Public · 2 feeder programs	470	Accounting	61%	—	72%
48	DePaul University Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	464	Accounting	68%	$28,141	76%
49	University of Miami Coral Gables, FL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	462	Finance, General	84%	$26,589	19%
50	Washington State University Pullman, WA Public · 2 feeder programs	461	Finance, General	60%	—	87%

What credit analysts earn

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

Median annual wage

$83,510

Mean annual

$100,850

Median hourly

$40.15/hr

People employed

64,390

What the range looks like

10th pct$56,250Median$83,51090th pct$169,230

Top-paying states

Top-paying metro areas

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ

$136,500median

7,530 jobs

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

$129,240median

330 jobs

San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA

$122,590median

850 jobs

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

$114,700median

1,060 jobs

Burlington-South Burlington, VT

$120,480median

40 jobs

Richmond, VA

$105,430median

—

Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT

$106,670median

180 jobs

Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH

$101,890median

1,080 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34

-4.4%

Decline

Openings per year

3,700

new jobs plus replacements

Employment change

-3,000

67,800 → 64,800

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	$78,730	6,130	1.05×	80	10,927
Florida	$78,360	4,040	0.98×	44	6,910
New York	$133,270	7,960	1.98×	83	6,498
Ohio	$79,720	2,790	1.21×	61	5,131
Pennsylvania	$80,280	1,930	0.77×	84	4,646
Utah	$74,430	750	1.04×	12	4,614
Illinois	$84,990	3,130	1.24×	72	3,939
Arizona	$77,020	2,260	1.68×	22	3,575
Michigan	$74,640	1,510	0.83×	40	3,075
New Jersey	$100,940	1,220	0.69×	30	3,067
Georgia	$77,990	1,790	0.88×	34	3,035
Massachusetts	$97,080	1,400	0.93×	41	3,002
Wisconsin	$68,690	1,770	1.45×	46	2,765
Alabama	$79,970	370	0.42×	21	2,649
North Carolina	$94,570	3,270	1.60×	35	2,560
South Carolina	$77,530	690	0.72×	35	2,336
Indiana	$62,660	860	0.65×	38	2,332
Virginia	$102,430	2,460	1.45×	29	2,290
Minnesota	$82,630	1,110	0.91×	51	2,257
New Hampshire	$77,980	230	0.82×	15	2,215
California	$97,860	5,260	0.70×	52	2,212
Connecticut	$98,230	560	0.80×	15	1,978
Iowa	$76,760	480	0.74×	37	1,951
Tennessee	$72,550	1,480	1.09×	30	1,904
Louisiana	$73,210	290	0.36×	21	1,783
Washington	$91,160	1,280	0.87×	17	1,768
Missouri	$65,350	1,160	0.96×	34	1,687
Colorado	$81,270	870	0.73×	23	1,592
Maryland	$75,390	700	0.61×	22	1,528
Kansas	$73,120	520	0.87×	22	1,520
Kentucky	$79,290	370	0.44×	20	1,427
Oklahoma	$75,330	550	0.78×	20	1,366
Arkansas	$71,370	300	0.56×	27	1,258
Mississippi	$74,880	280	0.58×	16	1,167
Rhode Island	$85,920	160	0.76×	9	951
Oregon	$80,380	650	0.80×	20	875
District of Columbia	$132,590	50	0.16×	9	793
Delaware	$94,680	720	3.57×	5	723
Nebraska	$79,730	510	1.20×	14	704
Idaho	$79,650	330	0.92×	7	697
Nevadamoderate	$73,090	390	0.61×	4	591
West Virginia	$57,320	220	0.74×	16	465
North Dakota	$74,810	300	1.67×	7	399
Maine	$81,750	280	1.05×	12	333
Hawaiimoderate	$98,900	130	0.51×	3	280
South Dakota	$73,040	430	2.28×	12	259
New Mexico	$72,160	90	0.26×	9	233
Montana	$74,650	190	0.92×	7	156
Vermont	$71,220	90	0.71×	6	124
Wyoming	$62,210	40	0.38×	7	95
Alaskalimited	$81,340	40	0.27×	2	78

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 credit data and financial statements to determine the degree of risk involved in extending credit or lending money.
Complete loan applications, including credit analyses and summaries of loan requests, and submit to loan committees for approval.
Generate financial ratios, using computer programs, to evaluate customers' financial status.
Prepare reports that include the degree of risk involved in extending credit or lending money.
Analyze financial data, such as income growth, quality of management, and market share to determine expected profitability of loans.
Compare liquidity, profitability, and credit histories of establishments being evaluated with those of similar establishments in the same industries and geographic locations.
Consult with customers to resolve complaints and verify financial and credit transactions.
Contact customers to collect payments on delinquent accounts.

Skills

Critical Thinking3.9
Reading Comprehension3.6
Active Learning3.6
Speaking3.6
Active Listening3.5
Mathematics3.4
Writing3.1
Monitoring3.0

Knowledge areas

Economics and Accounting4.5
English Language3.9
Mathematics3.9
Law and Government3.3
Administrative3.0
Computers and Electronics2.9

Abilities

Oral Expression4.0
Oral Comprehension3.9
Inductive Reasoning3.9
Written Comprehension3.9
Deductive Reasoning3.8
Mathematical Reasoning3.8

Core activities

Analyzing Data or Information4.7
Getting Information4.6
Working with Computers4.5
Processing Information4.4
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.3
Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.0

Tools and technology

hotmarks an O*NET hot technology

Microsoft ExcelhotMicrosoft Office softwarehotMicrosoft OutlookhotMicrosoft PowerPointhotMicrosoft SQL ServerhotMicrosoft Visual BasichotMicrosoft Visual Basic for Applications VBAhotMicrosoft WordhotPythonhotSAP softwarehot

How to get in

How to become a Credit 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 Credit Analysts4 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+

52.0301Accounting
52.0801Finance, General
52.0809Credit Management
52.0810Financial Risk Management

Related careers

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

43-4041

Credit Authorizers, Checkers, and Clerks

$50,08012,030 jobs-6.2%

13-2072

Loan Officers

$76,690274,330 jobs+1.7%

43-4131

Loan Interviewers and Clerks

$50,020164,790 jobs-2.3%

13-2071

Credit Counselors

$52,23027,770 jobs+3.3%

13-2051

Financial and Investment Analysts

$102,740361,980 jobs+5.7%

13-2052

Personal Financial Advisors

$105,070266,800 jobs+9.6%

Common questions

What degree do you need to become a Credit 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, 55.0% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Credit 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 109,836 people a year.

How much do credit analysts earn?+

The median is $83,510 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $56,250 at the 10th percentile to $169,230 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 credit analysts growing?+

BLS projects a -4.4% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, decline, with roughly 3,700 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career?+

1,417 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 credit analysts work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Credit Analyst, Credit Officer, Credit Administrator, Credit Representative among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 13-2041.

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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