Finance Major Salary (2024)

Average Finance Major Salary

To create our salary estimates, Zippia starts with data published in publicly available sources such as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Foreign Labor Certification Data Center (FLC) Show More

Updated September 14, 2023

$67,829

$33,00010%

$67,829Median

$136,00090%

What is the average finance major salary in the US?

As a finance major graduate in the USA, you can expect to earn on average $67,829 per year or $32.61 per hour. There is a huge gap between the top 10 percent earners and the bottom 10 percent earners -- about $103,000. The top 10 percent earn over $136,000, while the bottom 10 percent make less than $33,000 annually. Finance companies and professional companies have the most job opportunities for finance majors. The top 5 states when it comes to salaries for finance major graduates are New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, California, and Massachusetts.

Best Paying Cities

$82,311

$80,426

$77,446

Average Finance Salary By Company

Finance major graduates report their job security as good. But just as in every field, some employers pay higher wages than others. Finance companies and professional companies have the most job opportunities for finance major graduates. Apple and Microsoft are the highest paying companies. If you can find a job at a company like Cisco or Bloomberg, they also offer very competitive salaries for finance major graduates.

Average Salary By Company

Rank	Company	Zippia Score	Average Finance Salary
1	1.Apple	4.9	$109,501
2	2.Microsoft	4.9	$108,231
3	3.Cisco	4.9	$103,514
4	4.Bloomberg	4.9	$99,714
5	5.Barclays	4.8	$99,064
6	6.Citi	4.9	$97,018
7	7.GE Capital	4.9	$96,276
8	8.Goldman Sachs	4.9	$95,608
9	9.BNY Mellon	4.9	$95,353
10	10.Ernst & Young	4.9	$94,289
11	11.State Street	4.9	$93,372
12	12.Dell	4.9	$93,343
13	13.Credit Suisse	4.9	$93,312
14	14.AIG	4.8	$92,066
15	15.Deutsche Bank	4.9	$91,432
16	16.IBM	4.8	$91,407
17	17.Morgan Stanley	4.9	$88,738
18	18.Merrill Lynch	4.9	$88,126
19	19.J.P. Morgan	4.6	$87,780
20	20.Northern Trust	4.9	$87,765

Average Finance Major Salary By City

The national average salary for a finance major graduate in the USA is $67,829 annually or $32.61 hourly. The top city when it comes to salaries for finance majors is New York, NY at $82,311 per year. The average entry-level salary in New York, NY is $42,000. Other cities that offer high paying job opportunities for finance majors are San Francisco, CA, Hartford, CT, Washington, DC, Boston, MA, Seattle, WA, and Arlington, VA. New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, California, and Massachusetts are the top 5 highest earning states for finance major graduates. Montana, Utah, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Arkansas have the lowest reported salaries for finance major graduates.

Average Salary By Location

Rank	City	Average Finance Salary	Salary Range
1	New York, NY	$82,311	$42k $116k
2	San Francisco, CA	$80,426	$42k $116k
3	Hartford, CT	$77,446	$42k $116k
4	Washington, DC	$77,314	$42k $116k
5	Boston, MA	$74,978	$42k $116k
6	Seattle, WA	$73,099	$42k $116k
7	Arlington, VA	$71,105	$42k $116k
8	Baltimore, MD	$70,281	$42k $116k
9	Philadelphia, PA	$69,635	$42k $116k
10	Albany, OR	$66,558	$42k $116k
11	Washington, MI	$65,985	$42k $116k
12	Chicago, IL	$65,397	$42k $116k
13	Raleigh, NC	$64,801	$42k $116k
14	San Antonio, TX	$63,835	$42k $116k
15	Cleveland, OH	$63,808	$42k $116k
16	Las Vegas, NV	$63,807	$42k $116k
17	Saint Paul, MN	$63,658	$42k $116k
18	Portland, ME	$63,531	$42k $116k
19	Milwaukee, WI	$62,193	$42k $116k
20	Phoenix, AZ	$61,646	$42k $116k

Average Finance Major Salary By State

The darker areas on the map show where Finance Majors earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary

Finance Major Average Salary By State

State	Average Finance Major Salary	Average Hourly Rate
New York	$81,999	$39.42
New Jersey	$78,820	$37.89
Connecticut	$77,757	$37.38
California	$75,922	$36.50
Massachusetts	$75,237	$36.17
Washington	$72,672	$34.94
Rhode Island	$71,797	$34.52
Delaware	$71,404	$34.33
Maryland	$70,109	$33.71
Virginia	$69,957	$33.63
Pennsylvania	$69,259	$33.30
New Hampshire	$67,532	$32.47
Oregon	$66,256	$31.85
Michigan	$65,583	$31.53
Illinois	$65,176	$31.33
Nevada	$64,217	$30.87
North Carolina	$63,963	$30.75
Minnesota	$63,481	$30.52
Maine	$63,069	$30.32
Texas	$63,045	$30.31
Vermont	$62,627	$30.11
Ohio	$62,386	$29.99
Wisconsin	$61,938	$29.78
Alaska	$61,611	$29.62
Arizona	$61,574	$29.60
Colorado	$61,174	$29.41
Georgia	$59,704	$28.70
West Virginia	$59,577	$28.64
Indiana	$58,637	$28.19
Hawaii	$58,417	$28.09
North Dakota	$58,240	$28.00
New Mexico	$57,814	$27.80
South Carolina	$57,280	$27.54
South Dakota	$57,267	$27.53
Missouri	$57,014	$27.41
Louisiana	$56,853	$27.33
Tennessee	$56,662	$27.24
Florida	$56,510	$27.17
Alabama	$56,471	$27.15
Kentucky	$56,282	$27.06
Iowa	$56,188	$27.01
Wyoming	$56,050	$26.95
Idaho	$55,802	$26.83
Kansas	$55,675	$26.77
Montana	$55,471	$26.67
Utah	$55,390	$26.63
Nebraska	$55,351	$26.61
Oklahoma	$52,943	$25.45
Arkansas	$52,719	$25.35
Mississippi	$52,034	$25.02

Highest Paying Jobs For Finance Majors

Rank	Job Title	Average Salary	Open Jobs
1	Investment Associate	$127,205	39,012
2	Investment Banking Associate	$119,967	39,516
3	Investment Advisor	$105,377	63,438
4	Controller	$101,204	75,440
5	Senior Business Analyst	$96,843	129,426
6	Real Estate Agent	$91,787	41,399
7	Wealth Management Advisor	$91,605	127,946
8	Trader	$90,178	17,351
9	Wealth Management Internship	$87,382	119,112
10	Finance Systems Analyst	$85,794	188,040
11	Senior Analyst	$84,799	159,807
12	Senior Finance Analyst	$83,222	117,609
13	Risk Analyst	$81,483	71,284
14	Finance Associate	$81,338	83,256
15	Product Analyst	$79,316	176,369
16	Investment Analyst	$79,055	63,003
17	Finance Consultant	$77,550	94,259
18	Finance Planning Analyst	$77,027	103,172
19	Corporate Finance Analyst	$76,022	114,375
20	Business Analyst	$74,430	170,514

Average Finance Major Salary By Industry

The type of industry that a finance major graduate works in can influence their earning potential. Our data shows that finance companies, manufacturing companies, and technology companies tend to have the highest salaries for finance major graduates. Finance companies pay finance major graduates the highest wages, averaging $62,308 per year. Manufacturing companies and technology companies pay well too, at $45,991 and $43,576, respectively. At $33,788, the average salary for finance majors in the telecommunication industry is lower than other industries.

Average Salary By Industry

Rank	Industry	Average Finance Major Salary	Range
1	Finance	$62,308	$27k $94k
2	Manufacturing	$45,991	$27k $94k
3	Technology	$43,576	$27k $94k
4	Hospitality	$42,533	$27k $94k
5	Health Care	$41,986	$27k $94k
6	Professional	$40,241	$27k $94k
7	Government	$40,220	$27k $94k
8	Retail	$35,050	$27k $94k
9	Insurance	$34,065	$27k $94k
10	Telecommunication	$33,788	$27k $94k

Salary History For Finance Major Graduates

This data shows the national average salary between 2011-2020 among Finance major graduates.

Finance Major Salary By Experience Level

The salary for a finance major graduate can range from $26,890 to $147,967 depending on the amount of work experience that the person has. Data on how experience level affects salary is provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) as part of their National Compensation Survey, which is based on factors such as knowledge, complexity, contacts, and environment.

Salaries For Related Majors

Rank	Major	Average Salary	Range
1	Project Management	$92,381	$30k $114k
2	General Sales	$84,359	$30k $114k
3	Management Information Systems	$81,267	$30k $114k
4	Construction Management	$78,318	$30k $114k
5	Operations Management	$76,805	$30k $114k
6	Business Economics	$72,447	$30k $114k
7	Small Business Management	$70,935	$30k $114k
8	Management Science	$68,844	$30k $114k
9	Supply Chain Management	$61,407	$30k $114k
10	International Business	$58,124	$30k $114k
11	Human Resources Management	$57,738	$30k $114k
12	Real Estate	$56,531	$30k $114k
13	Management	$56,332	$30k $114k
14	Marketing	$56,295	$30k $114k
15	Accounting	$54,425	$30k $114k
16	Business	$50,670	$30k $114k
17	Specialized Sales And Merchandising	$48,480	$30k $114k
18	Business Communications	$44,181	$30k $114k
19	Hospitality Management	$43,446	$30k $114k
20	Secretarial And Administrative Science	$36,615	$30k $114k

Related Salaries

Related Majors

Updated September 14, 2023

FAQs

Finance Major Salary? ›

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statics (BLS), careers in finance pay a median salary of $76,850 — 66% higher than the median salary for all occupations in the nation ($46,310).

Find Out More ›

Is finance a high paying major? ›

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statics (BLS), careers in finance pay a median salary of $76,850 — 66% higher than the median salary for all occupations in the nation ($46,310).

What GPA do you need to major in finance? ›

Most finance programs require a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0-3.0.

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Is a BS in finance worth it? ›

A finance degree is a valuable asset to any career. With a bachelor's, you can apply for various roles, including financial analyst, accountant, financial advisor, auditor, or treasury analyst. You could also pursue a career in investment banking or stockbroking within the banking industry.

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Is finance a happy major? ›

Overall, finance students rate their satisfaction with their degree a 3.1 out of 5.

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Can I major in finance if I am bad at math? ›

Therefore, finance major is not centered around math. Actually, there are other skills that really counts and important in finance: interpersonal skills and analytic skills.

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Why do finance majors make so much? ›

An individual with a major in finance has many career options in various industries where they can help businesses budget and manage their finances and accounts. They have advanced knowledge regarding financial management and financial risks, which can help qualify them for higher salaries.

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Does finance pay more than accounting? ›

Starting salaries for those with a bachelor's degree in finance are slightly higher than for those with a bachelor's degree in accounting. However, the difference is slight, and the gap quickly closes as the careers progress.

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Is finance a well paying career? ›

Finance careers can be very lucrative for high-performing workers, with management roles commonly earning over $150,000 annually and executive salaries often reaching even higher.

Discover More ›