Side-by-side distribution
Actuary
$142,649
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 54%
- Live roles
- 420
Financial Analyst
$96,786
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 34.8%
- Live roles
- 3,289
Highest-paying jobs
Chief Pricing Actuary – Global Wholesale and Specialty
Vice President, Actuary - Life, Absence and Disability Benefits (LAD)
Chief Actuary
Senior Leader, Government Health Actuary
Actuary Lead
Director, P&C Pricing and Reserving Actuary
Vice President, Pricing Actuary
Chief Actuary
AVP & Actuary – Head of Life Insurance Valuation
AVP, Actuary - Inforce Management
Highest-paying jobs
Financial Analyst
Finance Expert - Public Equities Analyst / PM
Finance Expert - Quant Research & Systematic Trading
Senior Data Scientist / Analyst, Finance
Principal Program Finance Analyst
Senior Business Systems Analyst, Finance Systems (Assets & Lease Management)
Senior Business Systems Analyst, Finance Systems
Sr. Financial Analyst
Lead Financial Analyst
Lead Financial Analyst- GTM
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Pacific Life
|
$196,050 | 14 |
AIG
|
$141,500 | 13 |
| NL National Life Insurance Company | $150,313 | 12 |
Health Care Service Corporation
|
$143,150 | 12 |
| MA Marsh | $140,250 | 11 |
At-Bay
|
$147,500 | 10 |
Strive Health
|
$111,500 | 8 |
|
The Standard
|
$162,125 | 7 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Northrop Grumman
|
$117,700 | 24 |
Amentum
|
$110,000 | 23 |
Houlihan Lokey
|
$117,500 | 20 |
CACI
|
$106,050 | 16 |
Bank of America
|
$122,400 | 15 |
Booz Allen Hamilton
|
$101,500 | 14 |
| TB TD Bank | $70,853 | 12 |
| MT M&T Bank | $119,450 | 11 |
Actuary salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Boston | $158,000 | 22 |
| Denver | $146,500 | 9 |
| San Francisco | $146,000 | 15 |
| Chicago | $146,000 | 49 |
| Atlanta | $142,500 | 23 |
| Los Angeles | $140,250 | 5 |
| New York | $139,875 | 52 |
| Seattle | $139,875 | 8 |
| Toronto | $115,000 | 12 |
Financial Analyst salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | $126,166 | 18 |
| San Francisco | $113,250 | 36 |
| Atlanta | $109,500 | 21 |
| Austin | $109,250 | 16 |
| Chicago | $101,000 | 79 |
| Los Angeles | $100,875 | 34 |
| New York | $100,000 | 124 |
| Boston | $97,500 | 27 |
| Denver | $89,167 | 31 |
| Berlin | $73,673 | 4 |
Actuary vs Financial Analyst: which pays more?
The median for Actuary is $142,649 per year (typically $109,700–$175,000), versus $96,786 for Financial Analyst ($79,063–$115,000). That puts Actuary about 47% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Actuary and Financial Analyst are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.