Side-by-side distribution
Financial Analyst
$96,693
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 34.5%
- Live roles
- 3,312
Investment Banking
$175,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 66.2%
- Live roles
- 358
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)
Sr. Program Finance Analyst
Sr. Financial Analyst
Lead Financial Analyst- GTM
Lead Financial Analyst
Highest-paying jobs
Investment Banker II
Investment Banker I
BlackArch Investment Banker
Investment Banker - M&A Vice President
Vice President, Investment Banker
Investment Banking - Banker - Real Estate - VP - New York
Investment Banking - Banker - Power & Utilities, Renewables - VP - New York
Investment Banking - Banker - Tech - VP - New York or San Francisco
Investment Banking & Capital Markets–Banker–Healthcare Services Vice President
Investment Banking & Capital Markets – Banker – Financial Institutions Group Vice President
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Northrop Grumman
|
$117,700 | 22 |
Amentum
|
$115,750 | 22 |
Houlihan Lokey
|
$112,500 | 20 |
Booz Allen Hamilton
|
$101,500 | 16 |
CACI
|
$106,050 | 15 |
Cushman & Wakefield
|
$74,000 | 13 |
| MT M&T Bank | $119,450 | 12 |
|
Bank of America
|
$122,400 | 11 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| PS Piper Sandler | $175,000 | 26 |
|
Houlihan Lokey
|
$187,500 | 21 |
Moelis & Company
|
$200,000 | 20 |
Mizuho Americas
|
$120,000 | 18 |
MUFG
|
$115,000 | 15 |
| MS Morgan Stanley | $187,500 | 12 |
Guggenheim Securities
|
$175,000 | 12 |
| RB RBC | $175,000 | 12 |
Financial Analyst salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | $124,832 | 17 |
| San Francisco | $111,250 | 38 |
| Austin | $109,250 | 16 |
| Chicago | $101,000 | 81 |
| New York | $100,000 | 116 |
| Los Angeles | $100,000 | 34 |
| Atlanta | $98,750 | 22 |
| Boston | $97,500 | 28 |
| Denver | $88,839 | 30 |
| Berlin | $73,673 | 4 |
Investment Banking salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| New York | $180,000 | 131 |
| San Francisco | $175,000 | 20 |
| Chicago | $175,000 | 16 |
| Boston | $175,000 | 3 |
| Atlanta | $175,000 | 5 |
| Los Angeles | $170,000 | 23 |
| Toronto | $76,002 | 8 |
Financial Analyst vs Investment Banking: which pays more?
The median for Financial Analyst is $96,693 per year (typically $79,500–$115,000), versus $175,000 for Investment Banking ($117,500–$200,000). That puts Investment Banking about 81% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Financial Analyst and Investment Banking 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.