Budget Analysts
Business, Management and AdministrationO*NET 13-2031.00United States
Examine budget estimates for completeness, accuracy, and conformance with procedures and regulations. Analyze budgeting and accounting reports.
- Median annual earnings
- $91,645
- Projected change
- +4.5%
- Typical education
- Bachelor's degree
- Employment
- 51.77K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
77.5% of the workforce
Growing to 54.11K by 2035
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The work
What budget analysts do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- 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.
- Consult with managers to ensure that budget adjustments are made in accordance with program changes.
- Summarize budgets and submit recommendations for the approval or disapproval of funds requests.
- Examine budget estimates for completeness, accuracy, and conformance with procedures and regulations.
- Direct the preparation of regular and special budget reports.
- Interpret budget directives and establish policies for carrying out directives.
- Perform cost-benefit analyses to compare operating programs, review financial requests, or explore alternative financing methods.
- Match appropriations for specific programs with appropriations for broader programs, including items for emergency funds.
- Seek new ways to improve efficiency and increase profits.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $62,254
- 25th percentile
- $75,317
- 50th percentile
- $91,645
- 75th percentile
- $114,213
- 90th percentile
- $136,656
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $91,645 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+4.5%average or slower
202551,767 jobs
2035 projected54,112 jobs
2,345 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Bachelor's degree
- 77.5%
- High school diploma or less
- 12.6%
- Master's or Professional degree
- 7.6%
- Some college
- 2.4%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Management of Financial Resources
- Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Budget Analysts2,410 postings
- 02Financial Planning and Analysis Analysts132 postings
- 03Budget Specialists126 postings
- 04Management Analysts126 postings
- 05Analysts116 postings
- 06Cost Analysts112 postings
- 07Budget Management Analysts111 postings
- 08Budget Managers91 postings
- 09Budget/Policy Analysts81 postings
- 10Program Cost Control Analysts76 postings
- 11Program Cost Schedule and Control Analysts51 postings
- 12Program Control Analysts48 postings
- 13Budget Coordinators47 postings
- 14Research Administrators44 postings
- 15Resource Analysts44 postings
- 16Fiscal Specialists42 postings
- 17Budget Assistants40 postings
- 18Program Budget Analysts38 postings
- 19Budget Officers37 postings
- 20Budget Technicians36 postings
Top employers
- 01Northrop Grumman118 postings
- 02Robert Half99 postings
- 03United States Department of Defense75 postings
- 04Smx Corporation Limited65 postings
- 05GovCIO56 postings
- 06New York City48 postings
- 07RTX44 postings
- 08CACI International38 postings
- 09Nys Department Of Civil Service38 postings
- 10Herc37 postings
- 11Newyork State Government33 postings
- 12University of Colorado System Office30 postings
- 13United States Department of Justice26 postings
- 14KBR24 postings
- 15University of Minnesota24 postings
- 16Booz Allen Hamilton23 postings
- 17State of Washington23 postings
- 18Actalent22 postings
- 19California State University-Chancellors Office20 postings
- 20State of Florida20 postings
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