Occupation salary profile

Budget Analysts

SOC 13-2031 BLS OEWS May 2025 H-1B LCAs, last 12 months

Examine budget estimates for completeness, accuracy, and conformance with procedures and regulations. Analyze budgeting and accounting reports. Excludes “Financial and Investment Analysts” (13-2051).

National median · BLS
$91,640
▲ +4.22% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
$79,500
▲ +2.58% YoY · 265 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$96,370
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
47,160
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.

Pay range for Budget Analysts

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 265 certified Labor Condition Applications filed by sponsoring employers in the last 12 months.

Percentile All U.S. workers (BLS) H-1B sponsored
10th — entry pay$62,250$62,267
25th$75,320$69,992
Median (50th)$91,640$79,500
75th$114,220$100,984
90th — top pay$136,660$129,680
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $79,500 for Budget Analysts — 13.2% below the BLS national median of $91,640.

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Based on hrs/week × weeks/year = 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Budget Analysts

BLS projects employment of budget analysts to grow 1.9% from 2025 to 2035, slower than the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 2,900 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
50,400 → 51,300
+1,000 jobs
Projected change
+1.9%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
2,900
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
No related experience required
Self-employed
0.8% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 4)
Considerable Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Fastest-growing jobs → Best-paying jobs that need a bachelor's degree →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035 · BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook →

H-1B sponsored pay

Pay by H-1B wage level

Employers assign every H-1B filing a Department of Labor prevailing-wage level, from Level I (entry) to Level IV (fully competent). Pay rises steeply with level.

H-1B median $79,500
Change vs prior year +2.58%
After inflation (CPI-U) -0.53%
Wage level LCAs Share P25 Median P75
Level I 120 45.3% $63,875 $71,552 $75,250
Level II 73 27.5% $75,000 $80,896 $93,000
Level III 34 12.8% $97,067 $115,014 $130,478
Level IV 29 10.9% $110,000 $128,000 $145,600
H-1B job titles

Salaries by job title in Budget Analysts

The 2 most-filed job titles inside SOC 13-2031, from 265 H-1B filings. Seniority words and level numbers are grouped (“Senior Data Engineer II” counts as Data Engineer). Tap a title for its full range, wage levels and the exact titles employers used.

Job title LCAs Share P25 Median P75 YoY
Budget Analyst 101 38.11% $66,560 $72,000 $82,726 +0.69%
Financial Analyst 33 12.45% $62,754 $71,662 $85,251 -9.07%

Titles are cleaned from the employer's own LCA text (codes and typos removed, nothing invented). Rows need 10+ filings in this SOC.

Skills & tools

Skills needed for Budget Analysts

How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.

Top skills
  • Critical Thinking3.9
  • Mathematics3.9
  • Active Listening3.8
  • Complex Problem Solving3.8
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.8
  • Reading Comprehension3.8
  • Speaking3.8
  • Management of Financial Resources3.4
  • Active Learning3.3
  • Monitoring3.1
Top knowledge areas
  • Economics and Accounting4.4
  • Mathematics4.0
  • English Language3.9
  • Administration and Management3.7
  • Administrative3.4
  • Computers and Electronics3.4
  • Customer and Personal Service3.3
  • Law and Government2.9
Software and technology used
Microsoft AccessMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft Power BIMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft WordSAP softwareMicrosoft SharePointMicrosoft Visual BasicStructured query language SQLAdaptive PlanningBudget monitoring systemsBudgeting, forecasting, and planning softwareBusiness Objects Data IntegratorBusiness performance management BPM softwareDeltek CostpointEmail software

Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

About the job

What budget analysts do

  • 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.
  • Examine budget estimates for completeness, accuracy, and conformance with procedures and regulations.
  • Summarize budgets and submit recommendations for the approval or disapproval of funds requests.
  • Consult with managers to ensure that budget adjustments are made in accordance with program changes.
  • Direct the preparation of regular and special budget reports.
Also called
Budget AnalystBudget and Policy AnalystBudget OfficerBudget Planning AnalystBudget CoordinatorCost AnalystFinancial Services OfficerFiscal AnalystFiscal Budget Analyst
More job titles for this occupation (15)
Budget Administrator (Budget Admin)Budget EngineerBudget ExaminerBudget Management AnalystBudget SpecialistCost AccountantFinancial Management AnalystFinancial Planning and Analysis AnalystFiscal AgentFiscal OfficerProgram AnalystProgram Budget AnalystProgram Cost Control AnalystProgram Cost Schedule and Control AnalystStaff Services Analyst

Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.