Occupation salary profile

Actuaries

SOC 15-2011 BLS OEWS May 2025 H-1B LCAs, last 12 months

Analyze statistical data, such as mortality, accident, sickness, disability, and retirement rates and construct probability tables to forecast risk and liability for payment of future benefits. May ascertain insurance rates required and cash reserves necessary to ensure payment of future benefits.

National median · BLS
$130,000
▲ +3.36% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
$128,000
▼ -0.78% YoY · 429 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$141,480
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
26,670
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 Actuaries

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 429 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$78,570$86,724
25th$97,680$98,405
Median (50th)$130,000$128,000
75th$170,650$160,000
90th — top pay$215,100$192,416
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $128,000 for Actuaries — 1.5% below the BLS national median of $130,000.

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

Job outlook for Actuaries

BLS projects employment of actuaries to grow 9.2% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 1,500 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
31,200 → 34,100
+2,900 jobs
Projected change
+9.2%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
1,500
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Long-term on-the-job training
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 $128,000
Change vs prior year -0.78%
After inflation (CPI-U) -3.79%
Wage level LCAs Share P25 Median P75
Level I 125 29.1% $83,678 $90,000 $100,160
Level II 134 31.2% $118,706 $129,100 $145,000
Level III 78 18.2% $149,008 $161,000 $184,400
Level IV 60 14% $171,775 $190,860 $219,352
H-1B job titles

Salaries by job title in Actuaries

The 7 most-filed job titles inside SOC 15-2011, from 429 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
Actuarial Analyst 71 16.55% $87,226 $96,700 $122,990 -1.54%
Actuary 59 13.75% $145,936 $175,000 $205,681 +9.17%
Actuarial Associate 40 9.32% $88,214 $110,275 $124,616 -6.15%
Associate Actuary 25 5.83% $115,653 $130,000 $150,000 -4.4%
Actuarial Assistant 24 5.59% $83,678 $90,211 $95,000 +4.86%
Consultant generic 11 2.56% $110,902 $126,277 $152,500 -1.73%
Manager generic 10 2.33% $172,250 $188,870 $212,475 -3.02%

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 Actuaries

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
  • Mathematics4.4
  • Reading Comprehension4.1
  • Active Listening4.0
  • Complex Problem Solving4.0
  • Critical Thinking4.0
  • Judgment and Decision Making4.0
  • Speaking3.9
  • Systems Evaluation3.9
  • Writing3.9
  • Systems Analysis3.8
Top knowledge areas
  • Mathematics4.8
  • Economics and Accounting4.1
  • Computers and Electronics3.4
  • English Language3.1
  • Administration and Management3.0
  • Law and Government2.9
  • Administrative2.7
  • Customer and Personal Service2.3
Software and technology used
Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft Power BIMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft Visual Basic for Applications VBAPythonRSASStructured query language SQLTableauC++IBM SPSS StatisticsMicrosoft AccessMicrosoft ProjectMicrosoft SQL ServerMicrosoft VisioMicrosoft Visual BasicMicrosoft Word

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 actuaries do

  • Analyze data to determine premium rates required and cash reserves and liabilities necessary to ensure payment of future benefits.
  • Analyze statistical information to estimate mortality, accident, sickness, disability, and retirement rates.
  • Design, review, and help administer insurance, annuity and pension plans, determining financial soundness and calculating premiums.
  • Collaborate with programmers, underwriters, accounts, claims experts, and senior management to help companies develop plans for new lines of business or improvements to existing business.
  • Provide advice to clients on a contract basis, working as a consultant.
  • Determine, or help determine, company policy, and explain complex technical matters to company executives, government officials, shareholders, policyholders, or the public.
  • Construct probability tables for events such as fires, natural disasters, and unemployment, based on analysis of statistical data and other pertinent information.
  • Determine equitable basis for distributing surplus earnings under participating insurance and annuity contracts in mutual companies.
Also called
Actuarial AnalystActuaryConsulting ActuaryPricing ActuaryActuarial AssociateActuarial ConsultantHealth ActuaryLife ActuaryProduct Development ActuaryReserving Actuary
More job titles for this occupation (6)
Actuarial MathematicianActuarial SpecialistAnnuity AnalystEnrolled ActuaryInsurance ActuaryRetirement Actuarial 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.