Business and Financial Operations · Holland code CEI

Budget Analysts

Examine budget estimates for completeness, accuracy, and conformance with procedures and regulations. Analyze budgeting and accounting reports.

Also called: Budget Analyst, Budget and Policy Analyst, Budget Officer, Budget Planning Analyst, Budget Coordinator, Cost Analyst, Financial Services Officer, Fiscal Analyst.

O*NET 13-2031.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $91,640; Middle half earn $75,320 to $114,220. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Bachelor's Degree; 77% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 4 of 5; Considerable preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034: +1% · Slower than average; 50,400 jobs in 2024, projected 51,000. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Budget analysts".

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

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.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Mathematics3.9 / 5
Critical Thinking3.9 / 5
Reading Comprehension3.8 / 5
Active Listening3.8 / 5
Speaking3.8 / 5
Active Learning3.3 / 5

Knowledge areas

Economics and Accounting4.4 / 5
Mathematics4.0 / 5
English Language3.9 / 5
Administration and Management3.7 / 5
Administrative3.4 / 5
Computers and Electronics3.4 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic0
Investigative45
Artistic10
Social21
Enterprising65
Conventional100

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

budget manager · DE Budgetverantwortlicher/Budgetverantwortliche · FR directeur du budget/directrice du budget
budget analyst · DE Haushaltsanalyst/Haushaltsanalystin · FR analyste budgétaire

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Chartered and certified accountants (2421)233,600 employed
Taxation experts (2423)44,700 employed
Professional/Chartered company secretaries (2435)1,700 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€61,714
Germany	€59,529
Ireland	€56,877
Austria	€55,374
Netherlands	€53,595
Sweden	€43,567
France	€41,515
Spain	€35,735
Italy	€33,649
Portugal	€26,072
Poland	€14,380

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the higher third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +1.50. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (13-2031).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test