Explore national salary, projected growth, education requirements, and career opportunities across the United States.
A concise view of this occupation’s national scale, compensation, and projected demand.
National median annual wage for this occupation.
Estimated jobs currently supported nationwide.
Projected employment change through 2034.
Estimated openings created each year.
The typical education, prior experience, and on-the-job training associated with entry into this career.
Bachelor's degree
None
None
These are the highest-rated capabilities associated with success in this occupation. Scores are derived from occupational skill analysis and are measured on a 100-point scale.
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Explore the states and metropolitan areas offering the strongest combination of salary, employment, demand, and long-term opportunity.
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Understand the salary, outlook, education, and geographic opportunities shaping this career.
Credit analysts evaluate financial information to support lending and risk decisions. This career combines quantitative work with communication and documentation, drawing heavily on mathematics, critical and analytical thinking, and writing and reading skills. Nationally, there are 68,000 credit analysts, with a median annual salary of $80,970, indicating solid earning potential for professionals who build expertise in this field. The role typically requires a bachelor’s degree and benefits from strengths in problem solving, decision making, and comfort with computers and information technology. While projected national employment growth is -4.4%, there are still an estimated 4,000 annual openings, reflecting ongoing turnover and replacement needs. Opportunity varies by location, with certain states and metro areas showing especially strong salary levels and CareerGPS opportunity scores. For students, career changers, and finance-focused professionals, this path can be attractive if you enjoy detailed, numbers-driven work that also calls for clear communication, adaptability, and project management capabilities.
The national median annual salary for credit analysts is $80,970, providing a useful benchmark for evaluating offers and planning a career path. However, earnings differ significantly by location. Among the top states by CareerGPS opportunity score, median salaries range from $81,270 in Colorado to $133,270 in New York. California and Massachusetts also offer higher median pay levels of $97,860 and $97,080, respectively, with Washington at $91,160. At the metro level, pay can be even higher. The New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro shows a median of $136,500, and San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA is close behind at $129,240. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA offers $122,590, while Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV has a median of $114,700 and Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH comes in at $101,890. These figures highlight how geographic choices can significantly influence earning potential for credit analysts.
Credit analysts account for 68,000 jobs nationally, with projected employment growth of -4.4%. Despite this negative growth projection, the occupation still has an estimated 4,000 annual openings. This combination suggests that while the total number of positions is expected to decrease, there will continue to be ongoing job opportunities due to turnover, retirements, and other forms of replacement hiring. The consistent -4.4% growth figure across the highlighted states and metro areas indicates that the broad employment trend is relatively similar in those locations. For job seekers, this means that competition and long-term job stability may be important factors to consider, and targeting areas with higher CareerGPS opportunity scores may be a useful strategy. Overall, the field presents a mix of stable current employment levels, notable annual openings, and modestly declining projected employment that should be weighed when making career decisions.
Location plays a major role in shaping opportunity for credit analysts. At the state level, California, Massachusetts, and New York stand out with the highest CareerGPS opportunity scores, at 67.38, 65.87, and 65.78 respectively. New York combines the highest state-level median salary of $133,270 with 7,960 employed credit analysts, the largest employment figure among the listed states. California offers a median salary of $97,860 and 5,260 employed, while Massachusetts provides $97,080 with 1,400 employed. Colorado and Washington also appear as strong options, with opportunity scores of 56.97 and 56.29 and median salaries of $81,270 and $91,160. At the metro level, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA and New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ lead with opportunity scores above 77 and median salaries above $129,000. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, and Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH also offer high salaries and solid opportunity scores, illustrating multiple geographic pathways within this career.
The typical education requirement for credit analysts is a bachelor’s degree. This level of education supports the occupation’s emphasis on quantitative analysis, written communication, and the use of technology. Strong mathematics skills are central, as are critical and analytical thinking abilities used to interpret complex information. Writing and reading skills help with preparing and understanding detailed documentation, while competence with computers and information technology underpins daily work and tools used in the field. Being detail oriented is important for accuracy, and adaptability helps professionals navigate changing priorities or conditions. Speaking and listening skills support effective communication with colleagues and stakeholders. Problem solving and decision making are key to evaluating information and reaching sound conclusions, while project management helps in organizing tasks and meeting deadlines. Creativity and innovation round out the profile, supporting the development of improved approaches within the established analytical framework of the role.
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