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
Long-term on-the-job training
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.
Based on skills, knowledge, and work activities, these occupations are the closest match to your current career.
Explore the states and metropolitan areas offering the strongest combination of salary, employment, demand, and long-term opportunity.
Discover metro markets where compensation, hiring demand, and long-term momentum align.
Understand the salary, outlook, education, and geographic opportunities shaping this career.
Actuaries work in a field that combines mathematics, analytical thinking, and decision making, supported by strong computer and information technology skills. Nationally, there are about 34,000 actuaries, with a projected employment growth of 21.8% and about 2,000 annual openings. This combination of an established workforce and clear growth projections points to a career path with ongoing hiring needs. The national median annual salary of $125,770 indicates strong earning potential for those who develop the required expertise. The role relies heavily on critical and analytical thinking, problem solving, and attention to detail, along with effective writing, reading, speaking, and listening. Leadership and project management also appear in the top skills, suggesting opportunities to take on responsibility and manage work efforts. For students or professionals comfortable with mathematics and interested in analytical, detail-focused work, actuary careers offer a structured, skill-based path with measurable growth and compensation indicators.
Actuaries have a national median annual salary of $125,770, indicating substantial earning potential. Pay levels vary meaningfully by location. Among the top states, New York shows the highest median salary at $156,480, followed by Virginia at $131,900, Washington at $134,720, and California at $130,510. In the top metro areas, some salaries are even higher: San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA reports a median of $175,330, and New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ shows $161,460. Other strong metros such as Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($144,680) and San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($131,040) also exceed the national median. These figures suggest that location decisions can significantly influence earnings for actuaries, with certain metros and states offering considerably higher pay than the national median.
The actuary profession has a national employment base of 34,000, with projected employment growth of 21.8%. This projected growth, paired with approximately 2,000 annual openings, signals a field where new positions and replacement needs are both important drivers of hiring. The same 21.8% projected growth rate appears in the top states and metro areas listed, indicating that this growth expectation is broadly reflected across multiple regions rather than confined to a single area. For individuals planning a long-term career, the combination of a defined existing workforce, clear numerical growth projections, and a steady number of annual openings offers a relatively transparent picture of future opportunity. People entering or transitioning into this field can use these figures to gauge potential job availability over time and consider how regional differences, such as those highlighted in the location data, may interact with overall national growth.
Location plays a significant role in actuary opportunities, as shown by varying salaries, employment counts, and CareerGPS opportunity scores. Among states, California and New York stand out with higher opportunity scores of 67.38 and 65.78, respectively. New York combines the highest state median salary at $156,480 with employment of 2,630, while California offers a median salary of $130,510 with 1,280 employed. Colorado, Washington, and Virginia also present solid options, with opportunity scores ranging from 54.96 to 56.97 and median salaries between $120,440 and $134,720. At the metro level, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA and New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ have the highest opportunity scores, both above 77, indicating particularly strong combined conditions. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA shows the highest listed metro median salary at $175,330. These differences suggest that actuaries can significantly influence their career prospects and compensation by targeting specific states and metro areas with higher opportunity scores and salaries.
The typical education requirement for actuaries is a bachelor’s degree. Within that educational pathway, certain skills are especially important for success in this field. Top skills include critical and analytical thinking, mathematics, and problem solving and decision making, all of which align closely with the quantitative and evaluative nature of actuarial work. Strong computers and information technology skills support the use of data and tools. Writing and reading, along with speaking and listening, are also highlighted, emphasizing the need to communicate clearly and interpret complex information. Leadership, detail orientation, project management, and creativity and innovation round out the skill set, indicating value in both precise execution and the ability to guide efforts and think in new ways. Students and career changers considering this path should look for bachelor’s programs and experiences that help them build this full range of analytical, technical, communication, and organizational skills.
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