Learn • Anywhere
Rumie logo

Are you looking for a career with stable growth, great earning power, and that you can do in a variety of businesses? Then a career as a budget analyst might be right for you!

Budget analysts use skills such as:

  • accounting

  • analysis

  • math

  • knowledge of economics

  • technology

They review budgets, make recommendations, and decide whether fund requests will be approved. They work behind the scenes, but are crucial to many companies.

Bugs Bunny, a cartoon character, is standing up at a table and counting out money into separate piles.

What businesses and industries hire budget analysts?

Maybe a better question would be, who doesn't hire budget analysts? You could work in a variety of settings, including:

  • military

  • universities and colleges

  • government agencies

  • pharmaceuticals

  • energy

  • health care

  • banking

Did you know?

You could even work for NASA! Astronauts need budgets, too.

What do budget analysts do?

Budget analysts work in an office environment and advise organizations on how to spend (or not spend) their money.

Flaticon IconSome of their main tasks are:

  • develop budgets

  • review budget requests and approve or deny

  • explain funding requests to others (coworkers and the public)

  • estimate financial needs

  • advise organizations

  • use financial analysis software

  • create budget reports

Are there a lot of jobs?

The job outlook is stable, with about 3% growth projected by 2033 . This is about average, meaning there won't be tons of new jobs, but probably not many layoffs, either.

Flaticon Icon

Oh, and the median pay is about $82,000 in the U.S. and $76,000 in Canada.

Man nodding head and saying, 'Not bad.'

Quiz

Which of the following might you need to learn if you want to become a budget analyst? Select all that apply:

What is a typical day like?

You'll be working indoors, using a lot of technology:

  • accounting software

  • financial analysis programs

  • presentation software, like PowerPoint

  • spreadsheets, like Excel

  • documents & reports

Cat wearing glasses, appearing to shout at the computer.

You need to be prepared to handle strict deadlines. You'll have meetings and maybe occasional travel. You'll do a lot of data collecting and problem solving. You need to be comfortable working with other people and presenting to groups.

How do I know if I'd make a good budget analyst?

You'll want to have strong skills in math and accounting.

Flaticon Icon

You'll also need to be a good communicator.

Flaticon Icon

You would enjoy this work if you like data and working with computers.

Flaticon Icon

This career fits well for people who have interests in conventional, enterprising, and investigative careers. Not sure if these are for you? Take the O*Net Interest Profiler to find out!

Education

Most positions require a college degree.

Flaticon Icon

The most common major to become a budget analyst is business, but social science, psychology, or math could also work.

Flaticon Icon

Take Action

A young man shot from below, wearing a tie, holding a tablet, doing a fist pump, in front of a tall building.Photo by bruce mars on Unsplash

If this career sounds like a good fit for you, you can take these next steps:

License:

This Byte has been authored by

EP

Emily Pack

Educator

MA

English

🍪 We use technical and analytics cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. more info