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Financial Risk Specialists

Financial Risk Specialists: Career Overview

Analyze and measure exposure to credit and market risk threatening the assets, earning capacity, or economic state of an organization. May make recommendations to limit risk.

The Daily Work of Financial Risk Specialists Take On?

The day-to-day responsibilities of financial risk specialists cover:

  • Analyze areas of potential risk to the assets, earning capacity, or success of organizations.
  • Analyze new legislation to determine impact on risk exposure.
  • Conduct statistical analyses to quantify risk, using statistical analysis software or econometric models.
  • Confer with traders to identify and communicate risks associated with specific trading strategies or positions.
  • Consult financial literature to ensure use of the latest models or statistical techniques.
  • Contribute to development of risk management systems.
  • Determine potential environmental impacts of new products or processes on long-term growth and profitability.
  • Develop contingency plans to deal with emergencies.

Types of Financial Risk Specialists Jobs

This career also goes by job titles like:

  • Analyst
  • Bank and Savings Securities Trader
  • Bond Analyst
  • Business Risk Manager
  • Compliance Risk Manager
  • Corporate Securities Research Analyst
  • Credit Risk Analyst
  • Energy Risk Management Analyst

Employment and Demand

There are roughly 711,759 financial risk specialists working in the United States today. Demand is forecast to decline by -3.8% over the projection horizon.

Forecasted number of jobs for Financial Risk Specialists

Salary for Financial Risk Specialists

Statistic Value
Annual median $127,364
Hourly median $61.23
10th percentile $71,738
25th percentile $99,551
75th percentile $155,177
90th percentile $182,990

Compensation varies based on experience, location, and industry.

Salary ranges for Financial Risk Specialists

How Much Do Financial Risk Specialists Make in Different U.S. States?

State Annual median salary
New York $138,330
Delaware $130,060
Alaska $126,050
New Jersey $123,000
Massachusetts $118,960
Wyoming $115,730
District of Columbia $114,550
Oregon $113,870
Virginia $113,260
Maine $112,070
California $111,560
Washington $109,890
Georgia $107,730
North Carolina $107,120
Minnesota $106,880
Connecticut $105,930
New Hampshire $105,830
Maryland $105,320
Colorado $103,440
Florida $100,730
Michigan $100,430
Pennsylvania $100,190
Iowa $98,910
Indiana $98,820
Illinois $98,410
Rhode Island $98,040
Vermont $98,020
Ohio $97,100
Texas $96,100
Missouri $93,790
Wisconsin $93,590
Arizona $92,410
West Virginia $89,820
Nebraska $86,290
Hawaii $83,670
Nevada $83,590
Alabama $82,900
Oklahoma $82,760
South Carolina $82,210
Kentucky $80,610
New Mexico $80,220
Utah $78,940
Tennessee $77,720
Arkansas $77,540
Kansas $76,400
Idaho $72,350
South Dakota $71,670
North Dakota $69,990
Puerto Rico $60,470
Louisiana $55,050

Pay by U.S. Region

Earnings for financial risk specialists differ across the country. These regions lead on median pay:

Region Median annual wage Share of U.S. jobs Location quotient
Middle Atlantic $129,013 31.8% 2.83
New England $111,785 5.1% 1.19
Far Western US $108,853 10.9% 0.67
Great Lakes $97,909 12.0% 0.94
Southeast $97,077 20.7% 0.98
Plains States $95,113 5.3% 0.82
Southwest $94,615 10.4% 0.87
Rocky Mountains $93,202 3.2% 0.92

Top Metro Areas

Metro area State Median annual wage Employment
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ NY $141,960 11,340
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA CA $140,050 920
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA CA $137,420 380
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC NC $130,750 1,180
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT CT $129,470 210
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA WA $128,440 550
Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY NY $125,520 40
Bloomington, IL IL $124,940 40

Top Industries Employing Financial Risk Specialists

The bulk of financial risk specialists are concentrated in the following sectors:

Industry Employment Median annual wage
Finance and Insurance 34,880 $111,260
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 6,140 $113,720
Management of Companies and Enterprises 6,030 $107,730
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services 1,160 $99,950
Information 1,090 $104,690
Health Care and Social Assistance 860 $94,050
Educational Services 760 $83,670
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation 580 $77,540
Financial Risk Specialists sectors

The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.

Financial Risk Specialists industries

Tools and Technology

  • Data base user interface and query software: Amazon Web Services AWS software (hot technology)
  • Data base management system software: Apache Hive (hot technology)
  • Content workflow software: Atlassian JIRA (hot technology)
  • Object or component oriented development software: C++ (hot technology)
  • Word processing software: Google Docs (hot technology)
  • Analytical or scientific software: IBM SPSS Statistics (hot technology)
  • Accounting software: Intuit QuickBooks (hot technology)
  • Operating system software: Linux (hot technology)
  • Sales and marketing software: Marketo Marketing Automation (hot technology)
  • Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
  • Development environment software: Microsoft Azure software (hot technology)
  • Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)

Education and Training

This career aligns with Considerable Preparation Needed (Job Zone 4), reflecting the level of preparation typically expected.

Similar Occupations

Similar Occupations

Top Programs to Study For This Career

Students preparing for financial risk specialists often complete programs in:

11 programs across 5 majors

Mathematics and Statistics

1 programs across 1 majors

About the Data

Statistics shown above are sourced from the following authoritative sources:

  • U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
  • BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
  • O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.

SOC code: 13-2054.00 (Financial Risk Specialists).

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