The median pay for Financial Examiners is $94,160 a year ($45.27/hr), according to BLS OEWS, May 2025. Employment is projected to grow 9.3% through 2035, with about 4,500 openings a year (BLS EP, 2025–2035). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
- SOC 13-2061
- Business and Financial Operations
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Financial Examiner in four numbers
- Median pay
- $94,160a year, or $45.27/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $56KTop 10% $174K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +9.3%Much faster than averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+9.3%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +9.3% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 4,50070,000 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 202570K
- Projected 203576.5K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 70K Projected 2035 76.5K - Typical education
- Bachelor'sneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- Bachelor's87%
- Post-bacc certificate8.7%
- Master's4.4%
Highest education held by financial examiners Segment Value Bachelor's 87% Post-bacc certificate 8.7% Master's 4.4%
Also advertised as: Bank Examiner, Bank Secrecy Act Anti-Money Laundering Officer (BSA/AML Officer), Community Reinvestment Act Officer (CRA Officer), Compliance Analyst, Compliance Specialist, Credit Union Examiner.
Pay
How much do Financial Examiners make?
Every financial examiner in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$94,160
Middle half earn $70,660 to $129,600
- 10th
- $56,230
- 25th
- $70,660
- 75th
- $129,600
- 90th
- $174,200
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $56,230 |
| 25th | $70,660 |
| Median | $94,160 |
| 75th | $129,600 |
| 90th | $174,200 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $94,160
- Median hourly wage
- $45.27/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $106,240
- People employed
- 67,830
Versus all US occupations
At $94,160, Financial Examiners earn 85% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $43,180 a year.
Versus business and financial operations occupations
Inside the Business and Financial Operations group, where the middle occupation pays $80,730, this is 17% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $174,200 or more while the bottom 10% earn $56,230, a gap of 3.1×. That is an unusually wide spread, which usually tracks specialisation, employer type and years of experience.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 69% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
District of Columbia pays the most at $198,720, and still leads at $180,817 once local prices are taken into account.
Pay by state
Which states pay Financial Examiners the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1District of Columbia | $198,720 | $180,817 | 470 |
| 2New York | $128,920 | $119,458 | 13,480 |
| 3Connecticut | $120,530 | $116,330 | N/A |
| 4Washington | $113,700 | $106,249 | 420 |
| 5Massachusetts | $111,110 | $105,062 | 950 |
| 6New Jersey | $106,410 | $97,799 | 2,190 |
| 7California | $106,000 | $95,737 | 4,200 |
| 8Minnesota | $104,260 | $105,718 | 1,280 |
| 9Virginia | $104,060 | $102,924 | 1,280 |
| 10Maryland | $102,980 | $98,115 | 350 |
Job outlook
Is Financial Examiner a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Much faster than average. +9.3% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Financial Examiners | +9.3% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Much faster than average
BLS projects employment of Financial Examiners to change 9.3% over 2025–2035, roughly 2.7× the 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 6,500 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 4,500 openings are projected each year, 6.4% of the 70,000 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Demand for these workers has risen, particularly in the financial industry, because of the need for banking institutions to comply with federal regulations. These institutions are expected to continue to hire financial examiners to help navigate the regulatory environment and reduce the cost of compliance.
Getting in
How to become a Financial Examiner
Financial examiners typically need a bachelor’s degree that includes some coursework in accounting. Entry-level examiners are trained on the job by senior examiners.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
Long-term on-the-job training
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Medium preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as financial examiners.
- Bachelor's Degree87%
- Post-Baccalaureate Certificate8.7%
- Master's Degree4.4%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's Degree | 87% |
| Post-Baccalaureate Certificate | 8.7% |
| Master's Degree | 4.4% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does a Financial Examiner do?
Enforce or ensure compliance with laws and regulations governing financial and securities institutions and financial and real estate transactions. May examine, verify, or authenticate records.
Financial examiners ensure compliance with laws that govern institutions handling monetary transactions. They review balance sheets, evaluate the risk level of loans, and assess bank management.
Day-to-day tasks
- Recommend actions to ensure compliance with laws and regulations, or to protect solvency of institutions.
- Investigate activities of institutions to enforce laws and regulations and to ensure legality of transactions and operations or financial solvency.
- Review balance sheets, operating income and expense accounts, and loan documentation to confirm institution assets and liabilities.
- Plan, supervise, and review work of assigned subordinates.
- Review audit reports of internal and external auditors to monitor adequacy of scope of reports or to discover specific weaknesses in internal routines.
- Examine the minutes of meetings of directors, stockholders, and committees to investigate the specific authority extended at various levels of management.
- Train other examiners in the financial examination process.
- Review and analyze new, proposed, or revised laws, regulations, policies, and procedures to interpret their meaning and determine their impact.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Working conditions and hours
Most financial examiners work full time.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayOutdoors in all weather
NeverEvery dayAlmost never works outdoors.
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeSeated for more than half the working day.
Standing
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantConstant contact with other people.
Face-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayFace-to-face discussions every day.
Dealing with the public
Not importantExtremely important
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayConflict situations
NeverEvery dayCost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lot
Schedules: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025–2035 edition. Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Where financial examiners work
Share of jobs by employer type
- Credit intermediation and related activities44%
- Securities, commodity contracts, and other financial investments and related activities15%
- Federal government10%
- State government, excluding education and hospitals8%
- Management of companies and enterprises7%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Credit intermediation and related activities | 44% |
| Securities, commodity contracts, and other financial investments and related activities | 15% |
| Federal government | 10% |
| State government, excluding education and hospitals | 8% |
| Management of companies and enterprises | 7% |
Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025–2035 edition
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Reading Comprehension4.1
- Critical Thinking4.1
- Active Listening4.0
- Writing4.0
- Speaking4.0
- Monitoring3.9
- Mathematics3.6
- Active Learning3.6
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 4.1 |
| Critical Thinking | 4.1 |
| Active Listening | 4.0 |
| Writing | 4.0 |
| Speaking | 4.0 |
| Monitoring | 3.9 |
| Mathematics | 3.6 |
| Active Learning | 3.6 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Complex Problem Solving3.9
- Judgment and Decision Making3.9
- Social Perceptiveness3.6
- Coordination3.6
- Systems Analysis3.6
- Systems Evaluation3.6
- Time Management3.5
- Management of Personnel Resources3.5
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.9 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.9 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.6 |
| Coordination | 3.6 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.6 |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.6 |
| Time Management | 3.5 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | 3.5 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Document management software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software · in demand
- Object or component oriented development software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Operating system software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Process mapping and design software · in demand
- Project management software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Financial Examiner?
O*NET Occupational Interests (RIASEC), scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Financial Examiner |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 1 |
| Investigative | 4 |
| Artistic | 1 |
| Social | 3 |
| Enterprising | 5 |
| Conventional | 6 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around organising, following procedures and working precisely with data, combined with leading, persuading, selling and making decisions.
- Conventional6.4
- Enterprising4.6
- Investigative3.6
- Social2.5
- Realistic1.3
- Artistic1.0
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Financial Examiner
O*NET related occupations
- Business and Financial Operations
- Management
- Business and Financial Operations
- Business and Financial Operations
- Management
- Business and Financial Operations
More business and financial operations careers
Median annual pay, with financial examiners highlighted
- Financial Advisor$105,070
- Financial Examiner$94,160
- Accountant$83,680
- Insurance Underwriter$81,370
- Coroner$80,730
- Claims Adjuster, Examiner, and Investigator$78,000
- Loan Officer$76,690
- Human Resources Specialist$75,940
- Appraiser and Assessor of Real Estate$67,960
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Financial Advisor | $105,070 |
| Financial Examiner | $94,160 |
| Accountant | $83,680 |
| Insurance Underwriter | $81,370 |
| Coroner | $80,730 |
| Claims Adjuster, Examiner, and Investigator | $78,000 |
| Loan Officer | $76,690 |
| Human Resources Specialist | $75,940 |
| Appraiser and Assessor of Real Estate | $67,960 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Financial Examiner appears on
Questions
Financial Examiner: frequently asked questions
How much do Financial Examiners make?
Financial Examiners earn a median of $94,160 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). That is 85% above the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $45.27/hr. The middle half earn between $70,660 and $129,600. The top 10% earn $174,200 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Financial Examiner?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Financial Examiners, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as medium preparation. BLS also lists long-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 87.0% hold bachelor's degree.
Is Financial Examiner a growing career?
Yes, strongly. Employment is projected to grow 9.3% over 2025–2035, more than double the 3.5% projected for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 4,500 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Financial Examiner do?
Financial examiners ensure compliance with laws that govern institutions handling monetary transactions. A core O*NET task: recommend actions to ensure compliance with laws and regulations, or to protect solvency of institutions. Employers most often ask for Data base user interface and query software, Document management software, Electronic mail software.
Which states pay Financial Examiners the most?
The highest state medians for Financial Examiners are District of Columbia ($198,720), New York ($128,920), Connecticut ($120,530) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Financial Examiner?
O*NET scores Financial Examiners highest on the Conventional, Enterprising and Investigative interest areas, so the work mixes organising, following procedures and working precisely with data with leading, persuading, selling and making decisions. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ESTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.