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.
Investment Fund Manager Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
The median pay for Investment Fund Managers is $166,570 a year ($80.08/hr), according to BLS OEWS, May 2025. Employment is projected to grow 14.8% through 2034, with about 74,600 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
SOC 11-3031ManagementLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $166,570
- Projected growth
- +14.8%
- Openings a year
- 74,600
- Typical education
- Bachelor's
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Fixed Income Portfolio Manager, Fixed Income Vice President (Fixed Income VP), Investment Analysis Vice President (Investment Analysis VP), Portfolio Manager.
How much do Investment Fund Managers make?
10th percentile$94,310
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$125,490
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$166,570
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$219,980
Upper quartile
90th percentile$323,270
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $166,570 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $80.08/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $186,910 |
| People employed | 841,710 |
Versus all US occupations
At $166,570, Investment Fund Managers earn 227% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $115,590 a year.
Versus management occupations
Inside the Management group, where the middle occupation pays $126,060, this is 32% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $323,270 or more while the bottom 10% earn $94,310, a gap of 3.4×. 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 96% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
New York pays the most at $219,880, and still leads at $203,742 once local prices are taken into account.
Which states pay Investment Fund Managers the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $219,880 | $203,742 | 80,810 |
| Massachusetts | $206,760 | $195,505 | 26,150 |
| New Jersey | $199,110 | $182,997 | 32,510 |
| District of Columbia | $188,880 | $171,864 | 8,930 |
| Virginia | $185,220 | $183,197 | 20,850 |
| Colorado | $182,690 | $177,279 | 10,640 |
| Delaware | $181,580 | $181,929 | 2,810 |
| California | $180,770 | $163,268 | 93,310 |
| Washington | $174,840 | $163,382 | 12,930 |
| Connecticut | $174,830 | $168,739 | 20,040 |
Is Investment Fund Manager a growing career?
Investment Fund Managers14.8%
All US occupations3.1%
+14.8% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
Much faster than average
BLS projects employment of Investment Fund Managers to change 14.8% over 2024–2034, roughly 4.8× the 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 128,800 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 74,600 openings are projected each year, 8.6% of the 868,600 jobs that existed in 2024. 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.
Services provided by financial managers, such as planning, directing, and coordinating investments, are likely to stay in demand as the economy grows. In addition, several specialties within financial management, such as cash management and risk management, are expected to be in high demand over the decade.
There has been an increased emphasis on risk management within the financial industry, and this trend is expected to continue. Banking institutions are expected to emphasize stability and managing risk over profits. This emphasis is expected to lead to employment growth for risk managers.
How to become an Investment Fund Manager
Financial managers typically need a bachelor’s degree and 5 years or more of experience in another business or financial occupation, such as an accountant, securities sales agent, or financial analyst.
| Typical entry-level education | Bachelor's degree |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Considerable preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | 5 years or more |
| Typical on-the-job training | None |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as investment fund managers.
- Master's Degree63.3%
- Bachelor's Degree32.7%
- Post-Master's Certificate2.0%
- First Professional Degree2.0%
What does an Investment Fund Manager do?
Plan, direct, or coordinate investment strategy or operations for a large pool of liquid assets supplied by institutional investors or individual investors.
Financial managers are responsible for the financial health of an organization. They create financial reports, direct investment activities, and develop plans for the long-term financial goals of their organization.
Day-to-day tasks
- Monitor financial or operational performance of individual investments to ensure portfolios meet risk goals.
- Attend investment briefings or consult financial media to stay abreast of relevant investment markets.
- Present investment information, such as product risks, fees, or fund performance statistics.
- Develop or implement fund investment policies or strategies.
- Manage investment funds to maximize return on client investments.
- Perform or evaluate research, such as detailed company or industry analyses, to inform financial forecasting, decision making, or valuation.
- Develop, implement, or monitor security valuation policies.
- Prepare for and respond to regulatory inquiries.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Where investment fund managers work
| Finance and insurance | 31% |
|---|---|
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | 14% |
| Management of companies and enterprises | 10% |
| Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals | 6% |
| Manufacturing | 5% |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition.
Core skills
- Reading Comprehension4.0/5
- Active Listening4.0/5
- Critical Thinking4.0/5
- Speaking3.9/5
- Active Learning3.8/5
- Writing3.6/5
- Monitoring3.5/5
- Mathematics3.4/5
Transferable skills
- Judgment and Decision Making3.9/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.8/5
- Systems Analysis3.4/5
- Systems Evaluation3.3/5
- Time Management3.3/5
- Coordination3.1/5
- Persuasion3.1/5
- Social Perceptiveness3.0/5
Tools and software
- Analytical or scientific software · in demand
- Business intelligence and data analysis software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software · in demand
- Office suite 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
- Accounting software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits an Investment Fund Manager?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realistic1.5
Investigativeprimary3.8
Artistic1.6
Social2.7
Enterprisingprimary7.0
Conventionalprimary5.2
Day to day this is work built around leading, persuading, selling and making decisions, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
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.
Investment Fund Manager: frequently asked questions
How much do Investment Fund Managers make?
Investment Fund Managers earn a median of $166,570 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). That is 227% above the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $80.08/hr. The middle half earn between $125,490 and $219,980. The top 10% earn $323,270 or more.
Do you need a degree to become an Investment Fund Manager?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Investment Fund Managers, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as considerable preparation. Employers typically expect 5 years or more of related work experience first. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 63.3% hold master's degree.
Is Investment Fund Manager a growing career?
Yes, strongly. Employment is projected to grow 14.8% over 2024–2034, more than double the 3.1% projected for all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 74,600 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does an Investment Fund Manager do?
Financial managers are responsible for the financial health of an organization. A core O*NET task: monitor financial or operational performance of individual investments to ensure portfolios meet risk goals. Employers most often ask for Analytical or scientific software, Business intelligence and data analysis software, Data base user interface and query software.
Which states pay Investment Fund Managers the most?
The highest state medians for Investment Fund Managers are New York ($219,880), Massachusetts ($206,760), New Jersey ($199,110) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits an Investment Fund Manager?
O*NET scores Investment Fund Managers highest on the Enterprising, Conventional and Investigative interest areas, so the work mixes leading, persuading, selling and making decisions with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ESTJ, ENTJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.