Evaluates commercial properties for investors, building cash flow models and due diligence that decide whether a building is worth buying and at what price. BLS does not publish separate figures for financial and investment analysts; it counts them within financial and investment analyst (SOC 13-2051), whose median pay is $102,740 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
- SOC 13-2051
- Business and Financial Operations
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Real Estate Acquisitions Analyst in four numbers
- Median pay
- $102,740a year, or $49.40/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $64KTop 10% $181K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +7.2%Much faster than averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+7.2%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +7.2% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 24,700377,200 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 2025377.2K
- Projected 2035404.3K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 377.2K Projected 2035 404.3K - Typical education
- Bachelor'sneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
Also advertised as: Acquisitions Analyst, Real Estate Investment Analyst, Acquisitions Associate, Commercial Real Estate Analyst, Underwriting Analyst.
Pay
How much do Financial and Investment Analysts make?
Every real estate acquisitions analyst in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$102,740
Middle half earn $79,290 to $133,340
- 10th
- $63,720
- 25th
- $79,290
- 75th
- $133,340
- 90th
- $180,860
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $63,720 |
| 25th | $79,290 |
| Median | $102,740 |
| 75th | $133,340 |
| 90th | $180,860 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $102,740
- Median hourly wage
- $49.40/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $116,800
- People employed
- 361,980
Versus all US occupations
At $102,740, Financial and Investment Analysts earn 102% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $51,760 a year.
Versus business and financial operations occupations
Inside the Business and Financial Operations group, where the middle occupation pays $80,730, this is 27% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $180,860 or more while the bottom 10% earn $63,720, a gap of 2.8×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 76% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
Wyoming pays the most at $187,090, and still leads at $201,843 once local prices are taken into account.
Pay by state
Which states pay Financial and Investment Analysts 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Wyoming | $187,090 | $201,843 | 190 |
| 2New York | $127,930 | $118,540 | 52,380 |
| 3Oregon | $120,590 | $116,669 | 2,820 |
| 4Massachusetts | $111,040 | $104,995 | 14,790 |
| 5Connecticut | $109,500 | $105,685 | N/A |
| 6California | $109,110 | $98,546 | 45,380 |
| 7New Jersey | $108,610 | $99,821 | 10,380 |
| 8Washington | $107,210 | $100,184 | 8,820 |
| 9District of Columbia | $105,780 | $96,250 | 3,670 |
| 10Virginia | $105,490 | $104,338 | 10,410 |
Job outlook
Is Real Estate Acquisitions Analyst a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Much faster than average. +7.2% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Financial and Investment Analysts | +7.2% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Much faster than average
BLS projects employment of Financial and Investment Analysts to change 7.2% over 2025–2035, roughly 2.1× the 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 27,100 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 24,700 openings are projected each year, 6.5% of the 377,200 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a Real Estate Acquisitions Analyst
Most analysts have a bachelor's degree in finance, real estate, economics or a related field, and many hire straight out of undergraduate programs with real estate tracks. Internships at brokerage, lending or investment firms are the usual entry point, followed by technical interviews that test modeling skill.
Common tools include Excel and the ARGUS valuation software. The CCIM Institute's Certified Commercial Investment Member designation and graduate real estate degrees help with advancement, and some analysts pursue the CFA program. Knowing a market's neighborhoods, tenants and brokers well is as valuable as modeling skill.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
None
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Medium preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
The work
What does a Real Estate Acquisitions Analyst do?
Acquisitions analysts work for real estate investment firms, REITs, developers and pension advisers. When a broker brings an apartment complex, warehouse or office building to market, the analyst studies the offering memorandum, builds a cash flow model, and tests how rent growth, vacancy, financing and exit price affect returns.
If the firm wants to bid, the analyst helps write the investment memo for the investment committee, visits the property, reviews leases and third-party reports during due diligence, and works with lenders on financing terms. Analysts also research submarkets, track comparable sales, and keep a pipeline of potential deals. Over time they take on negotiation and lead their own deals as associates and vice presidents.
Day-to-day tasks
- Build cash flow and return models for potential property acquisitions
- Review offering memorandums, rent rolls and leases
- Research submarket rents, vacancy and comparable sales
- Write investment committee memos recommending bids
- Coordinate due diligence reports such as appraisals and environmental studies
- Tour properties and meet with brokers and sellers
- Work with lenders to compare financing options
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
Acquisitions analysts work in offices in major metro areas, with periodic property tours and market trips. Hours are long when the firm is bidding on deals or racing a closing deadline. Most of the day is spent in spreadsheets, documents and calls with brokers, lenders and colleagues.
Tools and software
- Accounting software · in demand
- Analytical or scientific software · in demand
- Business intelligence and data analysis software · in demand
- Customer relationship management CRM software · in demand
- Data base management system software · in demand
- Data base reporting software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Development environment 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
“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 Real Estate Acquisitions Analyst?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code ICE) built on O*NET's Financial and Investment Analyst profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Real Estate Acquisitions Analyst |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 1 |
| Investigative | 5 |
| Artistic | 2 |
| Social | 2 |
| 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 investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data.
- Conventional5.5
- Investigative5.3
- Enterprising5.1
- Social2.3
- Artistic1.8
- Realistic1.0
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 Real Estate Acquisitions Analyst
O*NET related occupations
- Business and Financial Operations
- Business and Financial Operations
- Sales and Related
Security, Commodity, and Financial Services Sales Agent
$78,660median a year
Most earn $48K to $213K
+1.4%Bachelor's - Management
- Business and Financial Operations
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More business and financial operations careers
Median annual pay, with financial and investment analysts highlighted
- Financial Advisor$105,070
- Real Estate Acquisitions Analyst$102,740
- 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 |
| Real Estate Acquisitions Analyst | $102,740 |
| 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 Real Estate Acquisitions Analyst appears on
Questions
Real Estate Acquisitions Analyst: frequently asked questions
How much do Financial and Investment Analysts make?
BLS does not publish a separate wage for financial and investment analysts. It counts them within financial and investment analyst, whose median pay is $102,740 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $79,290 and $133,340, and the top 10% earn $180,860 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Real Estate Acquisitions Analyst?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Financial and Investment Analysts, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as medium preparation.
Is Real Estate Acquisitions Analyst a growing career?
Yes, strongly. Employment is projected to grow 7.2% over 2025–2035, more than double the 3.5% projected for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 24,700 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Real Estate Acquisitions Analyst do?
Acquisitions analysts work for real estate investment firms, REITs, developers and pension advisers. A typical task: build cash flow and return models for potential property acquisitions. Employers most often ask for Accounting software, Analytical or scientific software, Business intelligence and data analysis software.
Which states pay Financial and Investment Analysts the most?
The highest state medians for Financial and Investment Analysts are Wyoming ($187,090), New York ($127,930), Oregon ($120,590) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Real Estate Acquisitions Analyst?
O*NET scores Financial and Investment Analysts highest on the Conventional, Investigative and Enterprising interest areas, so the work mixes organising, following procedures and working precisely with data with investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ENTJ, ESTJ, ISTJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.