Invests a fund's money in early-stage startups, choosing which founders to back and helping those companies grow. Levels.fyi puts typical pay at $130,000 a year (2026). 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
Venture Capitalist 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: Venture Capital Associate, Venture Capital Partner, VC Investor, Principal, Venture Capital, Venture Investor.
Pay
How much do Financial and Investment Analysts make?
Industry-reported pay
$130,000
Median total compensation (salary and bonus, carried interest generally excluded), US venture capital professionals across all levels, self-reported.
- Entry level
- $92,400
- Top earners
- $310,000
Source: Levels.fyi, 2026 (published compensation survey). This is not a BLS figure: BLS counts financial and investment analysts within financial and investment analyst, whose pay is shown below. Levels.fyi: Venture Capitalist salaries
Every venture capitalist 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 Venture Capitalist 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 Venture Capitalist
There is no single path. Common backgrounds include investment banking or consulting, startup operating roles in product or growth, engineering, or founding a company. Many firms hire associates for two-year programs and recruit partners from successful operators and founders. An MBA helps some candidates make the switch.
Firms value a clear thesis about a sector, a network of founders, and a track record of spotting good companies early. The Kauffman Fellows program trains venture investors, and the National Venture Capital Association publishes model legal documents and industry resources. Writing publicly about a sector and angel investing are common ways to build credibility.
- 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 Venture Capitalist do?
Venture capitalists find and fund young companies with the potential to grow very large. They meet founders, study markets and products, and decide which startups receive investment in exchange for equity. Because most startups fail, VCs look for the few that could return an entire fund.
The job splits into sourcing, deciding and supporting. Associates and principals build networks, scout new companies at demo days and through referrals, and prepare investment memos. Partners lead deals, negotiate term sheets, and take board seats. After investing, VCs help portfolio companies recruit executives, raise later rounds, and make strategic decisions. Partners also raise money for new funds from limited partners such as endowments and pensions.
Day-to-day tasks
- Source startup investment opportunities through networks and events
- Meet founders and evaluate their teams, products and markets
- Write investment memos for partner meetings
- Negotiate term sheets and investment terms
- Serve on portfolio company boards
- Help portfolio companies recruit executives and raise later rounds
- Report fund performance to limited partners
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
Venture capitalists work in fund offices, often in the San Francisco Bay Area, New York, Boston and other startup hubs, with many meetings held at founder offices, events and over video. The schedule is meeting-heavy and flexible but extends into evenings for networking. Travel to visit portfolio companies and limited partners is common.
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 Venture Capitalist?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code EIS) built on O*NET's Financial and Investment Analyst profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Venture Capitalist |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 1 |
| Investigative | 5 |
| Artistic | 2 |
| Social | 3 |
| Enterprising | 5 |
| Conventional | 5 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around leading, persuading, selling and making decisions, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
- Enterprising5.4
- Conventional5.2
- Investigative5.2
- Social3.0
- 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 Venture Capitalist
O*NET related occupations
- Business and Financial Operations
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$78,660median a year
Most earn $48K to $213K
+1.4%Bachelor's - Management
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More business and financial operations careers
Median annual pay, with financial and investment analysts highlighted
- Financial Advisor$105,070
- Venture Capitalist$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 |
| Venture Capitalist | $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 Venture Capitalist appears on
Questions
Venture Capitalist: frequently asked questions
How much do Financial and Investment Analysts make?
Levels.fyi reports $130,000 (median total compensation (salary and bonus, carried interest generally excluded), US venture capital professionals across all levels, self-reported, 2026), with top earners around $310,000. 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 Venture Capitalist?
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 Venture Capitalist 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 Venture Capitalist do?
Venture capitalists find and fund young companies with the potential to grow very large. A typical task: source startup investment opportunities through networks and events. 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 Venture Capitalist?
O*NET scores Financial and Investment Analysts 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 ENTJ, ESTJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.