How to become a Budget Analyst

Official title: Budget Analysts

Also called: Budget Analyst, Budget and Policy Analyst, Budget Coordinator, Budget Officer, Budget Planning Analyst, Cost Analyst, Financial Services Officer, Fiscal Analyst, Fiscal Budget Analyst

Examine budget estimates for completeness, accuracy, and conformance with procedures and regulations. Analyze budgeting and accounting reports.

Main tasks

• Analyze monthly department budgeting and accounting reports to maintain expenditure controls.
• Provide advice and technical assistance with cost analysis, fiscal allocation, and budget preparation.
• Review operating budgets to analyze trends affecting budget needs.
• Compile and analyze accounting records and other data to determine the financial resources required to implement a program.
• Examine budget estimates for completeness, accuracy, and conformance with procedures and regulations.
• Summarize budgets and submit recommendations for the approval or disapproval of funds requests.
• Consult with managers to ensure that budget adjustments are made in accordance with program changes.
• Direct the preparation of regular and special budget reports.

How to become one

Budget analysts typically need a bachelor's degree to enter the occupation. Courses in accounting, economics, and statistics are helpful.

Typical education to start: Bachelor's degree

Read the full guide from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Ways in

• College: Business & Commerce degrees, Offered by 35 universities in the US

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: $91,640 a year The middle half earn $75,320 to $114,220.
• About 50,400 people work in this job now, and about 51,300 are projected by 2035. (+1.9%)
• People already use generative AI for some of this work. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as medium.

Related jobs

• Financial and Investment Analysts
• Accountants and Auditors
• Appraisers of Personal and Business Property
• Appraisers and Assessors of Real Estate
• Credit Analysts
• Personal Financial Advisors

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Budget Analyst?

Budget analysts typically need a bachelor's degree to enter the occupation. Courses in accounting, economics, and statistics are helpful.

How much does a Budget Analyst earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $91,640 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $75,320 to $114,220.

Is a Budget Analyst a growing career in the US?

Employment is projected to stay about the same by 2035: about 50,400 people now and 51,300 later (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become a Budget Analyst?

Usually. 80% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Will AI change the work of a Budget Analyst?

People already use generative AI for some of this work. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as medium.

Sources

• Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook (2025-35 edition (published 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS); photographs excluded, retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.