Financial examiners salary
| Measure | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $56,230 | $27.04 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $94,160 | $45.27 |
| Mean (average) | $106,240 | $51.08 |
| 90th percentile | $174,200 | $83.75 |
These wages describe everyone employed in the occupation, from new entrants to experienced workers. They are not starting salaries and not earnings of graduates from any particular program. Verified data
Financial examiners pay by state and metro area
Table: median wage and employment for all 50 states and territories
| State | Median | 10th pct | 90th pct | Employment | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $90,530 | $57,550 | $128,410 | 50 | 0.32 |
| Arizona | $80,260 | $60,000 | $129,300 | 1,910 | 1.35 |
| Arkansas | $57,590 | $46,630 | $125,840 | 540 | 0.94 |
| California | $106,000 | $66,680 | $175,140 | 4,200 | 0.53 |
| Colorado | $99,610 | $64,770 | $169,400 | 1,910 | 1.53 |
| Connecticut | $120,530 | $61,660 | $210,270 | ||
| Delaware | $92,390 | $57,790 | $162,760 | 430 | 2.01 |
| District of Columbia | $198,720 | $84,050 | $256,820 | 470 | 1.52 |
| Florida | $76,230 | $49,190 | $129,090 | 4,190 | 0.97 |
| Georgia | $77,710 | $53,100 | $166,540 | 1,450 | 0.68 |
| Hawaii | $62,720 | $49,440 | $96,550 | 270 | 0.98 |
| Idaho | $85,260 | $58,060 | $156,190 | 210 | 0.57 |
| Illinois | $93,150 | $59,800 | $167,270 | 4,050 | 1.52 |
| Indiana | $81,300 | $47,960 | $157,040 | 420 | 0.3 |
| Iowa | $80,370 | $55,650 | $149,160 | 1,020 | 1.51 |
| Kansas | $80,420 | $55,330 | $147,990 | 470 | 0.75 |
| Kentucky | $76,260 | $50,400 | $135,570 | 640 | 0.73 |
| Louisiana | $84,310 | $50,800 | $164,300 | 240 | 0.28 |
| Maine | $80,840 | $53,910 | $145,110 | 230 | 0.83 |
| Maryland | $102,980 | $61,980 | $165,780 | 350 | 0.29 |
| Massachusetts | $111,110 | $68,520 | $187,910 | 950 | 0.6 |
| Michigan | $71,050 | $50,310 | $121,620 | 710 | 0.37 |
| Minnesota | $104,260 | $65,950 | $156,710 | 1,280 | 1 |
| Mississippi | $85,430 | $44,990 | $137,880 | 420 | 0.83 |
| Missouri | $79,990 | $48,140 | $148,400 | 2,290 | 1.79 |
| Montana | $80,970 | $50,440 | $156,990 | 140 | 0.63 |
| Nebraska | $74,460 | $49,490 | $127,000 | 840 | 1.88 |
| Nevada | $84,650 | $50,750 | $131,210 | 180 | 0.27 |
| New Hampshire | $80,810 | $59,220 | $203,840 | 130 | 0.44 |
| New Jersey | $106,410 | $72,800 | $205,030 | 2,190 | 1.17 |
| New Mexico | $67,950 | $49,460 | $107,170 | 220 | 0.59 |
| New York | $128,920 | $70,710 | $216,090 | 13,480 | 3.19 |
| North Carolina | $100,730 | $64,760 | $166,110 | 2,610 | 1.21 |
| North Dakota | $82,640 | $60,560 | $128,670 | 220 | 1.16 |
| Ohio | $69,040 | $46,960 | $127,710 | 3,680 | 1.52 |
| Oklahoma | $80,760 | $46,280 | $151,620 | 400 | 0.53 |
| Oregon | $94,630 | $63,170 | $128,480 | 820 | 0.96 |
| Pennsylvania | $78,500 | $56,420 | $137,770 | 2,590 | 0.98 |
| Puerto Rico | $37,470 | $31,440 | $69,990 | 1,270 | 3.11 |
| Rhode Island | $94,130 | $60,930 | $160,350 | 320 | 1.48 |
| South Carolina | $86,440 | $52,530 | $164,260 | 480 | 0.48 |
| South Dakota | $88,690 | $54,790 | $162,970 | 150 | 0.78 |
| Tennessee | $87,110 | $51,170 | $160,710 | 500 | 0.35 |
| Texas | $78,140 | $51,400 | $137,260 | 5,230 | 0.85 |
| Utah | $92,000 | $55,000 | $155,440 | 960 | 1.27 |
| Vermont | $74,680 | $64,090 | $113,380 | 170 | 1.28 |
| Virginia | $104,060 | $62,310 | $176,290 | 1,280 | 0.71 |
| Washington | $113,700 | $74,690 | $172,300 | 420 | 0.27 |
| West Virginia | $60,590 | $40,980 | $105,610 | 240 | 0.78 |
| Wisconsin | $86,320 | $64,490 | $149,120 | 580 | 0.45 |
A location quotient above 1 means the occupation is more concentrated in that state than in the nation overall.
Metro areas with the most jobs
Highest paying metro areas
Job outlook for financial examiners
- Average annual openings, 2025 to 2035: 4,500. Openings include new jobs plus replacement needs when workers retire or leave the occupation. Official projection
- Read the official BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook profile.
These are official BLS projections. ConnectPrep does not alter them or present its own forecasts as official statistics.
Education and training for financial examiners
- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Long-term on-the-job training
- O*NET Job Zone
- Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Highest education of people working in this occupation
O*NET describes this preparation level as: Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Degrees and programs that lead to this career
Programs officially mapped to this occupation in the NCES and BLS CIP to SOC crosswalk. A mapping means the program commonly prepares students for the occupation, not that every graduate works in it. Official crosswalk
- Suspension and Debarment Investigation CIP 43.0121
- Financial Forensics and Fraud Investigation CIP 43.0405
- Accounting CIP 52.0301
- Auditing CIP 52.0303
- Taxation CIP 52.1601
Skills, knowledge, and daily work
Most important skills
Most important knowledge areas
Typical tasks
- Direct and participate in formal and informal meetings with bank directors, trustees, senior management, counsels, outside accountants, and consultants to gather information and discuss findings.
- Recommend actions to ensure compliance with laws and regulations, or to protect solvency of institutions.
- Prepare reports, exhibits, and other supporting schedules that detail an institution's safety and soundness, compliance with laws and regulations, and recommended solutions to questionable financial conditions.
- Resolve problems concerning the overall financial integrity of banking institutions including loan investment portfolios, capital, earnings, and specific or large troubled accounts.
- 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.
Technology skills
- Microsoft Excel (in demand)
- Microsoft Office software (in demand)
- Microsoft Outlook (in demand)
- Microsoft PowerPoint (in demand)
- Microsoft Word (in demand)
- Microsoft Access (hot technology)
- Microsoft Project (hot technology)
- Microsoft SharePoint (hot technology)
- Microsoft Visio (hot technology)
- Microsoft Windows (hot technology)
- R (hot technology)
- SAP software (hot technology)
- Structured query language SQL (hot technology)
- ACL Analytics
- Auditing software
- Financial compliance software
Transferable skills for career changers: Complex Problem Solving, Judgment and Decision Making, Social Perceptiveness, Coordination, Systems Analysis, Systems Evaluation.
Common job titles: 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, Credit Union Field Examiner, Examining Officer, Internal Auditor.
Is it worth it? Model the cost of getting there
Use the ROI calculator to compare the cost of the education this career usually requires against staying on your current path. It starts from the official wage distribution above, and you can change every assumption.
Frequently asked questions
How much do financial examiners make?
The national median annual wage for financial examiners was $94,160 in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program. The lowest paid 10 percent earned less than $56,230 and the highest paid 10 percent earned more than $174,200. These figures cover all workers in the occupation, not only new entrants.
What education do financial examiners need?
BLS lists bachelor's degree as the typical education needed to enter this occupation, with none of related work experience and long-term on-the-job training on-the-job training typically needed to become competent.
Is financial examiners a growing career?
BLS projects employment of financial examiners to change +9.3% from 2025 to 2035, compared with +3.5% for all occupations. About 4,500 openings are projected each year on average, including openings from workers who retire or change occupations.
Which states pay financial examiners the most?
By median annual wage in May 2025, the highest paying states were District of Columbia ($198,720), New York ($128,920), Connecticut ($120,530). Pay differences partly reflect differences in living costs.