Actuaries
Job Zone 4 - Considerable preparation needed
Analyze statistical data, such as mortality, accident, sickness, disability, and retirement rates and construct probability tables to forecast risk and liability for payment of future benefits. May ascertain insurance rates required and cash reserves necessary to ensure payment of future benefits.
Median pay: $130,000/yr (U.S. national, May 2025)
Typical range nationwide (10th–90th percentile). This is a population snapshot, not a personal prediction - actual pay varies by location, employer, and experience.
Job outlook: +21.8% projected growth, 2024–2034 — much faster than average.
About 2,400 openings per year, on average, over the decade.
Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS and Employment Projections.
• Ascertain premium rates required and cash reserves and liabilities necessary to ensure payment of future benefits.
• Collaborate with programmers, underwriters, accounts, claims experts, and senior management to help companies develop plans for new lines of business or improvements to existing business.
• Analyze statistical information to estimate mortality, accident, sickness, disability, and retirement rates.
• Design, review, and help administer insurance, annuity and pension plans, determining financial soundness and calculating premiums.
• Determine, or help determine, company policy, and explain complex technical matters to company executives, government officials, shareholders, policyholders, or the public.
• Construct probability tables for events such as fires, natural disasters, and unemployment, based on analysis of statistical data and other pertinent information.
• Provide advice to clients on a contract basis, working as a consultant.
• Determine equitable basis for distributing surplus earnings under participating insurance and annuity contracts in mutual companies.
What's the median pay for Actuaries?
The median pay for Actuaries is $130,000 per year, per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
What's the job outlook for Actuaries?
Employment for Actuaries is projected to change +21.8% from 2024 to 2034 - much faster than average.
What education is typically required for Actuaries?
Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
How many job openings are there each year for Actuaries?
About 2,400 openings per year, on average, over the decade.