Investment Analyst Salary

Created by Henry Steele

By Henry Steele - January 8, 2018
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The following article discusses the career path of Investment Analyst. Learn about how to become one, education requirements, job duties, traits and qualities, national salary outlook as well as top national employers of Investment Analysts.

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Job Duties

Investment analysts work as part of a group to review investment products, and potentially approve them. They may also be responsible for recommending portfolio changes to advisors, as well as focusing on other investment products, including assets, that financial advisors use on a daily basis. Furthermore, an investment analyst is likely to have to conduct research on various funds, writing an analysis or commentary, delivering presentations on various financial investment topics, supporting advisors, and supporting asset management.

Typically, these professionals are employed by large financial firms or institutions, venture capitalists, brokerages, or fund managers. Their role is highly stressful and they may work unsociable hours, particularly if they also focus on global financial markets.

Other job duties of an investment analyst are:

  • To analyze and research various financial products to determine whether the industry or company is performing at maximum capability
  • To work with other analysts to create investment strategies for individuals or companies
  • To recommend different types of investments based on research of an industry or company

Where We Work

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 296,100 financial analysts in 2016. The largest employers of these professionals were:

  • Securities, commodity contracts, and other financial investments and related activities: 24%
  • Professional, scientific, and technical services: 14%
  • Credit intermediation and related activities: 13%
  • Management of companies and enterprises: 12%
  • Insurance carriers and related activities: 7%

How to Become

Typically, investment analysts are team players with excellent communication skills, both oral and written. They will be expected to hold a bachelor’s degree as a minimum, typically in a field such as accounting, business, or finance. It is common for them to have many years of work experience as well as for them to be certified in different financial areas. Many hold CIMA (certified investment management analyst), CAIA (chartered alternative investment analyst), or CFA (chartered financial analyst) certifications. This means that they have completed significant amounts of further education. Many, in fact, have completed a master’s degree, with the master in business administration (MBA) with a relevant concentration being the most popular.

Education Requirements

A bachelor’s degree is generally the minimum requirement. While a bachelor’s degree in finance is recommended, fields such as mathematics, statistics, economics, and accounting are also suitable. Licenses and certifications are also available and sometimes required by employers.

The main licensing body for the investment industry is the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). If an investment analyst wishes to sell financial products, he or she will need to be licensed. To receive this license, employer sponsorship is required. This means that an analyst is not expected to already be licensed when starting in a job.

Certification is usually recommended depending on the position. The Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), offered by the CFA Institute, is very popular. To obtain CFA certification, an investment analyst must hold a bachelor’s degree, have four years of relevant professional experience, and pass three different examinations. They can also obtain further certification in specialty fields. Doing so will also greatly improve their advancement prospects.

Traits & Qualities

The most effective investment analysts have the following traits to some degree or other:

  • Excellent analytical skills
  • Great communication skills, both verbal and written, particularly in relation to report writing and holding presentations
  • Computer skills, focusing on financial analysis software
  • Strong decision making skills
  • Detail oriented
  • Excellent mathematical skills

Minimum Education

Bachelor’s Degree

National Salary

The national average salary estimate for Investment Analyst was $76,199. This number is estimated from over 256,424 employees, users past and present job advertisements from Indeed.com. This equates to an hourly salary of $39.69 and monthly of $6,350.

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$19,000

$171,000

Salary Distribution

Salary by State

The following section lists Investment Analyst salaries in each state around the country. The figures are based on the total number of job postings through Indeed.com. For example, New York had the largest quoted salary of $100,767 while Missouri had the smallest quoted salary of $27,859.

ArizonaIllinoisMissouriPennsylvania
CaliforniaIndianaMississippiTennessee
DCKansasNew HampshireTexas
DelawareMassachusettsNew JerseyUtah
FloridaMarylandNevadaVirginia
GeorgiaMichiganNew York
IowaMinnesotaOhio
Arizona – $58,086Rank: 18th
The average salary ranks 18th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like University of Arizona.

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$15,000

$128,000

Salary Distribution
California – $76,902Rank: 8th
The average salary ranks 8th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like CyberCoders, Voyant Advisors, Integral Financial LLC, and Shinnecock Partners.

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$19,000

$174,000

Salary Distribution
DC – $80,469Rank: 7th
The average salary ranks 7th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Robert Half Finance & Accounting and ROCS Staffing.

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$28,000

$159,000

Salary Distribution
Delaware – $37,689Rank: 25th
The average salary ranks 25th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Aerotek – Financial Services, Randstad Professionals, Confidential Company DE, and Accountemps.

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$8.50

$35.20

Salary Distribution
Florida – $74,616Rank: 9th
The average salary ranks 9th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Robert Half Finance & Accounting, BGC Partners, Inc, and The J. M. Smucker Company.

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$17,000

$172,000

Salary Distribution
Georgia – $63,236Rank: 15th
The average salary ranks 15th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Accounting Career Network and Robert Half Finance & Accounting.

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$18,000

$135,000

Salary Distribution
Iowa – $68,291Rank: 12th
The average salary ranks 12th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Accountemps.

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$28,000

$126,000

Salary Distribution
Illinois – $55,092Rank: 20th
The average salary ranks 20th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Northern Trust Corp., Robert Half Finance & Accounting, and Infinity Consulting Solutions, Inc..

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$14,000

$136,000

Salary Distribution
Indiana – $62,093Rank: 16th
The average salary ranks 16th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Archway Technology Partners, LLC.

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$18,000

$132,000

Salary Distribution
Kansas – $61,917Rank: 17th
The average salary ranks 17th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Accounting Career Network.

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$23,000

$118,000

Salary Distribution
Massachusetts – $84,244Rank: 6th
The average salary ranks 6th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Huxley Banking & Financial Services, Liberty Mutual, Huxley Associates, and WinterWyman.

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$29,000

$168,000

Salary Distribution
Maryland – $88,511Rank: 3rd
The average salary ranks 3rd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Robert Half Finance & Accounting, T. Rowe Price, and CyberCoders.

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$20,000

$206,000

Salary Distribution
Michigan – $56,072Rank: 19th
The average salary ranks 19th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like HRCoach and The University of Michigan.

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$23,000

$102,000

Salary Distribution
Minnesota – $68,087Rank: 13th
The average salary ranks 13th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Robert Half Finance & Accounting.

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$24,000

$133,000

Salary Distribution
Missouri – $27,859Rank: 26th
The average salary ranks 26th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Robert Half Finance & Accounting, Washington University in St. Louis, Daley and Associates, and Kforce Finance and Accounting.

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$7.30

$22.05

Salary Distribution
Mississippi – $50,661Rank: 22nd
The average salary ranks 22nd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Robert Half Finance & Accounting.

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$20,000

$94,000

Salary Distribution
New Hampshire – $91,370Rank: 2nd
The average salary ranks 2nd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Robert Half Finance & Accounting.

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$32,000

$180,000

Salary Distribution
New Jersey – $71,864Rank: 10th
The average salary ranks 10th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Compliance Search, Adecco, and Dixon Advisory USA Inc..

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$22,000

$150,000

Salary Distribution
Nevada – $50,319Rank: 23rd
The average salary ranks 23rd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Ultimate.

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$25,000

$78,000

Salary Distribution
New York – $100,767Rank: 1st
The average salary ranks 1st among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like QVT Financial LP, Coatue Management LLC, CyberCoders, and Selby Jennings.

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$30,000

$213,000

Salary Distribution
Ohio – $64,266Rank: 14th
The average salary ranks 14th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Ohio State University, Affinity Executive Search, The Job Jobber, and fulltimeGiGS.

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$20,000

$131,000

Salary Distribution
Pennsylvania – $86,482Rank: 4th
The average salary ranks 4th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Beacon Hill Staffing, Robert Half Finance & Accounting, Kforce Finance and Accounting, and BNY Mellon.

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$22,000

$194,000

Salary Distribution
Tennessee – $54,628Rank: 21st
The average salary ranks 21st among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Robert Half Finance & Accounting.

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$22,000

$101,000

Salary Distribution
Texas – $71,796Rank: 11th
The average salary ranks 11th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Unity Search LLC, Unity Search, Michael Page, and Robert Half Finance & Accounting.

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$17,000

$163,000

Salary Distribution
Utah – $49,573Rank: 24th
The average salary ranks 24th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like PrincePerelson & Associates.

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$15,000

$104,000

Salary Distribution
Virginia – $84,474Rank: 5th
The average salary ranks 5th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Phase One and CyberCoders.

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$31,000

$163,000

Salary Distribution

Top 20 National Employers

According to Indeed.com, the following states had employers looking to hire a Investment Analyst. The quoted salary figure represents the average salary from all job postings by this employer.

Employer NameLocationAverage Salary
Selby Jennings Investment AnalystTexas$177,028
Robert Half Finance & Accounting Investment AnalystMassachusetts$163,966
QVT Financial LP Investment AnalystNew York$155,892
Coatue Management LLC Investment AnalystNew York$150,000
CyberCoders Investment AnalystNew York$138,951
Kforce Finance and Accounting Investment AnalystNew York$130,069
T. Rowe Price Investment AnalystMaryland$124,813
Bank of America Merrill Lynch Investment AnalystNew York$120,805
PHAIDON INTERNATIONAL Investment AnalystPennsylvania$120,485
Citi Investment AnalystNew York$111,945
R.G. Niederhoffer Capital Management, Inc. Investment AnalystNew York$104,055
Green Key Resources Investment AnalystNew York$103,305

Learn More

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Henry Steele
Managing Editor
Henry is Managing Editor of BusinessStudent.com. He is a seasoned business professional who regularly consults with local business's throughout Southern California. Henry pursued his undergrad in Business and Economics at the University of San Diego and gained valuable life changing experience through a unique internship upon graduation.

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