All careersBusiness & finance

Credit Analyst

$83,510
median / year
$56,250 – $169,230
what most earn per year (10th–90th percentile)

What the job actually is

Analyze financial data to judge the risk of lending money to people or businesses.

You may also see this posted as: Credit Administrator, Credit Officer, Credit Representative, Credit and Collections Analyst, Credit Risk Analyst, Municipal Fixed Income Analyst.

Where you work

Offices at banks and lenders

The hours

Full time, regular hours

The day to day

What you'd actually spend time doing

  • Analyze credit data and financial statements to determine the degree of risk involved in extending credit or lending money.
  • Complete loan applications, including credit analyses and summaries of loan requests, and submit to loan committees for approval.
  • Generate financial ratios, using computer programs, to evaluate customers' financial status.
  • Prepare reports that include the degree of risk involved in extending credit or lending money.
  • Analyze financial data, such as income growth, quality of management, and market share to determine expected profitability of loans.

Good fit if you like…

Conventional

organizing information, following systems, and getting details right

Enterprising

leading, persuading, selling, or turning an idea into action

Investigative

solving problems, analyzing evidence, and figuring out how things work

O*NET job zone 4 of 5

High preparation—usually a four-year degree plus experience—is common.

Work styles that matter most

Attention to DetailDependabilityCautiousnessIntegrity

Software that shows up in the work

Examples employers report—not a checklist you must already know.

Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft WordMicrosoft SQL Server

By the numbers

May 2025 BLS wage & employment data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.

Median pay
$83,510
per year
Hourly median
$40.15
per hour
What most earn
$56,250–$169,230
yearly, 10th to 90th percentile
Openings a year
~3,700
projected, 2024–34
Outlook to 2034
-4.4%
Declining
Working in the U.S.
64,390
people, nationwide

Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.

“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.

What it pays in your state

Statewide medians are a better starting point than the national number. Your city and experience still matter.

BLS state wage tables

How you get in

Typical starting education

Bachelor's degree

Training path: Bachelor's in finance or accounting.

Related work experience: None.

On-the-job training: None.

License or certification

No license required to start in most places.

Check the path where you live

Licensing rules and available programs change by state. These federal tools take you to the current official listings.

What it takes

Financial analysisMathAttention to detailReport writing

The honest take

Reviews the finances of people and businesses to judge how risky it is to lend to them.

Standard Occupational Classification 13-2041. Pay and employment from the BLS May 2025 OEWS survey; outlook and openings from the 2024–34 employment projections; tasks, interests, work styles, software examples, and job zone from O*NET 30.3. See something off? Tell us.