BLS actuary salaries in every state BLS reports, insurance vs consulting pay, salary per hour and take-home after 2026 tax
Actuaries earned a median salary of $130,000 in May 2025 — $62.50 an hour — according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' count of 26,670. The ladder is steep: the bottom tenth earned under $78,570, and the top tenth over $215,100. Exam bonuses and year-end bonuses aren't counted.
This is the BLS line for actuaries (SOC 15-2011) on employers' payrolls. BLS released figures for fewer states than for most jobs here, and year-end and exam bonuses aren't included (BLS OEWS FAQ). Take-home assumes a single filer with 2026 federal tax and FICA and no state tax.
| Pay level | Hourly | Annual | Monthly | Take-home a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $37.77 | $78,570 | $6,548 | $64,104 |
| 25th percentile | $46.96 | $97,680 | $8,140 | $77,548 |
| Median | $62.50 | $130,000 | $10,833 | $100,121 |
| 75th percentile | $82.04 | $170,650 | $14,221 | $127,905 |
| 90th percentile | $103.41 | $215,100 | $17,925 | $160,048 |
Connecticut ($166,800), Washington, D.C. ($166,230) and New York ($156,480) lead. New York also employs the most actuaries, 2,630, then Illinois ($115,430) and Texas ($105,020). Louisiana's $80,860 is the lowest released median, from a very small workforce. BLS released figures for only 36 states.
| State | Median hourly | Median annual | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | $80.19 | $166,800 | 1,380 |
| District of Columbia | $79.92 | $166,230 | 160 |
| New York | $75.23 | $156,480 | 2,630 |
| New Jersey | $68.65 | $142,800 | 1,260 |
| Alabama | $65.84 | $136,950 | 190 |
| Arizona | $65.32 | $135,870 | 200 |
| Washington | $64.77 | $134,720 | 360 |
| Utah | $63.81 | $132,720 | 180 |
| Nevada | $63.64 | $132,370 | 120 |
| Florida | $63.51 | $132,110 | 1,300 |
| Virginia | $63.42 | $131,900 | 440 |
| Wisconsin | $63.29 | $131,640 | 890 |
| California | $62.75 | $130,510 | 1,280 |
| Oregon | $62.68 | $130,380 | 210 |
| Missouri | $62.13 | $129,220 | 390 |
| North Carolina | $61.89 | $128,730 | 610 |
| Iowa | $61.87 | $128,690 | 530 |
| Minnesota | $61.59 | $128,100 | 1,170 |
| Maryland | $61.04 | $126,950 | 580 |
| Massachusetts | $60.60 | $126,040 | — |
| Pennsylvania | $60.12 | $125,040 | 1,710 |
| Kansas | $60.10 | $125,010 | 180 |
| Colorado | $57.91 | $120,440 | 500 |
| Kentucky | $57.89 | $120,400 | 70 |
| Maine | $57.51 | $119,620 | 80 |
| Illinois | $55.50 | $115,430 | 2,280 |
| Rhode Island | $53.41 | $111,090 | 100 |
| Ohio | $53.36 | $110,980 | 1,090 |
| Oklahoma | $52.77 | $109,760 | 70 |
| Tennessee | $52.37 | $108,930 | 300 |
| Mississippi | $51.06 | $106,210 | 40 |
| Texas | $50.49 | $105,020 | 1,750 |
| Nebraska | $49.42 | $102,790 | 270 |
| Indiana | $48.41 | $100,690 | 780 |
| Michigan | $48.38 | $100,640 | 570 |
| Louisiana | $38.88 | $80,860 | 40 |
Finance and insurance, which employs 78% of actuaries, pays a median of $131,450; corporate headquarters ($129,810) and government ($129,650) are almost level, and consulting and other professional services pay $124,130 (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).
| Industry | Median annual wage |
|---|---|
| Finance and insurance | $131,450 |
| Management of companies and enterprises | $129,810 |
| Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals | $129,650 |
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | $124,130 |
Most actuaries work full time and some work more than 40 hours a week. Finance and insurance employs 78% of actuaries, professional, scientific and technical services — mostly consulting — 13%, and corporate headquarters and government 3% each. They work in offices, on teams with accountants, underwriters and finance staff, and consultants may travel to clients (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).
A salaried actuary is usually treated as an exempt professional: the test is a salary of at least $684 a week plus work requiring advanced knowledge in a field of science or learning acquired through prolonged specialized study (DOL Fact Sheet #17D). Trainees paid by the hour are owed overtime after 40 hours. Exam-passing bonuses, which the OOH says some employers pay, are excluded from BLS wages as non-production bonuses (BLS OEWS FAQ).
Exam season adds study hours on top of work, and some actuaries work more than 40 hours a week. The table divides the BLS median and 75th percentile actuary salaries by weekly hours over 52 weeks. It doesn't count paid study time, which some employers give and others don't.
| Hours a week | Median salary per hour | 75th percentile per hour |
|---|---|---|
| 35 | $71.43 | $93.76 |
| 40 | $62.50 | $82.04 |
| 45 | $55.56 | $72.93 |
| 50 | $50.00 | $65.63 |
| 55 | $45.45 | $59.67 |
| 60 | $41.67 | $54.70 |
Actuaries typically need a bachelor's in math, actuarial science, statistics or another analytical field, and must pass a series of exams. Associate-level certification can take up to 7 years, and fellowship several more, in one of five tracks. Employers often pay for exams and study materials or give paid study time, and may give raises or bonuses for each exam passed; pension actuaries usually need enrollment with the Joint Board for the Enrollment of Actuaries (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).
More ways to work with your actuary pay:
$130,000 a year ($62.50 an hour) at the BLS median for May 2025. The middle half earned $97,680 to $170,650.
Connecticut ($80.19 an hour, $166,800 a year), then District of Columbia and New York; Louisiana pays least among the 36 states where BLS released a figure (BLS, May 2025).
Often. The OOH says employers may give raises or bonuses for each actuarial exam passed and that advancement usually depends on job performance and exams passed. BLS doesn't publish a pay figure per exam, and exam bonuses are excluded from its wage data.
By state, Connecticut has the highest released median in BLS's May 2025 data, followed by Washington, D.C. and New York. By employer, finance and insurance pays the highest median in the Occupational Outlook Handbook's table.
Tax rules, limits and pay data change. Check the current figures with the primary source before acting on them.