Budget Analysts

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Summary

Budget analysts
Budget analysts must effectively communicate their recommendations to officials within organizations.
Quick Facts: Budget Analysts
2010 Median Pay $68,200 per year
$32.79 per hour
Entry-Level Education Bachelor’s degree
Work Experience in a Related Occupation None
On-the-job Training None
Number of Jobs, 2010 62,100
Job Outlook, 2010-20 10% (About as fast as average)
Employment Change, 2010-20 6,500

What Budget Analysts Do

Budget analysts help public and private institutions organize their finances. They prepare budget reports and monitor institutional spending.

Work Environment

Budget analysts work in offices. About 45 percent work in government, and others work in universities or for private companies. Most work full time.

How to Become a Budget Analyst

A bachelor’s degree is typically required, although some employers prefer candidates with a master’s degree.

Pay

The median annual wage of budget analysts was $68,200 in May 2010.

Job Outlook

Employment of budget analysts is expected to 10 percent from 2010 to 2020, about as fast as the average for all occupations. The complexity of budget analysis will require more analysts, but employment growth is expected to be tempered by limited government spending.

Similar Occupations

Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of budget analysts with similar occupations.

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Contacts for More Information

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What Budget Analysts Do About this section

Budget analysts
Budget analysts prepare budget reports and monitor spending.

Budget analysts help public and private institutions organize their finances. They prepare budget reports and monitor institutional spending.

Duties

Budget analysts typically do the following:

  • Work with program and project managers to develop the organization's budget
  • Review managers' budget proposals for completeness, accuracy, and compliance with laws and other regulations
  • Combine all the program and department budgets together into a consolidated organizational budget and review all funding requests for merit
  • Explain their recommendations for funding requests to others in the organization, legislators, and the public
  • Help the chief operation officer, agency head, or other top managers analyze the proposed plan and find alternatives if the projected results are unsatisfactory
  • Monitor organizational spending to ensure that it is within budget
  • Inform program managers of the status and availability of funds
  • Estimate future financial needs

Budget analysts advise various institutions—including governments, universities, and businesses—on how to organize their finances. They prepare annual and special reports and evaluate budget proposals. They analyze data to determine the costs and benefits of various programs and recommend funding levels based on their findings. Although elected officials (in government) or top executives (in a private company) usually make the final decision on an organization's budget, they rely on the work of budget analysts to prepare the information for that decision. For more information about elected officials and top executives, see the profiles on legislators and top executives.

Sometimes, budget analysts use cost-benefit analyses to review financial requests, assess program tradeoffs, and explore alternative funding methods. Budget analysts also may examine past budgets and research economic and financial developments that affect the organization's income and expenditures. Budget analysts may recommend program spending cuts or redistributing extra funds.

Throughout the year, budget analysts oversee spending to ensure compliance with the budget and determine whether changes to funding levels are needed for certain programs. Analysts also evaluate programs to determine whether they are producing the desired results.

In addition to providing technical analysis, budget analysts must effectively communicate their recommendations to officials within the organization. For example, if there is a difference between the approved budget and actual spending, budget analysts may write a report explaining the variations and recommend changes to reconcile the differences.

Budget analysts working in government attend committee hearings to explain their recommendations to legislators. Occasionally, budget analysts may evaluate how well a program is doing, provide policy analysis, and draft budget-related legislation.

Work Environment About this section

Budget analysts
Budget analysts work in a variety of settings including government agencies, universities, and companies.

Budget analysts held 62,100 jobs in 2010. They worked in a variety of settings, including government agencies, universities, and companies. Although budget analysts usually work in offices, some may travel to get budget details firsthand or to verify funding allocations. The following industries employed the most budget analysts in 2010:  

Federal government, excluding postal service21%
Educational services; state, local, and private14
State government, excluding education and hospitals12
Local government, excluding education and hospitals11
Manufacturing10

Budget analysts spend most of their time working independently, compiling and analyzing data and preparing budget proposals. In nonprofit and government organizations, analysts try to find the most efficient way to distribute funds and other resources among various departments and programs. In private firms, a budget analyst's main responsibility is to review the budget and seek new ways to improve efficiency and increase profits.

 

Work Schedules

Most budget analysts work full time, and overtime is sometimes required during final reviews of budgets.  The pressures of deadlines and tight work schedules can be stressful.

How to Become a Budget Analyst About this section

Budget analysts
Budget analysts must present technical information in writing that is understandable for the intended audience.

A bachelor’s degree is typically required, although some employers prefer candidates with a master’s degree.

Education

Employers generally require budget analysts to have at least a bachelor's degree. However, some employers may require candidates to have a master’s degree. Because developing a budget requires strong numerical and analytical skills, courses in statistics or accounting are helpful. For the federal government, a bachelor's degree in any field is enough for an entry-level budget analyst position. State and local governments have varying requirements but usually require a bachelor's degree in one of many areas, such as accounting, finance, business, public administration, economics, statistics, political science, or sociology.

Sometimes, budget-related or finance-related work experience can be substituted for formal education.

Training

In some organizations, budget analysts learn the job by working through one complete budget cycle. During the cycle, which typically lasts 1 year, analysts become familiar with the steps involved in the budgeting process. Many budget analysts also take professional development classes throughout their careers.

Certification

Government budget analysts may earn the Certified Government Financial Manager credential from the Association of Government Accountants. To earn this certification, candidates must have a minimum of a bachelor's degree, 24 credit hours of study in financial management, 2 years of professional-level experience in governmental financial management, and pass a series of exams. To keep the certification, budget analysts must take 80 hours of continuing education every 2 years.

Advancement

Entry-level budget analysts begin with limited responsibilities, but advancement is common. As analysts gain experience, they have the opportunity to advance to intermediate and senior budget analyst positions.

Important Qualities

Analytical skills. Budget analysts must be able to process a variety of information, evaluate costs and benefits, and solve complex problems.

Communication skills. Budget analysts need strong communication skills because they often have to explain and defend their analyses and recommendations in meetings and legislative committee hearings.

Detail oriented. Creating an efficient budget requires careful analysis of each budget item.

Math skills. Most budget analysts need math skills and should be able to use certain software, including spreadsheets, database functions, and financial analysis programs.

Writing skills. Budget analysts must present technical information in writing that is understandable for the intended audience.

Pay About this section

Budget Analysts

Median annual wages, May 2010

Budget Analysts

$68,200

Business and Financial Operations Occupations

$60,670

Total, All Occupations

$33,840

 

The median annual wage of budget analysts was $68,200 in May 2010. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $44,860, and the top 10 percent earned more than $101,660.

Most budget analysts work full time, and overtime is sometimes required during final reviews of budgets.

Job Outlook About this section

Budget Analysts

Percent change in employment, projected 2010-20

Business and Financial Operations Occupations

17%

Total, All Occupations

14%

Budget Analysts

10%

 

Employment of budget analysts is expected to grow 10 percent from 2010 to 2020, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Budget analysis is getting more complex as more types of data and statistical techniques become available. The greater complexity of the job and its expanding job duties are expected to create a need for more budget analysts.

Efficient use of public funds is increasingly expected. During periods of budget cutbacks, the expertise of budget analysts remains in high demand, meaning employment remains more stable in comparison with other public employees. Therefore, some employment growth from 2010 to 2020 is likely, but it also will likely be tempered by limited government spending.

Employment projections data for budget analysts, 2010-20
Occupational Title SOC Code Employment, 2010 Projected Employment, 2020 Change, 2010-20 Employment by Industry
Percent Numeric

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program

Budget Analysts

13-2031 62,100 68,500 10 6,500 [XLS]

Similar Occupations About this section

This table shows a list of occupations with job duties that are similar to those of budget analysts.

Occupation Job Duties ENTRY-LEVEL EDUCATION Help 2010 MEDIAN PAY Help
Accountants and auditors

Accountants and Auditors

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Bachelor’s degree $61,690
Cost estimators

Cost Estimators

Cost estimators collect and analyze data to estimate the time, money, resources, and labor required for product manufacturing, construction projects, or services. Some specialize in a particular industry or product type.

Bachelor’s degree $57,860
Economists

Economists

Economists study the production and distribution of resources, goods, and services.

Bachelor’s degree $89,450
Financial analysts

Financial Analysts

Financial analysts provide guidance to businesses and individuals making investment decisions. They assess the performance of stocks, bonds, and other types of investments.

Bachelor’s degree $74,350
Financial managers

Financial Managers

Financial managers are responsible for the financial health of an organization. They produce financial reports, direct investment activities, and develop strategies and plans for the long-term financial goals of their organization.

Bachelor’s degree $103,910
Management analysts

Management Analysts

Management analysts, often called management consultants, propose ways to improve an organization's efficiency. They advise managers on how to make organizations more profitable through reduced costs and increased revenues.

Bachelor’s degree $78,160
Tax examiners and collectors, and revenue agents

Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue Agents

Tax examiners and collectors, and revenue agents ensure that governments get their tax money from businesses and citizens. They review tax returns, conduct audits, identify taxes owed, and collect overdue tax payments.

Bachelor’s degree $49,360
Suggested citation:

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition, Budget Analysts,
on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/budget-analysts.htm (visited October 02, 2012).

Publish Date: Thursday, March 29, 2012