Actuary demographics and statistics in the US
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Actuary demographics by:
Actuary gender statistics
25.7% of actuaries are women and 74.3% of actuaries are men.
- Male, 74.3%
- Female, 25.7%
Actuary gender ratio
| Gender | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Male | 74.3% |
| Female | 25.7% |
Actuary gender pay gap
Women earn 94¢ for every $1 earned by men
Male income
$91,464
Female income
$86,087
Actuary gender ratio over time
This data breaks down the percentage of men and women in actuary positions over time. Currently, 25.7% of actuaries are female.
Actuary gender ratio by year
| Year | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 72.98% | 27.02% |
| 2011 | 70.40% | 29.60% |
| 2012 | 71.09% | 28.91% |
| 2013 | 73.45% | 26.55% |
| 2014 | 66.75% | 33.25% |
| 2015 | 71.80% | 28.20% |
| 2016 | 76.21% | 23.79% |
| 2017 | 73.04% | 26.96% |
| 2018 | 72.58% | 27.42% |
| 2019 | 73.60% | 26.40% |
| 2020 | 74.55% | 25.45% |
| 2021 | 74.29% | 25.71% |
Actuary related jobs gender ratio
We compared actuaries with similar job titles to see how gender ratios vary. As you can see, balance engineer and lead simulation modeling engineer have the biggest gender ratio gaps.
| Job title | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical Data Specialist | 25% | 75% |
| Actuary Clerk | 27% | 73% |
| Clinical Data Coordinator | 27% | 73% |
| Actuary | 74% | 26% |
| Method Consultant | 80% | 20% |
| Lead Simulation Modeling Engineer | 89% | 11% |
| Balance Engineer | 93% | 7% |
Male
Female
100%
75%
50%
25%
0%
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Actuary demographics by race
The most common ethnicity among actuaries is White, which makes up 71.4% of all actuaries. Comparatively, 17.3% of actuaries are Asian and 5.1% of actuaries are Hispanic or Latino.
- White, 71.4%
- Asian, 17.3%
- Hispanic or Latino, 5.1%
- Black or African American, 3.1%
- Unknown, 3.0%
- American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
Actuary race
| Actuary race | Percentages |
|---|---|
| White | 71.4% |
| Asian | 17.3% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 5.1% |
| Black or African American | 3.1% |
| Unknown | 3.0% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.1% |
Actuary race and ethnicity over time
See how actuary racial and ethnic diversity trended since 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau data.
Actuary race and ethnicity by year
| Year | White | Black or African American | Asian | Hispanic or Latino |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 82.53% | 0.89% | 12.32% | 2.78% |
| 2011 | 75.94% | 3.05% | 17.55% | 2.55% |
| 2012 | 77.01% | 1.81% | 14.13% | 6.17% |
| 2013 | 78.21% | 1.17% | 15.85% | 3.37% |
| 2014 | 76.40% | 1.15% | 17.11% | 4.61% |
| 2015 | 73.04% | 1.24% | 20.75% | 3.48% |
| 2016 | 78.20% | 2.12% | 13.36% | 3.99% |
| 2017 | 74.40% | 2.21% | 16.96% | 4.62% |
| 2018 | 76.42% | 1.79% | 15.18% | 4.40% |
| 2019 | 79.76% | 2.53% | 12.51% | 3.55% |
| 2020 | 76.51% | 1.85% | 14.87% | 4.22% |
| 2021 | 71.44% | 3.11% | 17.32% | 5.13% |
Actuary wage gap by race
According to our data, asian actuaries have the highest average salary compared to other ethnicities. Black or african american actuaries have the lowest average salary at $88,402.
| Ethnicity | Salary |
|---|---|
| Unknown | $91,691 |
| White | $93,907 |
| Black or African American | $88,402 |
| Asian | $94,046 |
| Hispanic or Latino | $89,417 |
Average actuary age
See how the average age of actuaries varies based on ethnicity and gender.
Male
Female
Actuary age by race and gender
| Race | Male age | Female age |
|---|---|---|
| White | 39 | 38 |
| Black or African American | 33.5 | |
| Asian | 35 | 35 |
Actuary age breakdown
The average age of actuaries is 40+ years years old, representing 41% of the actuary population.
Actuary age breakdown
| Actuary Years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| 40+ years | 41% |
| 30-40 years | 40% |
| 20-30 years | 18% |
Actuary educational attainment
The most common degree for actuaries is bachelor's degree, with 83% of actuaries earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 12% and master's degree degree at 3%.
- Bachelor's, 83%
- Master's, 12%
- Associate, 3%
- Doctorate, 1%
- Other Degrees, 1%
Actuaries by degree level
| Actuary degree | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 83% |
| Master's | 12% |
| Associate | 3% |
| Doctorate | 1% |
| Other Degrees | 1% |
Actuary jobs you might like
Actuary wage gap by degree level
| Education | Salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $98,329 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $83,643 |
Actuary employment statistics
Most actuaries work for a private in the insurance industry.
Company size where actuaries work
Below, you can see the size of companies where actuaries work.
Actuary jobs by employer size
| Company size | Percentages |
|---|---|
| < 50 employees | 5% |
| 50 - 100 employees | 12% |
| 100 - 500 employees | 16% |
| 500 - 1,000 employees | 9% |
| 1,000 - 10,000 employees | 35% |
| > 10,000 employees | 24% |
Actuary jobs by company type
Employees with the actuary job title have their preferences when it comes to working for a company. For instance, most actuaries prefer to work at private companies over public companies.
Actuary jobs by sector
| Company type | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Education | 1% |
| Public | 24% |
| Private | 72% |
| Government | 3% |
Actuary jobs by industry
The most common industries for actuaries are insurance, finance and professional.
Actuary industry statistics
| Industry | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Insurance | 38% |
| Finance | 16% |
| Fortune 500 | 13% |
| Professional | 10% |
| Health Care | 6% |
| Technology | 5% |
| Manufacturing | 2% |
| Government | 2% |
| Transportation | 1% |
| Automotive | 1% |
| Start-up | 1% |
| Non Profits | 1% |
| Hospitality | 1% |
| Education | 1% |
Actuary turnover and employment statistics
Actuary unemployment rate over time
The unemployment rate for actuaries between 2008 and the most recent data has varied, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Actuary unemployment rate by year
| Year | Actuary unemployment rate |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 2.97% |
| 2011 | 1.75% |
| 2012 | 1.35% |
| 2013 | 1.11% |
| 2014 | 1.03% |
| 2015 | 2.62% |
| 2016 | 1.03% |
| 2017 | 0.32% |
| 2018 | 0.87% |
| 2019 | 1.99% |
| 2020 | 0.92% |
| 2021 | 0.53% |
Average actuary tenure
The average actuary stays at their job for 1-2 years, based on the 520 actuaries resumes in Zippia's database.
Actuary tenure statistics
| Number of years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Less than 1 year | 12% |
| 1-2 years | 33% |
| 3-4 years | 17% |
| 5-7 years | 19% |
| 8-10 years | 8% |
| 11+ years | 11% |
Actuary LGBT ratio compared to similar jobs
Review the percent of actuaries that are members of the LGBT community. You can see how this compares to similar jobs in the chart below.
| Job title | LGBT | Job openings |
|---|---|---|
| Senior Quality Assurance Analyst | 7.66% | 123,719 |
| Telecommunications Specialist | 7.80% | 29,962 |
| Senior Statistician | 8.31% | 3,102 |
| Operations Administrator | 8.39% | 115,828 |
| Junior Operations Analyst | 13.23% | 84,576 |
| Actuary | 17.69% | - |
| Research And Development Internship | 20.69% | 154,854 |
Similar actuary jobs LGBT demographics
| Profession | Percentages of LGBT | Job openings |
|---|---|---|
| Senior Quality Assurance Analyst | 7.66% | 123,719 |
| Telecommunications Specialist | 7.80% | 29,962 |
| Senior Statistician | 8.31% | 3,102 |
| Operations Administrator | 8.39% | 115,828 |
| Junior Operations Analyst | 13.23% | 84,576 |
| Research And Development Internship | 20.69% | 154,854 |
Foreign languages spoken by actuaries
The most common foreign language among actuaries is Spanish at 25.8%. The second-most popular foreign language spoken is Portuguese at 9.7% and French is the third-most popular at 9.7%.
- Spanish, 25.8%
- Portuguese, 9.7%
- French, 9.7%
- Chinese, 6.5%
- Albanian, 6.5%
- Other, 41.8%
Actuary languages spoken
| Foreign language | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Spanish | 25.8% |
| Portuguese | 9.7% |
| French | 9.7% |
| Chinese | 6.5% |
| Albanian | 6.5% |
| Other | 41.8% |
