Budget analysts work for the finance departments of companies and are responsible for evaluating budget proposals. Their job is to make sure funds are optimally allocated, expenses are worth the investment, and money is spent where it is needed.
If you are considering taking on the role of a budget analyst, you must be someone who loves mathematics, obviously. But, surprising as this might seem, you also need to be good with words, as your job will entail communicating with stakeholders regarding their petitions and persuading management to approve your requests.
You need a degree in a finance-related field and experience in handling budgets to be considered for this position. To be successful at it, you need to get a kick out of resolving problems, have keen attention to detail, and be passionate about dissecting the world in your mind with analytical thinking.
Budget analysts help public and private institutions organize their finances. They prepare budget reports and monitor institutional spending.
A bachelor’s degree is typically required to become a budget analyst, although some employers prefer candidates with a master’s degree.
EducationEmployers 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. Federal, 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.
Licenses, Certifications, and RegistrationsGovernment 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 they must pass a series of exams. To keep the certification, budget analysts must take 80 hours of continuing education every 2 years.
AdvancementEntry-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 QualitiesAnalytical 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.
Tell us your goals and we'll match you with the right jobs to get there.
And if you’re looking for a job, here are the five top employers hiring now:
As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a Budget Analyst can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as Finance Analyst, progress to a title such as Senior Accountant and then eventually end up with the title Regional Controller.
Tell us your goals and we'll match you with the rights job to get there.
Use Zippia's Salary Calculator to see how your pay matches up.
Build a professional budget analyst resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 12+ resume templates to create your budget analyst resume.
Learn How To Write a Budget Analyst Resume
At Zippia, we went through countless Budget Analyst resumes and compiled some information about how to optimize them. Here are some suggestions based on what we found, divided by the individual sections of the resume itself.
View Budget Analyst Resume Examples And TemplatesAnd if you’re looking for a job, here are the five top employers hiring now:
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Budget Analyst templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Budget Analyst resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
Find the best Budget Analyst job for you
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Evanston, IL • Private
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Vestal, NY • Private
Villanova, PA • Private
San Diego, CA • Private
Waltham, MA • Private
Boston, MA • Private
Stony Brook, NY • Private
New York, NY • Private
Find the best Budget Analyst job for you
Learn the Fundamentals of Financial Planning and Position Your Career for Success!...
Learn how to create and use budgets effectively in company large or small...
Everything you need to KNOW and everything you need to DO to set and stick to a monthly budget...
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 14.6% of Budget Analysts listed Financial Statements on their resume, but soft skills such as Writing skills and Analytical skills are important as well.
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a Budget Analyst. The best states for people in this position are Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, and Maine. Budget Analysts make the most in Virginia with an average salary of $74,203. Whereas in Maryland and West Virginia, they would average $70,039 and $69,670, respectively. While Budget Analysts would only make an average of $68,607 in Maine, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. District of Columbia
$87,958
Avg. Salary
2. Virginia
$74,203
Avg. Salary
3. Maryland
$70,039
Avg. Salary
We've made finding a great employer to work for easy by doing the hard work for you. We looked into employers that employ Budget Analysts and discovered their number of Budget Analyst opportunities and average salary. Through our research, we concluded that Robert Half International was the best, especially with an average salary of $61,696. Johns Hopkins University follows up with an average salary of $48,391, and then comes Northrop Grumman with an average of $62,429. In addition, we know most people would rather work from home. So instead of having to change careers, we identified the best employers for remote work as a Budget Analyst. The employers include Raytheon, CACI International, and Providence Health System-Southern California