Stock trader vs stock broker

The differences between stock traders and stock brokers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a stock trader has an average salary of $116,269, which is higher than the $59,096 average annual salary of a stock broker.

The top three skills for a stock trader include financial statements, stock market and technical analysis. The most important skills for a stock broker are financial products, client portfolios, and securities.

Stock trader vs stock broker overview

	Stock Trader	Stock Broker
Yearly salary	$116,269	$59,096
Hourly rate	$55.90	$28.41
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	20,878	29,202
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	-	6

Stock trader vs stock broker salary

Stock traders and stock brokers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Stock Trader	Stock Broker
Average salary	$116,269	$59,096
Salary range	Between $68,000 And $198,000	Between $37,000 And $93,000
Highest paying City	-	New York, NY
Highest paying state	-	New York
Best paying company	-	ICAP
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between stock trader and stock broker education

There are a few differences between a stock trader and a stock broker in terms of educational background:

	Stock Trader	Stock Broker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Stock trader vs stock broker demographics

Here are the differences between stock traders' and stock brokers' demographics:

	Stock Trader	Stock Broker
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 84.5% Female, 15.5%	Male, 85.5% Female, 14.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.3% Asian, 12.2% White, 66.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 5.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.4% Asian, 12.3% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between stock trader and stock broker duties and responsibilities

Stock trader example responsibilities.

Manage business, sales, marketing, international negotiation and communication for a commodities business.
Maintain complete knowledge of investment products including stocks, options, municipal bonds, treasuries, mutual funds and annuities.
Develop knowledge and actively trade equities, futures, options, and currencies.
Synchronize logistics of multiple cash and derivative trading desks.
Trade stocks daily during market hours on the NYSE and NASDAQ.
Work from home analyzing and trading stocks on the NYSE and NASDAX markets.

Stock broker example responsibilities.

Manage communication with clients regarding margin call requirements base on NYSE and NASD standards.
Administer the purchase and sale of small cap equities trade on NASDAQ and NYSE exchanges.
Study to pass all require FINRA testing!
Develop and monitor all stock trading and reporting and institute guidelines for proper FINRA procedures.
Calculate common area maintenance expenses and CPI increases and notify tenants via letter of increases.
Generate over $200k in derivative commission revenue through full-service brokerage and execution and roughly $100K in self-direct trading commission.

Stock trader vs stock broker skills

Common stock trader skills

Financial Statements, 16%
Stock Market, 10%
Technical Analysis, 10%
Market Trends, 9%
Fundamental Analysis, 9%
Equities, 7%

Common stock broker skills

Financial Products, 11%
Client Portfolios, 10%
Securities, 8%
Bonds, 7%
Stock Market, 4%
Cold Calls, 4%

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Stock Trader
Stock Trader vs Stock Broker

Updated January 8, 2025

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