# Financial Managers

> Plan, direct, or coordinate accounting, investing, banking, insurance, securities, and other financial activities of a branch, office, or department of an establishment.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/financial-managers
- SOC code: 11-3031.00
- Career family: Management
- Median annual pay: $166,570 (10th percentile $94,310, 90th percentile $323,270)
- Projected growth: Much faster than average, +9.7%
- Openings a year: 65,600
- Typical entry education: Bachelor's degree
- Bright outlook: yes
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code ECS)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 6 |
| Investigative (I) | 24 |
| Artistic (A) | 10 |
| Social (S) | 34 |
| Enterprising (E) | 100 |
| Conventional (C) | 76 |

## What you'd do

- Working with Computers (importance 84/100)
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships (importance 83/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 82/100)
- Processing Information (importance 82/100)
- Getting Information (importance 81/100)
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards (importance 81/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 81/100)
- Coaching and Developing Others (importance 79/100)
- Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates (importance 77/100)
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work (importance 77/100)

## Skills

Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Monitoring, Writing, Complex Problem Solving, Coordination, Judgment and Decision Making, Management of Personnel Resources

## Knowledge

Customer and Personal Service, Administration and Management, Economics and Accounting, Mathematics, Administrative, Law and Government, Personnel and Human Resources, Sales and Marketing, English Language, Education and Training

## Also called

Accountant Supervisor, Accounting Director, Accounting Manager, Accounting Supervisor, Accounts Manager, Accounts Payable Manager, Accounts Supervisor, Actuarial Manager, Asset Manager, ATM Manager (Automated Teller Machine Manager)

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Business Administration, Management and Operations](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5202) (CIP 5202, 2,372 colleges)
- [Accounting and Related Services](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5203) (CIP 5203, 1,951 colleges)
- [Finance and Financial Management Services](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5208) (CIP 5208, 924 colleges)
- [Data Analytics](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/3071) (CIP 3071, 366 colleges)
- Accounting and Computer Science (CIP 3016, 17 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Washington University in St Louis WUSTL](https://www.collegesref.com/college/washington-university-in-st-louis-wustl-3172) | Finance and Financial Management Services | $108,590 | $185,551 | $20,750 |
| [Carnegie Mellon University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/carnegie-mellon-university-406) | Business Administration, Management and Operations | $97,419 | $160,783 | $19,000 |
| [University of Notre Dame-South Bend IN](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-notre-dame-south-bend-in-3005) | Finance and Financial Management Services | $141,543 | $160,313 | $19,500 |
| [Georgetown University-DC](https://www.collegesref.com/college/georgetown-university-dc-1068) | Finance and Financial Management Services | $126,622 | $152,744 | $13,088 |
| [Boston College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/boston-college-285) | Finance and Financial Management Services | $92,127 | $147,746 | $18,650 |
| [Wake Forest University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/wake-forest-university-3149) | Finance and Financial Management Services | $116,242 | $145,996 | $19,500 |
| [University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Main Campus](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-michigan-ann-arbor-main-campus-2956) | Business Administration, Management and Operations | $96,806 | $144,654 | $19,500 |
| [University of California-Berkeley CAL](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-california-berkeley-cal-2881) | Business Administration, Management and Operations | $94,811 | $144,599 | $10,656 |

## Related careers

- [Accountants and Auditors](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/accountants-and-auditors): $83,680 median pay
- [Financial and Investment Analysts](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/financial-and-investment-analysts): $102,740 median pay
- [Personal Financial Advisors](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/personal-financial-advisors): $105,070 median pay
- [Credit Analysts](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/credit-analysts): $83,510 median pay
- [Loan Officers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/loan-officers): $76,690 median pay
- [Financial Risk Specialists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/financial-risk-specialists): $117,330 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.