# Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents

> Buy and sell securities or commodities in investment and trading firms, or provide financial services to businesses and individuals. May advise customers about stocks, bonds, mutual funds, commodities, and market conditions.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/securities-commodities-and-financial-services-sales-agents
- SOC code: 41-3031.00
- Career family: Sales
- Median annual pay: $78,660 (10th percentile $48,040, 90th percentile $212,880)
- Projected growth: Slower than average, +1.4%
- Openings a year: 35,100
- Typical entry education: Bachelor's degree
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code ECS)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 4 |
| Investigative (I) | 25 |
| Artistic (A) | 5 |
| Social (S) | 35 |
| Enterprising (E) | 85 |
| Conventional (C) | 71 |

## What you'd do

- Working with Computers (importance 86/100)
- Getting Information (importance 82/100)
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships (importance 81/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 77/100)
- Processing Information (importance 77/100)
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge (importance 75/100)
- Communicating with People Outside the Organization (importance 75/100)
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards (importance 74/100)
- Analyzing Data or Information (importance 73/100)
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work (importance 72/100)

## Skills

Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making, Monitoring, Active Learning, Persuasion, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Complex Problem Solving, Social Perceptiveness

## Knowledge

Customer and Personal Service, Economics and Accounting, English Language, Mathematics, Sales and Marketing, Computers and Electronics, Administration and Management, Law and Government, Administrative, Communications and Media

## Also called

Account Administrator, Account Manager, Account Specialist, Bank and Savings Securities Trader, Banker, Banker Associate, Block Trader, Bond Broker, Bond Trader, Branch Banker

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

- [Finance and Financial Management Services](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5208) (CIP 5208, 924 colleges)
- [Specialized Sales, Merchandising and  Marketing Operations](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5219) (CIP 5219, 189 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 |
| [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 |
| [American University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/american-university-69) | Finance and Financial Management Services | $76,317 | $134,332 | $20,633 |
| [Southern Methodist University SMU](https://www.collegesref.com/college/southern-methodist-university-smu-2498) | Finance and Financial Management Services | $93,440 | $133,852 | $17,250 |
| [The University of Texas at Austin Main Campus](https://www.collegesref.com/college/the-university-of-texas-at-austin-main-campus-2764) | Finance and Financial Management Services | $81,536 | $132,075 | $18,975 |

## Related careers

- [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
- [Investment Fund Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/investment-fund-managers): $166,570 median pay
- [Brokerage Clerks](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/brokerage-clerks): $65,750 median pay
- [Financial Risk Specialists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/financial-risk-specialists): $117,330 median pay
- [Loan Officers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/loan-officers): $76,690 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.