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Industry path · Financial services

MBA careers in Finance

Financial-services employers — banks, asset managers, PE/VC, and fintech — hire MBAs across investing, advisory, and corporate-finance roles.

Career-path guideOccupational wage benchmarksROI calculator available
Mapped roles
5
occupations MBAs take in finance
With wage data
5
published benchmarks
Median wage span
$92k–$167k
across mapped roles
Verified MBA outcomes
0
still being collected

What MBA roles in finance pay

Wage ranges for the occupations MBAs commonly fill in finance — the soft band is the 10th–90th percentile, the solid band the middle 50%, the marker the median. These are occupational wage benchmarks across all workers, not MBA-specific salaries, but they show how pay is structured in this industry.

Financial Managers$166,570median
General and Operations Managers$105,770median
Personal Financial Advisors$105,070median
Financial and Investment Analysts$102,740median
Budget Analysts$91,640median
10th–90th pct middle 50% median
Broad benchmarkBLS OEWS · May 2024 estimates (published April 2025) · United States

These are occupational wage benchmarks for roles MBA graduates commonly target — wage context across all workers, not verified MBA-specific outcomes.

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics ↗

Financial Managers

$166,570median

$94k$323k+

Corporate finance and banking leadership.

Financial and Investment Analysts

$102,740median

$64k$181k+

Investing and markets analysis.

Personal Financial Advisors

$105,070median

$50k$357k+

Wealth and advisory roles.

Budget Analysts

$91,640median

$62k$137k+

Budget and planning seats.

General and Operations Managers

$105,770median

$50k$253k+

Management track within financial firms.

See the full benchmark table
Role (occupation)Median annual10th–90th pctU.S. employment
Financial Managers
Corporate finance and banking leadership.
SOC 11-3031
$166,570$94,310 $323,270841,710
Financial and Investment Analysts
Investing and markets analysis.
SOC 13-2051
$102,740$63,720 $180,860361,980
Personal Financial Advisors
Wealth and advisory roles.
SOC 13-2052
$105,070$50,190 $357,020266,800
Budget Analysts
Budget and planning seats.
SOC 13-2031
$91,640$62,250 $136,66047,160
General and Operations Managers
Management track within financial firms.
SOC 11-1021
$105,770$50,090 $253,3903,503,020
Broad benchmarkBLS OEWS · May 2024 estimates (published April 2025) · United States

These are occupational wage benchmarks for roles MBA graduates commonly target — wage context across all workers, not verified MBA-specific outcomes.

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics ↗

Is Finance a fit for you?

A strong fit if you…

  • Like markets, deals, capital allocation, and analysis
  • Are motivated by performance-based upside
  • Thrive in high-intensity, high-accountability roles

Maybe look elsewhere if you…

  • Prefer creative or product-building work
  • Want predictable hours over variable, deadline-driven cycles

What MBAs do here

Investment banking

M&A and capital-markets advisory.

Private equity / VC

Investing and portfolio management.

Corporate finance / FP&A

Planning and capital allocation inside firms.

Functions MBAs run

The teams and remits graduates commonly own in this industry.

BankingInvestingCorporate financeFP&ARisk

What affects your pay on this path

Two people on the same path can earn very differently. These are the factors that move the number most — worth weighing as you plan your MBA.

  • Bonus and carry can exceed base in some seats
  • Buy-side vs. sell-side vs. corporate
  • Financial-center geography
  • Pre-MBA markets/deal experience

Concentrations that fit this industry

Tap any to explore that career path.

Related tools

Help us add real salary ranges for MBAs in Finance

SalaryMBA is built from real outcomes people share. A reliable range here needs:

  1. 1A handful of real, reviewed outcomes from people on this path
  2. 2Their school, role, industry, and city — so ranges reflect like-for-like
  3. 3Public datasets and school reports to cross-check the numbers

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