Actuaries
SOC 15-2011 · 2024-2034
Analyze statistical data, such as mortality, accident, sickness, disability, and retirement rates and construct probability tables to forecast risk and liability for payment of future benefits. May ascertain insurance rates required and cash reserves necessary to ensure payment of future benefits.
How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.
What California expects of this job
- Typical pay in California
- $134,163per year
- Projected openings
- 820
- Projected change
- +15.4%
- Usually needs
- Bachelor's degree
Bright Outlook — a U.S. Department of Labor designation
Rapid Growth
The Department's own designation, made from its national projections. It is not this project's assessment and it is not California's: every other figure on this page comes from California's projection, which can point the other way and for some occupations does.
Skills this work uses most
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, rates how important each of these is to this work, and they are listed in that order, most important first. The ratings themselves are not shown, because the data carries the number without the scale it was measured on. The names are as published, in English.
- Reading Comprehension
- Mathematics
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Critical Thinking
- Systems Evaluation
- Active Listening
Pay by region
| Region | Typical pay in California | Projected openings |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (San Benito and Santa Clara Counties) | $156,799 | 100 |
| Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) | $140,115 | 80 |
| Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD (Orange County) | $125,966 | 70 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) | $124,619 | 120 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo Counties) | $116,266 | 70 |
What the pay actually ranges across
- The lowest-paid tenth earn under
- $85,848
- A quarter earn under
- $104,444
- Half earn under
- $134,163
- Three quarters earn under
- $193,664
- The highest-paid tenth earn over
- $225,634
A median is one point. These are the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for California, and they say how far apart the people doing this job actually are. Read them as the spread across everyone already in the work — not as a starting wage and not as a promise about where anyone lands.
Similar work
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, names these as occupations involving work similar to this one — its own reading of the job, not a grouping by code. They keep O*NET's order, and only those California publishes a projection for are shown.
| Occupation | Typical pay in California | Projected openings | Projected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Financial Risk Specialists | $131,276 | 4,780 | +6.7% |
| Financial and Investment Analysts | $110,940 | 34,410 | +7.4% |
| Personal Financial Advisors | $132,516 | 28,210 | +9.4% |
| Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists | $92,944 | 11,130 | +6.6% |
| Accountants and Auditors | $98,678 | 154,340 | +7.5% |
| Insurance Underwriters | $96,919 | 4,030 | -6% |
Programs that train for this job — 1
Bus: Business Marketing Certificate
Diablo Valley College · Pleasant Hill · $2,220