Credit Analysts
Analyze credit data and financial statements of individuals or firms to determine the degree of risk involved in extending credit or lending money. Prepare reports with credit information for use in decisionmaking.
What it pays
Credit Analysts earn a median of $40.15/hr — about $83,500 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $27.04/hr; the top 10% earn $81.36/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
Credit Analysts earn a median of $40.15/hr — about $83,500 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $27.04/hr; the top 10% earn $81.36/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
What you'd actually do
- Analyze credit data and financial statements to determine the degree of risk involved in extending credit or lending money.
- Complete loan applications, including credit analyses and summaries of loan requests, and submit to loan committees for approval.
- Generate financial ratios, using computer programs, to evaluate customers' financial status.
- Prepare reports that include the degree of risk involved in extending credit or lending money.
- Analyze financial data, such as income growth, quality of management, and market share to determine expected profitability of loans.
- Compare liquidity, profitability, and credit histories of establishments being evaluated with those of similar establishments in the same industries and geographic locations.
How you get there
Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree. Overall preparation: considerable preparation (Job Zone 4 of 5).
The feel of the work
The work is mostly indoors; much of the day is spent working solo. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)
Working for yourself
About 0% of credit analysts are self-employed.
Who it tends to fit
This work tends to fit people who are organized and detail-focused, take-charge and analytical.
Work a simulated shift in this job — freeMake the real decisions this job involves, then see what your choices say about you.Related careers
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Quick questions
- How much does a credit analyst make?
- The median pay is $40.15 per hour — roughly $83,500 a year, with the real range running from about $27.04/hr (10th percentile) to $81.36/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Do you need a degree to be a credit analyst?
- The typical entry-level education is: Bachelor's degree. Overall preparation level: considerable preparation (Job Zone 4 of 5).
- What does a credit analyst actually do all day?
- Analyze credit data and financial statements to determine the degree of risk involved in extending credit or lending money. Complete loan applications, including credit analyses and summaries of loan requests, and submit to loan committees for approval. Generate financial ratios, using computer programs, to evaluate customers' financial status.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Tasks & interests: O*NET. Career pathways shown in the app are draft archetypes — verify before relying on them. Trailhead is a free career guide for students — honest numbers, no hype.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.