Key Factors That Influence Finance Graduate Salaries
A Finance Graduate's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors.
Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, skills
and company size
can directly affect your earning potential.
How Experience Level Affects Finance Graduate Salaries?
Experience is a primary driver of a Finance Graduate's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:
Salaries can also vary between different cities.
Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay.
Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:
San Jose: $106,062
San Francisco: $104,901
Oakland: $102,690
San Jose, CA$106,062
San Francisco, CA$104,901
Oakland, CA$102,690
New York, NY$96,820
Paramus, NJ$95,643
Queens Village, NY$95,638
Passaic, NJ$95,559
Bergenfield, NJ$95,551
Stamford, CT$95,366
Huntington, NY$95,332
Newark, NJ$94,710
Bridgeport, CT$94,533
Vallejo, CA$94,365
New Brunswick, NJ$94,332
Petaluma, CA$94,281
Middlesex, NJ$94,121
Somerset, NJ$94,063
Santa Cruz, CA$93,953
Boston, MA$93,440
Monterey, CA$93,145
Seattle, WA$92,953
Santa Rosa, CA$92,936
Los Angeles, CA$92,911
Juneau, AK$92,692
Washington, DC$92,599
Orange, CA$92,300
Santa Ana, CA$92,078
Long Beach, CA$91,994
Anaheim, CA$91,977
Anchorage, AK$91,935
Santa Maria, CA$91,683
Everett, WA$91,666
Danbury, CT$91,370
Bremerton, WA$91,254
Tacoma, WA$90,951
New Suffolk, NY$90,950
Sacramento, CA$90,926
Santa Barbara, CA$90,834
Trenton, NJ$90,741
San Diego, CA$90,741
Brockton, MA$90,649
Fairbanks, AK$90,443
Lompoc, CA$90,228
Lowell, MA$90,160
Ventura, CA$90,144
Nashua, NH$90,127
Stockton, CA$90,119
Modesto, CA$89,505
Poughkeepsie, NY$89,320
Olympia, WA$89,160
Kennewick, WA$89,160
New Haven, CT$89,127
Lawrence, MA$88,824
Hartford, CT$88,740
Riverside, CA$88,723
New Bedford, MA$88,639
Richland, WA$88,639
Bakersfield, CA$88,521
San Bernardino, CA$88,487
New Britain, CT$88,479
Atlantic City, NJ$88,479
New London, CT$88,445
Norwich, CT$88,420
Portsmouth, NH$88,403
Boulder, CO$88,225
Portland, OR$88,109
Worcester, MA$88,101
Minneapolis, MN$87,840
Philadelphia, PA$87,722
Honolulu, HI$87,445
Saint Paul, MN$87,404
Vineland, NJ$87,386
Providence, RI$87,142
Chicago, IL$86,898
Bellingham, WA$86,797
Springfield, MA$86,730
Baltimore, MD$86,705
Chico, CA$86,495
Pittsfield, MA$86,268
Manchester, NH$86,108
Spokane, WA$85,738
Denver, CO$85,729
Albany, NY$85,334
Troy, NY$85,300
Nassau, NY$85,211
Schenectady, NY$85,124
Wilmington, DE$85,057
Burlington, VT$84,939
Salem, OR$84,905
Portland, ME$84,645
Yakima, WA$84,561
Rochester, MN$84,300
Reno, NV$84,258
Fresno, CA$84,258
Milwaukee, WI$84,182
Detroit, MI$84,098
Ann Arbor, MI$84,084
Allentown, PA$84,073
Colorado Springs, CO$83,930
Syracuse, NY$83,888
Carson City, NV$83,888
Houston, TX$83,770
Eugene, OR$83,728
Gary, IN$83,627
Springfield, OR$83,560
Bismarck, ND$83,543
Galveston, TX$83,484
Medford, OR$83,358
Fort Collins, CO$83,324
Concord, NH$83,282
Austin, TX$83,257
Mesa, AZ$83,081
Reading, PA$83,072
Phoenix, AZ$83,064
Dallas, TX$83,038
Saint Cloud, MN$82,958
Madison, WI$82,845
Utica, NY$82,618
Rochester, NY$82,483
Des Moines, IA$82,475
Raleigh, NC$82,467
Atlanta, GA$82,341
Battle Creek, MI$82,315
Salt Lake City, UT$82,290
Lancaster, PA$82,164
Harrisburg, PA$82,046
Kansas City, MO$81,962
Champaign, IL$81,945
Kansas City, KS$81,945
Fort Worth, TX$81,937
Columbus, OH$81,923
Boca Raton, FL$81,903
Pittsburgh, PA$81,870
Richmond, VA$81,836
Indianapolis, IN$81,819
Cleveland, OH$81,811
Las Vegas, NV$81,710
Cincinnati, OH$81,710
Petersburg, VA$81,584
Huntsville, AL$81,458
Lansing, MI$81,401
Lebanon, PA$81,390
Pueblo, CO$81,382
Appleton, WI$81,357
Buffalo, NY$81,323
Dayton, OH$81,298
Racine, WI$81,281
Charlotte, NC$81,273
Saint Louis, MO$81,247
York, PA$81,197
Elkhart, IN$81,197
Gastonia, NC$81,181
Billings, MT$81,161
Beaumont, TX$81,138
Lorain, OH$81,121
Benton Harbor, MI$81,104
Toledo, OH$81,088
Binghamton, NY$81,046
Rock Hill, SC$81,037
Rockford, IL$80,995
Springfield, IL$80,961
Elyria, OH$80,953
Fargo, ND$80,953
Flagstaff, AZ$80,894
Fort Lauderdale, FL$80,844
Duluth, MN$80,793
Miami, FL$80,793
Cheyenne, WY$80,734
Grand Forks, ND$80,734
Bangor, ME$80,549
Cedar Rapids, IA$80,457
Durham, NC$80,422
Louisville, KY$80,415
Grand Rapids, MI$80,398
Hialeah, FL$80,390
Casper, WY$80,272
Scranton, PA$80,171
New Orleans, LA$80,146
Virginia Beach, VA$80,137
Akron, OH$80,095
Peoria, IL$79,986
Sarasota, FL$79,969
Nashville, TN$79,910
Omaha, NE$79,910
Green Bay, WI$79,910
Baton Rouge, LA$79,868
Charleston, SC$79,851
Jamestown, NY$79,809
Davenport, IA$79,809
Tucson, AZ$79,767
Saint Petersburg, FL$79,717
Tampa, FL$79,700
Evansville, IN$79,650
Port Arthur, TX$79,650
Bradenton, FL$79,616
Santa Fe, NM$79,465
Orlando, FL$79,313
Clearwater, FL$79,288
Canton, OH$79,111
La Crosse, WI$79,111
Albuquerque, NM$79,061
Newport News, VA$79,053
High Point, NC$79,027
Ogden, UT$78,994
Corpus Christi, TX$78,926
Norfolk, VA$78,876
Laramie, WY$78,876
Rock Island, IL$78,826
Saginaw, MI$78,809
Jacksonville, FL$78,800
Salisbury, NC$78,784
Boise, ID$78,767
Moline, IL$78,725
Fort Myers, FL$78,699
Memphis, TN$78,683
Tulsa, OK$78,641
Waterloo, IA$78,590
Spartanburg, SC$78,506
Lincoln, NE$78,464
Fort Wayne, IN$78,447
Provo, UT$78,439
Cedar Falls, IA$78,338
San Antonio, TX$78,304
Greensboro, NC$78,271
South Bend, IN$78,262
Savannah, GA$78,170
Muskegon, MI$78,136
Birmingham, AL$78,128
Winston Salem, NC$78,086
Lake Charles, LA$77,884
Anderson, IN$77,867
Lexington, KY$77,842
Augusta, GA$77,817
Greenville, SC$77,817
Lima, OH$77,749
Wichita, KS$77,741
Tuscaloosa, AL$77,741
Columbia, SC$77,665
Springfield, OH$77,648
Asheville, NC$77,514
Bloomington, IN$77,455
Knoxville, TN$77,152
Shreveport, LA$77,144
Wilmington, NC$77,034
Roanoke, VA$77,034
Topeka, KS$76,883
Frankfort, KY$76,874
Oklahoma City, OK$76,816
Chillicothe, OH$76,782
Longview, TX$76,774
Melbourne, FL$76,765
Sioux Falls, SD$76,631
Mobile, AL$76,622
Terre Haute, IN$76,589
Altoona, PA$76,538
Amarillo, TX$76,479
Killeen, TX$76,454
Fayetteville, AR$76,387
Chattanooga, TN$76,362
Sioux City, IA$76,286
Idaho Falls, ID$76,269
Lynchburg, VA$76,202
Gainesville, FL$76,093
Portsmouth, OH$76,051
Little Rock, AR$76,034
Lafayette, LA$76,000
Youngstown, OH$76,000
Daytona Beach, FL$75,950
Clarksville, TN$75,941
Pensacola, FL$75,933
Temple, TX$75,927
Hopkinsville, KY$75,681
Erie, PA$75,664
Florence, SC$75,630
Charleston, WV$75,496
Great Falls, MT$75,454
Macon, GA$75,336
Tallahassee, FL$75,327
Fayetteville, NC$75,311
Waco, TX$75,294
Helena, MT$75,235
Pine Bluff, AR$75,203
Vincennes, IN$75,100
Lubbock, TX$75,067
Alamogordo, NM$75,016
Twin Falls, ID$74,941
Rapid City, SD$74,915
Jackson, MS$74,764
Huntington, WV$74,758
Greenville, MS$74,756
Parkersburg, WV$74,670
Montgomery, AL$74,655
Wichita Falls, TX$74,571
Springfield, MO$74,571
Biloxi, MS$74,529
Monroe, LA$74,445
Johnstown, PA$74,386
Sumter, SC$74,352
Columbus, GA$74,344
Pascagoula, MS$74,184
Abilene, TX$74,184
Kingsport, TN$73,965
Albany, GA$73,965
Gulfport, MS$73,940
Alexandria, LA$73,662
Fort Smith, AR$73,452
El Paso, TX$73,225
Las Cruces, NM$72,847
Harlingen, TX$72,633
Pocatello, ID$72,620
Florence, AL$72,510
Brownsville, TX$72,494
Mcallen, TX$72,317
Dothan, AL$72,199
Columbus, MS$71,700
Altus, OK$71,308
Lawton, OK$71,148
Pierre, SD$70,845
What Skills Can Increase a Finance Graduate's Salary?
Demanded Skills for the Role:
Leadership (Mentioned in 7.36% Job Postings): Knowledge of and ability to employ effective strategies that motivate and guide other members within our business to achieve optimum results.
Material Handling (Mentioned in 3.14% Job Postings): Material handling involves short-distance movement within the confines of a building or between a building and a transportation vehicle. It uses a wide range of manual, semi-automated, and automated equipment and includes consideration of the protection, storage, and control of materials throughout their manufacturing, warehousing, distribution, consumption, and disposal. Material handling can be used to create time and place utility through the handling, storage, and control of material, as distinct from manufacturing, which creates form utility by changing the shape, form, and makeup of material.
ERP (Mentioned in 1.75% Job Postings): Enterprise resource planning (ERP) refers to a type of software that organizations use to manage day-to-day business activities such as accounting, procurement, project management, risk management and compliance, and supply chain operations.
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay.
Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Finance Graduate's salary.
Budgeting: Can increase your salary by up to 25%.
PowerPoint: Can increase your salary by up to 20%.
Finance Graduate Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors
For Finance Graduate roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential
by as much as 40% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries).
Data shows that the Aerospace & Defense and Biotechnology
sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 20% above the average.
In contrast, Finance Graduate positions in Retail & Wholesale or MFG Nondurable typically offer lower base pay,
as these industries often view Finance Graduate as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.
The top paying industries for a Finance Graduate
Industry Sector
Average Annual Salary
Average Hourly Rate
Pay vs.Avg
Aerospace & Defense
$101,069
$49.0
20%
Biotechnology
$101,069
$49.0
20%
Financial Services
$101,069
$49.0
20%
Pharmaceuticals
$101,069
$49.0
20%
Software & Networking
$101,069
$49.0
20%
Finance Graduate Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay
Understanding how a Finance Graduate's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting.
Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role.
Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.
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Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?
Salary.com salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third-party data sources.
We also provide multiple percentiles of salary information for your reference, click here to know Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial to Getting Pay Equity Right.
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