Actuaries

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.

$125,770

Median Annual Pay

Jobs growth:

+22% projected 2024–2034

Bachelor's degree

Typical Entry-Level Education

What They Do

Actuaries spend their days working with complex mathematical models and statistical data to help organizations understand and plan for financial risks. They analyze patterns in events like accidents, illnesses, natural disasters, and death to calculate the probability of these events occurring in the future. Much of their time involves gathering data, running computer simulations, and creating detailed reports that translate their findings into actionable recommendations for business leaders. They might determine how much an insurance company should charge for policies, calculate pension fund requirements for a corporation, or assess investment risks for financial institutions.

Programs That Prepare You

College programs linked to this occupation, ranked by graduate earnings

Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods(masters)Dartmouth College, NH

Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods(masters)Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MA

Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods(professional)University of California-Berkeley, CA

Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods(masters)Columbia University in the City of New York, NY

Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods(masters)University of Chicago, IL

Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods(masters)New York University, NY

Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods(masters)Georgetown University, DC

Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods(masters)Carnegie Mellon University, PA

Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods(masters)University of California-Los Angeles, CA

Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods(grad-cert)University of Southern California, CA

Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods(masters)University of California-Davis, CA

Statistics(bachelors)Harvard University, MA

Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods(professional)University of Notre Dame, IN

Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods(masters)Northwestern University, IL

Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods(masters)University of San Francisco, CA

Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods(masters)Vanderbilt University, TN

Applied Mathematics(masters)Vanderbilt University, TN

Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods(masters)Indiana University-Bloomington, IN

Statistics(bachelors)University of Pennsylvania, PA

Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods(masters)University of Rochester, NY

Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods(masters)Texas A&M University-College Station, TX

Statistics(masters)Columbia University in the City of New York, NY

Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods(masters)Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus, GA

Applied Mathematics(masters)Johns Hopkins University, MD

Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods(masters)University of Southern California, CA

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