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.
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. The role reports a median annual salary of $80,970 in the US and is projected to decline by 4% over the next decade. Entry typically requires a Bachelor's degree, and shows high AI exposure (0.73 on a 0-1 scale) — significant portions of core tasks are already being automated. The most in-demand skills for the role include financial engineering, financial statements, debt classification, insolvency law, apply credit risk policy.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £50,330 a year for Finance and investment analysts and advisers (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £36,872 to £70,665 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 2422). ONS rates this estimate precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Professionals” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Credit analysts, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 2. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
How to get here in India
No single fixed route is listed for this career. These Indian degrees lead to it, according to the US CIP–SOC education-to-occupation crosswalk; open a degree for its entrance exams and colleges.[1]
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Accounting — B.Com / B.Com (Hons) with an accounting focus (three or four years)
Entrance exams: CA Foundation, CUET-UG
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Finance — B.Com (Hons) or B.Com in Accounting and Finance (three or four years)
Entrance exams: CUET-UG, IPMAT
Rules change: check the exam body's and regulator's current notice before you apply.
- CIP 2020 – SOC 2018 crosswalk (NCES / BLS) (read on 2026-09-27)
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Economics and Accounting
- Mathematics
- English Language
- Law and Government
- Administrative
- Computers and Electronics
- Customer and Personal Service
- Administration and Management
A day in the life
You start the morning with a stack of loan applications from businesses and individuals, reading their financial statements and credit histories. You calculate financial ratios in a spreadsheet to understand each applicant's income, debts and ability to repay. Mid-morning you compare one company's profits and cash flow with similar businesses to see how it stacks up. After lunch you write a credit report explaining the level of risk and your recommendation, ready for the loan committee. In the afternoon you call a customer to clarify some unusual transactions, and later chase an account that is behind on payments. Checking documents and chasing missing paperwork can feel repetitive. But making a sound decision that helps a small business grow, while protecting the lender from a bad loan, is genuinely satisfying.
Illustrative: one typical day, written from the O*NET task statements for this occupation. Real days vary by employer and seniority.
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.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Credit analysts do?
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 does a typical day look like in Credit analysts?
You start the morning with a stack of loan applications from businesses and individuals, reading their financial statements and credit histories. You calculate financial ratios in a spreadsheet to understand each applicant's income, debts and ability to repay. Mid-morning you compare one company's profits and cash flow with similar businesses to see how it stacks up. After lunch you write a credit report explaining the level of risk and your recommendation, ready for the loan committee.
How much does Credit analysts earn?
The median annual salary for Credit analysts in the US is $80,970.
What is the job outlook for Credit analysts?
The role is projected to decline by 4% over the next decade. Current US employment is approximately 67,800 workers.
How do I become credit analysts?
The typical entry education is a Bachelor's degree. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Credit analysts need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include financial engineering, financial statements, debt classification, insolvency law, apply credit risk policy, advise on risk management. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Credit analysts?
Our AI-durability model gives Credit analysts a score of 0.73 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at high AI risk — many core tasks are already being automated by generative AI and workflow tools. Focus on AI-adjacent skills or plan a pivot to an AI-durable adjacent role.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Credit analysts has moderate barrier to entry — moderately gated — a bachelor's degree or equivalent training is typically required.