Financial Quantitative Analysts

Develop quantitative techniques to inform securities investing, equities investing, pricing, or valuation of financial instruments. Develop mathematical or statistical models for risk management, asset optimization, pricing, or relative value analysis.

Most important skills

Mathematics
Critical Thinking
Reading Comprehension
Complex Problem Solving
Active Listening
Speaking
Active Learning
Judgment and Decision Making

Key knowledge

Mathematics
Economics and Accounting
Computers and Electronics
English Language
Engineering and Technology
Administration and Management
Design
Customer and Personal Service

What the work involves

Provide application or analytical support to researchers or traders on issues such as valuations or data.
Collaborate in the development or testing of new analytical software to ensure compliance with user requirements, specifications, or scope.
Research new financial products or analytics to determine their usefulness.
Maintain or modify all financial analytic models in use.
Produce written summary reports of financial research results.
Interpret results of financial analysis procedures.
Develop core analytical capabilities or model libraries, using advanced statistical, quantitative, or econometric techniques.
Define or recommend model specifications or data collection methods.

Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Investigative, Conventional, Enterprising.

Qualifications and licensing

Most common education: Master's Degree (60% of respondents)
Related experience: Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years (35%)
On-the-job training: Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year (30%)
Preparation level: O*NET job zone 5: Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
Licensing: Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.

Check before planning

Licensing for Financial Quantitative Analysts is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.
Projection education uses SOC 13-2099 (detailed_parent); it may describe a broader group.

Limits

Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0

Work environment

How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).

Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.

Rankings compare typical U.S. occupation-level work conditions; individual jobs and employers vary. Data: O*NET 31.0 Work Context and BLS wages (May 2025).
Condition	Level	Compared with other occupations	Most common answer (O*NET survey)
Contact with others	Very low	Lower on contact with others than 91% of occupations compared	35% of surveyed respondents chose “Contact with others about half the time”
Dealing with the public	Very low	Lower on dealing with the public than 88% of occupations compared	35% of surveyed respondents chose “Important”
Teamwork	Low	Lower on teamwork than 63% of occupations compared	61% of surveyed respondents chose “Very important”
Freedom to make decisions	Low	Lower on freedom to make decisions than 73% of occupations compared	45% of surveyed respondents chose “Some freedom”
Time pressure	Moderate	Lower on time pressure than 59% of occupations compared	40% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day”
Conflict situations	Very low	Lower on conflict situations than 86% of occupations compared	60% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month”
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people	Very low	Lower on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 92% of occupations compared	61% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month”
Consequence of error	High	Higher on consequence of error than 61% of occupations compared	26% of surveyed respondents chose “Fairly serious”

Work-pressure profile

Time pressure: moderate
Conflict situations: very low
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: very low
Consequence of error: high

Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.

Full answer distributions