Salary Range

• Actuaries had an average salary of $47.41 per hour as of May 2010, or $98,620 per year. The median salary was lower, at $87,650 per year. The middle 50 percent of actuaries earned annual salaries of $65,890 to $120,770. The bottom 10 percent of the pay scale was at $53,100 per year and less, and the top 10 percent at $160,000 per year and more.
  
  

Major Employers

• The largest number of actuaries work in the insurance industry. The average pay for actuaries working with insurance carriers in 2010 was $46 per hour, or $96,930 year. Those employed with insurance agencies, brokerages and related activities earned $101,430 per year on average. Another major employer of actuaries is a category the bureau defines as management, scientific and technical consulting services, paying actuaries $108,580 per year on average in 2010.
  
  

Other Employment Types

• Smaller numbers of actuaries work for state governments, earning $75,400 per year in 2010, and with the federal government at a significantly higher average salary of $112,200 per year. The highest average pay was with insurance and employee benefit funds, at $126,550 per year, but only about 360 actuaries work in this field nationwide.
  
  

Geography

• The East Coast is a prime location for actuaries. The highest employment level of these professionals in 2010 was in New York state. That was also the top-paying state for actuaries, at an average salary of $115,740 per year. New Jersey ranked second for employment level of actuaries and Pennsylvania ranked third. The average annual salary in these states was $100,050 and $110,220, respectively. Connecticut had the largest number of actuaries per capita by state or district, and the average salary there was $101,040 per year. Maine ranked second, but the average salary was significantly lower, at $66,120 per year. The District of Columbia ranked third, and actuaries there earned $110,920 per year on average.