Career comparison
Brokerage Clerk vs. Financial Analyst
Side-by-side pay, training, growth and day-to-day duties to help you choose between two related careers.
Financial analysts earn more at the median ($102,740 vs. $65,750), while brokerage clerks usually get to work faster (A few months on the job of training). Brokerage clerks process trades and keep records for investment firms. Financial analysts analyze financial data to guide business and investment decisions.
Pay data: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · Outlook: BLS 2025–35 · Checked October 15, 2026
| Brokerage Clerk | Financial Analyst | |
|---|---|---|
| Median pay | $65,750 ($31.61/hr) | $102,740 ($49.40/hr) |
| Pay range (10th–90th) | $50,260 – $102,010 | $63,720 – $180,860 |
| Job growth, 2025–35 | -7.6% (a projected decline) | +7.2% (much faster than average) |
| Openings per year | 3,400 | 24,700 |
| Typical entry education | High school diploma or equivalent | Bachelor's degree |
| Training time | A few months on the job | 4 years |
| Key credential | SIE exam | Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) |
| Work setting | Clerks work in offices at brokerages, banks and investment firms.. | Analysts work in offices or remotely at banks, corporations, investment firms, insurers and government agencies. |
What each job does
Brokerage Clerk
- Process trade orders
- Verify trade details
- Prepare confirmations
- Process transfers
- Update account records
Financial Analyst
- Build financial models and forecasts
- Analyze financial statements and performance
- Prepare budgets and variance analyses
- Research companies, industries and markets
- Evaluate investments and projects
How they’re similar
Both careers involve working with information and desk work. Both are part of the business & office field, so many skills transfer between them.
Which should you choose?
Choose brokerage clerk if…
- I’m very accurate
- I like finance
- I work well under deadlines
Choose financial analyst if…
- I love numbers and spreadsheets
- I like finding the story in data
- I’m detail-oriented
Still torn? Take the Brokerage Clerk fit quiz and the Financial Analyst fit quiz, or the full Career Match Quiz.
Quick comparisons
Which pays more, brokerage clerk or financial analyst?
Financial Analysts earn more at the median: $102,740 versus $65,750 for brokerage clerks, based on BLS May 2025 data.
Which takes less time to train for?
Brokerage Clerks typically train faster (A few months on the job) than financial analysts (4 years).
Which career has better job growth?
BLS projects financial analysts to grow +7.2% from 2025–35, compared with -7.6% for brokerage clerks.