Budget Analysts
Examine budget estimates for completeness, accuracy, and conformance with procedures and regulations. Analyze budgeting and accounting reports.
47,160 people do this job in the US. $91,640 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 85%
- 15%
- 0%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 23%. Today's estimate: 34%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 13 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perform cost-benefit analyses to compare operating programs, review financial requests, or explore alternative financing methods.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 13% | 1.3 work days3.3 h to 2.8 work days | 3%Half by Oct 2027 | |
| Compile and analyze accounting records and other data to determine the financial resources required to implement a program.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 13% | 5 h1.7 h to 1.3 work days | 19%Half by Mar 2027 | |
| Review operating budgets to analyze trends affecting budget needs.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 11% | 2.5 h1.3 h to 5 h | 70%Half by now | |
| Analyze monthly department budgeting and accounting reports to maintain expenditure controls.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 8% | 2.5 h50 min to 5 h | 55%Half by now | |
| Provide advice and technical assistance with cost analysis, fiscal allocation, and budget preparation.Done more than yearly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 8% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | 77%Half by now | |
| Direct the preparation of regular and special budget reports.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 8% | 5 h1.7 h to 1.7 work days | Stays with people | |
| Summarize budgets and submit recommendations for the approval or disapproval of funds requests.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 7% | 2.5 h1.3 h to 6.7 h | 59%Half by now | |
| Interpret budget directives and establish policies for carrying out directives.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 7% | 3.3 h50 min to 1 work day | 28%Half by Feb 2027 | |
| Seek new ways to improve efficiency and increase profits.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 7% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 2.1 work days | 9%Half by Aug 2027 | |
| Examine budget estimates for completeness, accuracy, and conformance with procedures and regulations.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 6% | 1.7 h50 min to 5 h | 76%Half by now | |
| Testify before examining and fund-granting authorities, clarifying and promoting the proposed budgets.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 5% | 4.2 h1.3 h to 1.6 work days | Stays with people | |
| Match appropriations for specific programs with appropriations for broader programs, including items for emergency funds.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 4% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | 46%Half by Oct 2026 |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).