Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents: salary, outlook & degrees
Buy and sell securities or commodities in investment and trading firms, or provide financial services to businesses and individuals. May advise customers about stocks, bonds, mutual funds, commodities, and market conditions.
Middle half $56,540–$129,950. 489,570 jobs.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
77% hold a bachelor's or higher. Those with one: $121,830.
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers with at least a high school diploma; EducationGuide calculation
About 35,100 openings a year, including replacements.
BLS Employment Projections 2025-35
Considerable preparation (usually a bachelor's).
BLS; O*NET 31.0 job zone
Degrees that lead to this career
What workers ages 25-34 in this job studied, among those with a bachelor's or higher. This is what people actually did, not a requirement.
| Field of bachelor's degree | Share | Degree pages |
|---|---|---|
| Finance | 21% | Finance · Insurance |
| Economics | 13% | Economics |
| General Business | 9% | Business |
| Business Management And Administration | 8% | Business Administration |
| Accounting | 4% | Accounting |
| Psychology | 3% | Psychology |
| Marketing And Marketing Research | 3% | Marketing · Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations |
| Communications | 3% | Communications · Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other |
| Political Science And Government | 2% | Political Science |
| Mathematics | 2% | Mathematics |
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata (ages 25-34, employed, bachelor's or higher; top 10 fields); EducationGuide calculation.
Education workers say the job requires
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers (“required level of education”); small samples, so treat shares as approximate.
Pay by state and metro
| State | Median wage |
|---|---|
| New York | $168,340 |
| Massachusetts | $100,310 |
| Illinois | $99,840 |
| Connecticut | $98,560 |
| Vermont | $88,280 |
| South Dakota | $86,780 |
| Delaware | $83,750 |
| Minnesota | $83,350 |
| Nebraska | $82,560 |
| New Jersey | $82,420 |
| California | $79,730 |
| New Hampshire | $78,930 |
| Missouri | $78,500 |
| Texas | $78,470 |
| Oregon | $76,710 |
| Alaska | $76,360 |
| Oklahoma | $76,080 |
| Kansas | $75,810 |
| Washington | $75,510 |
| Arizona | $74,840 |
| North Carolina | $74,040 |
| Wisconsin | $74,010 |
| Michigan | $73,480 |
| Ohio | $73,300 |
| District of Columbia | $72,010 |
| Pennsylvania | $71,840 |
| Indiana | $68,290 |
| Colorado | $67,010 |
| Utah | $64,660 |
| Idaho | $64,620 |
| Iowa | $64,290 |
| North Dakota | $63,670 |
| Virginia | $62,910 |
| Florida | $62,770 |
| Maryland | $61,660 |
| Nevada | $61,490 |
| New Mexico | $60,850 |
| Georgia | $59,990 |
| Maine | $59,970 |
| Kentucky | $59,110 |
| Tennessee | $58,050 |
| Hawaii | $57,590 |
| South Carolina | $55,390 |
| Arkansas | $54,660 |
| West Virginia | $50,050 |
| Alabama | $49,230 |
| Louisiana | $48,040 |
| Mississippi | $46,680 |
| PR | $36,930 |
| VI | $35,160 |
Florida metro areas
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach$63,790
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater$69,160
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford$61,720
- Jacksonville$76,610
- North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota$62,890
- Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent$49,080
- Cape Coral-Fort Myers$59,120
- Naples-Marco Island$63,880
Virginia metro areas
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria$64,300
- Richmond$73,500
- Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk$58,000
- Roanoke$53,510
- Charlottesville$59,580
- Kingsport-Bristol$47,760
- Lynchburg$49,860
- Winchester$56,630
California metro areas
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim$78,160
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont$102,290
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad$76,180
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara$100,030
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario$61,790
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom$70,870
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura$75,990
- Fresno$62,250
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: median annual wage, all workers in the job. Metro areas: the largest by employment.
What the work takes
Top skills
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
Knowledge used
- Customer and Personal Service
- Economics and Accounting
- English Language
- Mathematics
- Sales and Marketing
Work styles
- Integrity
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Social Orientation
- Stress Tolerance
People in this job tend to have Enterprising (leading), Conventional (organizing) interests.
O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0): skills and knowledge by importance; work styles; interest high points.
Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents: questions
How much do securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents make?
Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents earn a U.S. median $78,660 a year; the middle half earn $56,540 to $129,950 (BLS, May 2025). Workers ages 25-34 in this job earn a median $93,844 (Census ACS 2020-2024).
Is securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents a growing field?
BLS projects growth of 1.4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 35,100 openings a year, including replacements.
What degree do you need to be a securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agent?
BLS lists the typical entry education as bachelor's degree. In O*NET's survey, 65% of workers say a bachelor's or higher is required. Among workers ages 25-34 with a bachelor's, the most common field of degree is finance (21%).
How much do securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents make in Florida?
The median in Florida is $62,770 a year (BLS, May 2025), compared with $78,660 nationally.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35); O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0); U.S. Census Bureau ACS microdata. SOC 41-3031. Method
Data: JSON · Markdown · all careers
Cite this: “Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents: salary, outlook and degrees,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/careers/securities-commodities-and-financial-services-sales-agents.