The median annual wage of actuaries was $87,650 in May 2010. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $53,100, and the top 10 percent earned more than $160,000.
Median annual wages in the industries employing the largest numbers of actuaries in May 2010 were the following:
| Agencies, brokerages, and other insurance related activities | $91,080 |
| Direct insurance (except life, health, and medical) carriers | 89,320 |
| Management, scientific, and technical consulting services | 87,410 |
| Management of companies and enterprises | 82,140 |
Most actuaries work full time. Actuaries who work for consulting firms tend to work longer hours than actuaries employed in insurance companies.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition