Updated October 2026

Individual Contributor Actuary Salary in the US

The median advertised base salary is $118,982, with the middle 50% paying $96k–$148k. Individual contributor roles focus on actuarial analysis and technical ownership without formal people-management responsibility.

Advertised annual base salary, not total compensation. Historical data can include roles that are no longer open.

Current advertised market

$118,982

Median annual base salary

Middle 50%
$96k–$148k
Sample
3,156
Strong sample14% below the all-level national median

Career progression

How pay changes across actuarial career levels

Compare advertised median base salary across the same national posting dataset. The highlighted row is the level you are viewing.

Internn=381

$58,240

381 postings

$118,982

+104% vs prior level

Managern=722

$163,377

+37% vs prior level

$170,604

+4% vs prior level

$190,500

+12% vs prior level

$230,000

+21% vs prior level

$250,000

+9% vs prior level

Salary Distribution

Under $50k
(3%)
$50k–$75k
(4%)
$75k–$100k
(22%)
$100k–$125k
(27%)
$125k–$150k
(24%)
$150k–$175k
(11%)
$175k–$200k
(7%)
$200k–$250k
(2%)
$250k–$300k
(0%)
$300k+
—

Based on 3,156 job postings with salary data.

Reliable comparisons

Where Individual Contributor actuarial pay differs

Comparisons exclude unknown categories and require at least 20 salary-disclosed postings. This prevents one-off salaries from being presented as market benchmarks.

Salary by practice area

Only practice areas with at least 20 postings.

SegmentMedianPostings
Life$132,750+12% vs level659
P&C$124,500+5% vs level1,092
Retirement$122,050+3% vs level104
Health$111,500-6% vs level1,066

Salary by state

Only states with at least 20 postings.

SegmentMedianPostings
Ohio$135,000+13% vs level141
Tennessee$135,000+13% vs level25
Texas$130,100+9% vs level145
California$128,480+8% vs level252
New York$125,000+5% vs level304
Iowa$125,000+5% vs level67
Washington$124,500+5% vs level58
Virginia$122,125+3% vs level46
Arizona$118,215-1% vs level40
Connecticut$117,628-1% vs level166

Jobseeker signals

What employers ask for in Individual Contributor roles

These are the most common attributes in salary-disclosed postings at this level. Counts can overlap because one job may mention several credentials or skills.

Credentials

Designations mentioned most often

  • Student_cas_soa773
  • ASA534
  • FSA377
  • ACAS285

Work style

Where these roles are performed

  • Hybrid1,315
  • Remote660
  • Onsite384
  • Flexible275

Actuarial skills

Methods appearing in postings

  • Experience Studies1,285
  • Predictive Modelling1,197
  • Cash Flow Testing568
  • Frequency Severity Modelling489

Employer types

Organizations hiring at this level

  • Insurer1,957
  • Consultancy578
  • Other277
  • Insurtech127

Minimum exams

Exam requirements stated in postings

  • 6 exams10
  • 5 exams112
  • 4 exams221
  • 3 exams234

Individual Contributor actuary salary summary

Based on 3,156 actuarial job postings with disclosed salary data, Individual Contributor roles have a median salary of $118,982. The middle 50% of postings fall between $95,600 to $147,500, which is often a more useful planning range than a single average.

What affects pay at the Individual Contributor level

Pay at this level depends on scope of ownership, people-management responsibility, credential requirements, product line, and whether the role is in consulting, insurance, reinsurance, or a technology-heavy actuarial team.

How to benchmark this level

Within the available data, Life has the highest median compensation at $132,750. Compare adjacent seniority levels and practice-area tables before using this range for negotiation or career planning.

Individual Contributor actuarial jobs with disclosed pay

Open a role to review the full requirements and compensation details.

How this salary benchmark is calculated

Acturhire uses advertised compensation from actuarial job postings. Salary ranges are annualized where possible and summarized using posting-level salary points, medians, and percentile ranges to reduce the effect of outliers.

This level currently includes 3,156 postings with usable salary data through October 2026. Practice-area and state comparisons require at least 20 observations and exclude unknown categories.

Figures describe advertised annual base salary—not accepted offers, bonuses, equity, pensions, or other benefits. Historical results can include roles that have closed, and small or highly specialized samples may not represent the wider market.

Related Salary Data

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Individual Contributor actuary earn?

Based on 3,156 job postings on Acturhire, the median salary for Individual Contributor actuaries is $118,982. The middle 50% of Individual Contributor roles pay between $95,600 and $147,500.

How does the Individual Contributor level compare to other actuarial seniority levels?

Actuarial salaries increase substantially with seniority. Individual Contributor sits in the broader spectrum from Intern/Analyst at the junior end to C-Suite at the senior end. The full breakdown by level is available on Acturhire's salary tool.

How does Individual Contributor actuary pay compare to the national actuary salary?

The median salary for Individual Contributor actuaries is $118,982, compared with a national median of $138,225 across all Acturhire salary postings.

Which practice areas pay Individual Contributor actuaries the most?

Among practice areas with sufficient data, Life commands the highest median for Individual Contributor roles at $132,750.

Which states hire the most Individual Contributor actuaries?

The largest reliable samples for Individual Contributor roles in Acturhire's current salary data include New York, California, Illinois, Minnesota. Use the state comparison on this page to compare pay and sample size.

What changes compensation most for Individual Contributor actuaries?

The biggest salary drivers for Individual Contributor actuaries are practice area, credential level, management responsibility, technical ownership, employer type, and location. Use the practice-area and state tables on this page to narrow the benchmark.