Will AI replace FP&A?

BLS doesn't track FP&A separately; the closest occupations, financial analysts and budget analysts, are both projected to grow. AI FP&A tools automate data consolidation, variance explanations and first-draft forecasts, with people setting assumptions and reviewing the output.

How much do financial analysts make?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $102,740 for financial and investment analysts in May 2025, and $117,330 for financial risk specialists. The Handbook's combined financial analysts profile shows $103,570.

Will AI replace financial managers?

BLS projects financial manager employment to grow 10 percent from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average, with about 65,600 openings a year and a May 2025 median wage of $166,570.

Will AI replace financial analysts? What the federal data shows

BLS projects employment of financial analysts to grow 7 percent from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the average for all occupations, partly because analysts "will be needed to assess growing volumes of data." Here is the data, how it compares with nearby finance roles, and what AI FP&A tools do.

Data. Updated October 15, 2026. By AI Accounting Vendors. 3-minute read.

Key points

Growth: BLS's financial analysts profile shows 443,100 jobs in 2025 and 7 percent projected growth to 2035, much faster than average.
Openings: About 29,500 openings a year are projected over the decade.
Pay: Median pay was $102,740 for financial and investment analysts and $117,330 for financial risk specialists in May 2025.
AI in the outlook: The Handbook's outlook for financial analysts doesn't mention AI; it cites economic activity and growing volumes of data.

The BLS numbers for financial analysts

BLS's Handbook profile for financial analysts combines two occupations: financial and investment analysts (SOC 13-2051) and financial risk specialists (13-2054). Both are projected to grow 7 percent.

Financial analysts: BLS projections, 2025 to 2035
Measure	Financial analysts (Handbook profile)	Financial and investment analysts only
Jobs, 2025	443,100	377,200
Projected jobs, 2035	475,100	404,300
Change, 2025 to 2035	+32,000 (+7%)	+27,100 (+7.2%)
Openings a year, on average	29,500	24,700
Median pay, May 2025	$103,570	$102,740
Typical entry-level education	Bachelor's degree	Bachelor's degree

For financial and investment analysts, the lowest 10 percent earned less than $63,720 and the highest 10 percent more than $180,860 in May 2025. Financial risk specialists had a median of $117,330.

What BLS says about demand and technology

The Handbook (opens in a new tab) ties demand to the economy and to data:

“Demand for financial analysts generally increases with overall economic activity.”
“Financial analysts also will be needed to assess growing volumes of data.”
“Financial analysts evaluate financial data and trends, measure risks, and make forecasts using software.”

The outlook text doesn't mention AI or automation. In BLS's table of specific adjustments (opens in a new tab), the one entry for financial and investment analysts is an increase: their share of employment in investment pools and funds is projected to rise as corporations and investors increasingly seek to protect and grow their assets through funds those analysts manage.

Nearby occupations fare differently in the same table. BLS projects falling shares for credit analysts "as companies increase the productivity of credit analysts by using more data and machine learning in the credit risk analyses process," for loan officers in credit intermediation as companies adopt automated systems, and for personal financial advisors in some financial industries as more consumers rely on digital tools for financial planning advice.

BLS projections for related finance occupations, 2025 to 2035
Occupation	Jobs, 2025	Change, 2025 to 2035	Median pay, May 2025	Typical entry
Financial managers (opens in a new tab)	879,700	+84,900 (+10%)	$166,570	Bachelor's degree and 5 years or more of related experience
Budget analysts (opens in a new tab)	50,400	+1,000 (+2%)	$91,640	Bachelor's degree
Accountants and auditors	1,595,200	+79,400 (+5%)	$83,680	Bachelor's degree

BLS says financial managers typically need experience in another business or financial occupation, such as accountant, securities sales agent or financial analyst, and it projects their share of employment to rise with a greater emphasis on risk management and growing corporate cash holdings.

What AI FP&A tools do

BLS doesn't track FP&A as its own occupation. FP&A tools in the directory consolidate data from accounting and operating systems, explain variances, draft forecasts and build reports. Here is how the FP&A tools in the directory describe review:

How AI FP&A tools in the directory describe review (live count)
How the vendor describes review	Tools
A person reviews before output takes effect	7
Customer sets rules for what skips review	5
Processes without review by default	0
Not described by the vendor	3
Tools listed	15

What FP&A tools document about forecasting and analysis
Tool	What its documentation says
PlanfulFP&A	Analyst assistant answers plain-language questions about variances and drills into account-level drivers
DatarailsFP&A	Strategy, Reporting and Planning agents that explain what drove the actuals, run ad hoc forecasts and compare scenarios
CubeFP&A	Analyst agents that explain variances, flag anomalies and trace figures back to source transactions
DrivetrainFP&A	Modeling Agent builds financial models through conversation and can rebuild logic from an uploaded Excel model
PigmentFP&A	Modeler Agent builds and extends planning models from a plain-language description of the outcome wanted
VenaFP&A	Planning Agent drafts driver-based budgets and forecasts in Excel from plain-language requests
cfo.aiFP&A	Ari agent builds and keeps up to date a financial model from connected accounting, payroll, banking and billing data

Compare them on SOC 2 and data use in AI FP&A software.

What this means for analysts

Assembly is the most automated step. Pulling actuals, refreshing models and drafting variance commentary are what the tools document.
Questions and judgment remain. Deciding which drivers matter, challenging assumptions and recommending a decision are not in the tools' scope.
Checking AI-drafted analysis is a skill. A plausible variance explanation still has to tie to the ledger.
The path up is growing. BLS projects financial managers, a role it says often follows analyst or accountant experience, to grow 10 percent.

Will AI replace financial analysts?: questions

Will AI replace financial analysts?: BLS doesn't project that. It projects financial analyst employment to grow 7 percent from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average, and says analysts will be needed to assess growing volumes of data. Its outlook text for the occupation doesn't mention AI.
Will AI replace FP&A?: BLS doesn't track FP&A separately; the closest occupations, financial analysts and budget analysts, are both projected to grow. AI FP&A tools automate data consolidation, variance explanations and first-draft forecasts, with people setting assumptions and reviewing the output.
How much do financial analysts make?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $102,740 for financial and investment analysts in May 2025, and $117,330 for financial risk specialists. The Handbook's combined financial analysts profile shows $103,570.
Will AI replace financial managers?: BLS projects financial manager employment to grow 10 percent from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average, with about 65,600 openings a year and a May 2025 median wage of $166,570.

Sources

Official documents read on October 15, 2026. Vendor facts are sourced on each listing.