Financial Managers vs Natural Sciences Managers: Similar Median Pay, Different Work

Financial Managers vs Natural Sciences Managers: what changes?

Consider Financial Managers if you want to plan, direct, or coordinate accounting, investing, banking, insurance, securities, and other financial activities of a branch, office, or department of an establishment. Consider Natural Sciences Managers if you would rather plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as life sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, statistics, and research and development in these fields. Both list bachelor's degree; compare training and prior experience separately. Prior experience in a related occupation is typically needed for Financial Managers (5 years or more) and Natural Sciences Managers (5 years or more).

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Financial Managers and Natural Sciences Managers. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Financial Managers

National median pay (2025): $166,570
Route into the job: Bachelor's degree; Prior related experience: 5 years or more
Prior related experience: Prior related experience: 5 years or more.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Establish and maintain relationships with individual or business customers or provide assistance with problems these customers may encounter.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 65,600

Know before you choose

BLS lists 5 years or more of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

See the full Financial Managers brief

Natural Sciences Managers

National median pay (2025): $167,220
Route into the job: Bachelor's degree; Prior related experience: 5 years or more
Prior related experience: Prior related experience: 5 years or more.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Hire, supervise, or evaluate engineers, technicians, researchers, or other staff.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 9,200

Know before you choose

BLS lists 5 years or more of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

See the full Natural Sciences Managers brief

How the national numbers differ

Financial Managers has the edge on annual openings

Financial Managers is at 65,600 annual openings, compared with 9,200 annual openings for Natural Sciences Managers.

Typical preparation differs.

Financial Managers: Bachelor's degree; Prior related experience: 5 years or more Natural Sciences Managers: Bachelor's degree; Prior related experience: 5 years or more Preparation categories do not establish admission difficulty, calendar time, tuition, time without earnings, or licensing difficulty.

Financial Managers has the edge on projected growth

Financial Managers is at 9.7% projected growth, compared with 8.2% projected growth for Natural Sciences Managers.

National pay benchmarks are very similar.

Compare actual offers, expected paid hours, schedule, and benefits before treating either career as the higher-paying option.

83.1/ 100

Financial Managers

71.3/ 100

Natural Sciences Managers

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Financial Managers vs Natural Sciences Managers

Dimension	Financial Managers	Natural Sciences Managers
Median pay (2025)	$166,570	$167,220
Pay percentile	96.1 percentile	96.4 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	9.7%	8.2%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	65,600	9,200
2025 employment	879,700	112,200
How you qualify	Bachelor's degree; Prior related experience: 5 years or more	Bachelor's degree; Prior related experience: 5 years or more
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 4	Job Zone 5
Related work experience	Prior related experience: 5 years or more.	Prior related experience: 5 years or more.
On-the-job training	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Financial Managers brief Read Natural Sciences Managers brief

Financial Managers vs Natural Sciences Managers: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Financial Managers

Natural Sciences Managers

How the national numbers differ

Financial Managers has the edge on annual openings

Typical preparation differs.

Financial Managers has the edge on projected growth

National pay benchmarks are very similar.

Financial Managers vs Natural Sciences Managers

Try another comparison

Financial Managers vs Purchasing Managers

Financial Managers vs Compensation and Benefits Managers

Natural Sciences Managers vs Marketing Managers

Natural Sciences Managers vs Computer and Information Systems Managers