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OsloWhy Actuary pay in Houston sits 36% below the United States average
Houston, TX posts a actuary median of $81,700, which is 36% under the United States average. The useful question is whether lower prices (COL index 100) and a modeled 1-bedroom near $1,650/month close that gap in real life.
Actuaries use statistics to measure and price financial risk, especially in insurance. In Houston, TX, this finance & business seat is often a mix of base and variable pay. $81,700 is the blended midpoint; bonus policy can matter as much as the city’s wage level. Long-term employment for this occupation is modeled at about +22% over a decade — a national sketch, not a Houston, TX hiring guarantee.
The percentiles on this page are observed metro figures for Actuary in Houston, TX, not a national median multiplied by a pay index. That matters: you are looking at how this labour market actually priced the role, including local industry mix. They are still estimates of the market — not a promise of what one employer will offer.
Among the 9 United States metros we can compare for this role, Houston ranks 9 by median. Washington DC leads this comparison at $206,000 (+152% vs Houston), while Chicago sits at $114,000. Use those gaps to test a relocation thesis: a 15% cash raise that lands in a much more expensive metro can disappear in rent.
Houston’s COL index (100) sits nearer the global baseline, so headline and adjusted pay are not far apart ($81,700 vs $81,700). Rent still matters: the 1-bedroom model is $1,650 / month, about 27% of take-home, with leftover near $2,550.
If you are comparing a Houston office offer with a location-flexible one, the United States national median for this role is about $128,000. Local pay is 36% lower — a $46,300 gap. Remote employers often anchor to the national figure; on-site employers in Houston are anchoring to this page.
World Bank consumer-price inflation for United States was about 2.9% in 2024; an illustrative model tied to inflation and the occupation’s outlook suggests pay has risen about 22% over the last few years. H-1B / employment-based green card is the usual skilled-hire route (selective for typical hires): Most skilled foreign hires enter via employer-sponsored H-1B (lottery-capped) or specialty routes; permanent residence usually follows an employment-based petition. At 0.9× United States GDP per capita, this median is below national GDP per capita — unusual for a professional median, and a reminder to check hours and setting. Unemployment was about 4.2% in 2025. None of that is tax, immigration, or career advice — run the calculators and confirm rules officially.
How to read a actuary offer in Houston
Start with gross cash, not the recruiting headline. If an offer lands near $81,700, you are in the lower half of this metro’s observed distribution; near $81,700 you are already paid like a stronger local hire. Then subtract a realistic tax path (simplified national effective rate here is about 11%, leaving $72,556 a year) and a housing number you would actually accept — not only the $1,650 model.
Because the 90th percentile is about 3.1× the 10th, two actuary jobs in Houston can be different careers that share a title. Ask what sits in the package (bonus, overtime, equity, on-call) before you treat $81,700 as a fair target.
Demand and the actuary pipeline
Occupation-level employment for actuarys is projected at about +22% over ten years. That is a national sketch of demand, not a forecast that Houston will hire at that rate. Local openings still follow Houston’s industry mix — hospitals, studios, public employers, or product companies — which is already baked into the observed percentiles more than into the outlook percentage.
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