Actuary.
Columbus.
$120,000
median salary, 5% below the national average
$86,000 to $157,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
The median Actuary salary in Columbus is $120,000, 5% below the national average. Entry level starts near $86,000. Experienced professionals push past $157,000. Columbus is Ohio's largest city and a growing technology and logistics hub, home to companies like Nationwide Insurance and a major Intel semiconductor fab under construction. That spread is your negotiation window. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page.
Salary range.
Where do you fall?
Orbyt estimate for Actuary in Columbus, modelled from national occupation wages adjusted for local cost of living. The published government benchmark for this occupation is below.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $106,540 for Actuaries (SOC 15-2011) in the Columbus, OH metropolitan area, based on 300 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$64,030
25th percentile
$84,710
Median
$106,540
75th percentile
$139,820
90th percentile
$168,520
Workers surveyed
300
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Actuaries (SOC 15-2011) rather than Actuary specifically. The Columbus range at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.
View the BLS source for SOC 15-2011Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $108,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$78,000
to $96,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$102,000
to $126,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$132,000
to $156,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$150,000
to $186,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $33,000 to the total package.
Base
$120,000
Equity
$19,000
Bonus
$12,000
Signing
$2,000
Estimated total: $153,000
How Columbus compares.
Columbus, OH
$120,000
Cost of living: 7% below average
National Average
$126,000
Columbus is $6,000 below
Actuary salary by city.
Salary by role in Columbus.
What you should know.
Before you negotiate an Actuary offer in Columbus, understand the terrain. Columbus is Ohio's largest city and a growing technology and logistics hub, home to companies like Nationwide Insurance and a major Intel semiconductor fab under construction. The city's large university system and low cost of living attract both startups and corporate expansions. Tech salaries have been climbing as national employers establish Midwest offices. Exam progress is the single most predictive salary factor for actuaries. Each passed SOA or CAS exam adds approximately $5,000 to $15,000 in base salary. Fully credentialed fellows earn 40 to 60% more than entry-level associates. Consulting actuaries typically earn more than insurance company actuaries at equivalent experience levels.
Entry-level actuarial analysts with zero to two exams earn $65,000 to $85,000. Associates (ASA) earn $90,000 to $120,000. Fellows (FSA/FCAS) reach $130,000 to $180,000. Chief actuaries and actuarial directors earn $175,000 to $280,000. Consulting principals can exceed $350,000. In Columbus, cost of living sits near the national average, so the numbers you see are roughly what you keep.
Base salary is not the full picture. Exam bonuses of $2,000 to $5,000 per passed exam are standard, plus paid study time (typically 100 to 200 hours). Annual bonuses of 10 to 20% are common. Consulting firms offer higher variable pay. Many employers cover exam fees, study materials, and raise base salary with each credential milestone. And on the tax side: ohio's income tax tops out around 3.5%, and Columbus adds a city income tax of 2.5%. The combined rate is moderate, but the city tax applies to all who work within city limits. When someone quotes you $120,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Mention Intel's new fab investment when negotiating. The semiconductor megaproject is driving salaries upward across the entire Columbus tech and engineering market. The range for Actuarys in Columbus runs from $86,000 to $157,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL). COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified July 1, 2026. Full methodology
Considering a related role?
- An NLP Applications Engineer in Columbus earns $119,000 (1% less)
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Common questions.
Actuary salary in other cities.
Other salaries in Columbus.
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Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Actuary Salary in Columbus, OH." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/actuary/columbus
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