A quant trader runs risk on systematic strategies - sizing positions, managing execution and adjusting to live market conditions. New York total compensation typically ranges from around $200,000 at entry level to well over $1,000,000 for experienced traders, with the bonus tied directly to desk profit and loss.
Live vacancies
113
Employers hiring
16
Market guides
17
Seniority bands
4
How much does a quant trader earn?
A quant trader runs risk on systematic strategies - sizing positions, managing execution and adjusting to live market conditions. New York total compensation typically ranges from around $200,000 at entry level to well over $1,000,000 for experienced traders, with the bonus tied directly to desk profit and loss. 113 quant trader roles are open right now across 16 employers and 14 cities we track.
KnowQuant research desk·Updated 1 September 2026·113 live vacancies from 16 employers, plus 4 modelled seniority bands across 17 hub markets·Method 2026.1
Where quant trader demand sits today
Vacancy counts come straight from the career pages of the employers we track and change daily. The pay tables below are modelled bands, dated separately, so you can see demand and money side by side without confusing the two.
Live vacancies
113
Open roles matching this function
Employers hiring
16
Distinct firms with an open seat
Doctorate preferred
26
Vacancies stating a PhD preference
Open roles by city
Chicago
28
New York
21
London
16
Singapore
12
Hong Kong
11
Amsterdam
9
Sydney
3
Austin
3
Read live from each employer's own career page. Last full refresh September 2026. Pay ranges shown further down are modelled and labelled where an employer has not stated a figure.
By city
Modelled total compensation range across every seniority, with the modelled reference estimate for the role, in each market's local currency.
Quant Trader total compensation by city, September 2026
Annual median wage across all employers, not just quant firms, for the government occupations closest to a quant trader. Quant-firm pay usually sits well above these medians; use them as a floor and a regional guide, not as a quant benchmark.
New York reference market, US dollars. Base salary and total compensation.
Quant Trader compensation by seniority in New York, September 2026
Level
Experience
Base
Total comp
Junior Trader
0-2 yrs
$125k – $175k
$200k – $400k
Trader
2-5 yrs
$150k – $225k
$350k – $800k
Senior Trader
5-8 yrs
$175k – $275k
$600k – $1.5m
Head of Desk
8+ yrs
$250k – $400k
$900k – $3.0m
About the role
Where research produces the signal, the trader owns the outcome. The role spans strategy calibration, risk limits, execution quality and real-time judgement when models meet conditions they were not trained on. It is the most directly performance-linked seat in the industry: two traders with identical titles at the same firm can be several multiples apart on total compensation in the same year.
Sourced answers to the questions people bring to this page, each with the figure, the date and the caveat.
How much does a quant trader earn?
A quant trader runs risk on systematic strategies - sizing positions, managing execution and adjusting to live market conditions. New York total compensation typically ranges from around $200,000 at entry level to well over $1,000,000 for experienced traders, with the bonus tied directly to desk profit and loss. The New York band runs $200k – $3.0m in annual total compensation, with a modelled reference estimate of $450k. Figures are base salary plus expected performance bonus, excluding sign-on, deferred equity and carry.
What does a quant trader earn at entry level?
An entry hire (Junior Trader, 0-2 years) is typically offered $125k to $175k in base salary and $200k to $400k in total compensation in New York. At the senior end (Head of Desk, 8+ years) total compensation reaches $3.0m.
Where is the best-paid market for a quant trader?
New York leads on headline modelled total compensation at $450k, with London at £302k. Both are modelled reference estimates for the role, not observed medians. Bands are shown in each market's local currency across 17 hub markets, so tax treatment and cost of living still change the net picture materially.
What skills do firms hire quant traders for?
The recurring requirements are Probability, Risk management, Python, Market microstructure, Mental arithmetic. Typical backgrounds are mathematics or engineering undergraduate, trading competition and poker backgrounds, physics graduates. Of the live vacancies we classify for this role, 26 ask for a PhD.
How many quant traders roles are open right now?
We currently classify 113 open quant trader vacancies across 16 firms and 14 markets. The count is rebuilt from employer career pages rather than reposted listings, so it reflects roles that are genuinely open.
Can I quote these quant trader figures?
Yes, with attribution and a link. Method 2026.1, last reviewed September 2026. Cite the dated edition rather than the live page if you need the number to stay stable: KnowQuant Quant Compensation Benchmark, Q3 2026 edition, method 2026.1. https://www.know-quant.com/salary/quant-trader
Quant Trader head to head
Pay, entry route and day to day work for Quant Trader set against the roles candidates choose between.
Free to quote and republish with attribution and a link to the source page, under our terms. Method 2026.1, last reviewed 1 September 2026. The methodology sets out how each band is built and what it excludes.
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Weekly market movements
One email a week, on what moved and why
The dated market call: which desks opened seats, where pay shifted, and which markets tightened. Written by the research desk, sent Monday, and nothing else.
Methodology
Figures are expressed as annual total compensation (base salary plus expected performance bonus) in the reference market's local currency, converted from a US dollar base. They describe typical market ranges rather than any individual offer, and exclude sign-on payments, deferred equity and carried interest. Portfolio-manager figures reflect formulaic profit-share arrangements and are therefore far more dispersed than any other role.
KnowQuant·Index 2026.1 · Updated September 2026
Modelled bands describe the market, not an individual offer. Where an employer states pay, the stated figure is used and labelled as such.
KnowQuant·Index 2026.1 · Updated September 2026
KnowQuant · Publishes indicative market ranges for information purposes and does not provide financial advice.