GITNUXREPORT 2026

Securities Industry Statistics

The U.S. securities industry is a vast and technologically advancing multitrillion-dollar market.

Jannik Lindner

Jannik Lindner

Co-Founder of Gitnux, specialized in content and tech since 2016.

First published: Feb 13, 2026

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Key Statistics

Statistic 1

U.S. securities industry employed 952,000 individuals in 2022.

Statistic 2

Broker-dealer firms in the U.S. numbered 3,378 as of 2023.

Statistic 3

Average salary for securities sales agents in U.S. was $71,430 in 2022.

Statistic 4

Women represented 45% of the securities industry workforce in 2022.

Statistic 5

Financial advisors in U.S. totaled 283,000 in 2023.

Statistic 6

Turnover rate in securities brokerage was 15% annually in 2022.

Statistic 7

Compliance officers in the industry grew by 12% from 2019-2022.

Statistic 8

65% of securities professionals hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Statistic 9

Entry-level positions in securities trading averaged 250,000 openings yearly.

Statistic 10

Diversity: 12% Black/African American in securities workforce 2022.

Statistic 11

Securities industry added 25,000 jobs in U.S. during 2023.

Statistic 12

40% of workforce in securities is over age 50 in 2023.

Statistic 13

FINRA member firms: 3,400+ with 160,000 branch offices 2023.

Statistic 14

Securities compliance jobs grew 18% from 2020-2023.

Statistic 15

Average tenure for financial advisors: 8 years in 2023.

Statistic 16

55% of new hires in securities from non-finance backgrounds 2023.

Statistic 17

Hispanic/Latino representation: 10% in industry workforce 2023.

Statistic 18

Remote work adoption: 35% full-time in securities firms 2023.

Statistic 19

Training spend per employee: $2,500 annually avg 2023.

Statistic 20

Unemployment rate in securities occupations: 2.1% in 2023.

Statistic 21

In 2022, the U.S. securities industry managed over $50 trillion in assets under management.

Statistic 22

Global securities market capitalization reached $109 trillion as of year-end 2022.

Statistic 23

The U.S. bond market outstanding debt totaled $51 trillion in 2023.

Statistic 24

Securities industry revenue in the U.S. grew by 8.2% to $614 billion in 2022.

Statistic 25

Equity market capitalization in the U.S. stood at $53.2 trillion in 2023.

Statistic 26

The derivatives market notional value exceeded $600 trillion globally in 2022.

Statistic 27

U.S. ETF assets under management hit $7.9 trillion by end of 2023.

Statistic 28

Global IPO proceeds reached $139.6 billion in 2022.

Statistic 29

U.S. municipal securities outstanding amounted to $4 trillion in 2023.

Statistic 30

Asset management industry AUM globally was $112 trillion in 2022.

Statistic 31

In 2023, U.S. listed equity market cap grew 20% to $53 trillion.

Statistic 32

Global fixed income securities outstanding: $130 trillion end-2023.

Statistic 33

U.S. money market fund assets: $6.5 trillion in 2023.

Statistic 34

Private equity AUM in securities-related funds: $4.5 trillion 2023.

Statistic 35

Hedge fund industry AUM: $4.3 trillion globally 2023.

Statistic 36

U.S. repo market outstanding: $5 trillion daily avg 2023.

Statistic 37

Sustainable investment assets: $35.3 trillion worldwide 2022.

Statistic 38

Securitization issuance in U.S.: $1.2 trillion in 2023.

Statistic 39

Global ETF AUM surpassed $11 trillion in 2023.

Statistic 40

U.S. pension fund assets invested in securities: $38 trillion 2023.

Statistic 41

FINRA registered over 660,000 securities professionals in 2023.

Statistic 42

SEC enforcement actions resulted in $4.95 billion in penalties in FY2022.

Statistic 43

Number of Form ADV filings for investment advisers: 15,396 in 2023.

Statistic 44

Compliance costs for broker-dealers averaged $500,000 per firm annually.

Statistic 45

98% of U.S. broker-dealers passed FINRA audits in 2022.

Statistic 46

Insider trading cases investigated by SEC: 700+ in FY2022.

Statistic 47

Dodd-Frank Act compliance spending: $100 billion industry-wide since 2010.

Statistic 48

Cybersecurity incidents reported to SEC: 2,500+ in 2023.

Statistic 49

MiFID II compliance affected $20 trillion in EU securities trading.

Statistic 50

AML fines in securities industry: $4.3 billion globally in 2022.

Statistic 51

Reg BI violations cited in 25% of FINRA exams in 2023.

Statistic 52

AI adoption in compliance monitoring reached 60% of large firms in 2023.

Statistic 53

SEC Rule 10b-5 violations: 450 cases in FY2023.

Statistic 54

Investment adviser exams by SEC: 2,800 in FY2023.

Statistic 55

FINRA arbitration cases: 6,500 resolved in 2023.

Statistic 56

Cybersecurity rules compliance: 95% of firms by 2023.

Statistic 57

ESG disclosure mandates affected 1,000+ issuers in 2023.

Statistic 58

Whistleblower awards by SEC: $600 million total by 2023.

Statistic 59

Form PF filings: 10,000+ hedge funds quarterly 2023.

Statistic 60

Market abuse surveillance fines: $2 billion EU 2023.

Statistic 61

Broker-dealer net capital requirements: $500 billion total 2023.

Statistic 62

T+1 settlement rule implemented for 100% U.S. trades May 2024.

Statistic 63

U.S. securities industry revenue hit $614 billion in 2022.

Statistic 64

Net income for U.S. broker-dealers was $44.7 billion in 2022.

Statistic 65

Asset management fees generated $150 billion in U.S. 2023.

Statistic 66

Investment banking fees: $108 billion globally in 2022.

Statistic 67

Trading revenue for top U.S. banks: $25 billion quarterly avg 2023.

Statistic 68

Prime brokerage revenue: $30 billion industry-wide 2022.

Statistic 69

Clearing and settlement fees: $20 billion annually in U.S. 2023.

Statistic 70

Margin lending revenue in securities: $5.5 billion in 2022.

Statistic 71

Underwriting fees for equities: $45 billion globally 2023.

Statistic 72

U.S. broker-dealer pretax income rose 15% to $52 billion in 2023.

Statistic 73

45% of securities firms use AI for trade surveillance in 2023.

Statistic 74

Blockchain pilots in securities settlement: 150+ globally in 2023.

Statistic 75

Cloud computing spend in securities industry: $15 billion in 2023.

Statistic 76

Robo-advisors managed $1.5 trillion AUM in U.S. by 2023.

Statistic 77

Algorithmic trading penetration: 80% of U.S. equity orders in 2023.

Statistic 78

Quantum computing investments by securities firms: $500 million in 2023.

Statistic 79

Mobile trading app users in securities: 200 million globally 2023.

Statistic 80

RegTech market size for securities: $12 billion in 2023.

Statistic 81

API usage in securities trading platforms: 70% adoption rate 2023.

Statistic 82

Digital asset custody services grew 300% since 2020 in securities firms.

Statistic 83

Big data analytics in trading: 75% firm adoption 2023.

Statistic 84

DLT for securities settlement trials: 50 live pilots 2023.

Statistic 85

Machine learning fraud detection accuracy: 98% in top firms 2023.

Statistic 86

5G impact on low-latency trading: 20% faster execution 2023.

Statistic 87

Tokenized assets on blockchain: $2 billion market cap 2023.

Statistic 88

Voice trading platforms usage: 30% of fixed income 2023.

Statistic 89

Open banking APIs in securities: 40% integration 2023.

Statistic 90

VR for compliance training: 25% firm adoption 2023.

Statistic 91

Predictive analytics for market risk: 65% usage rate 2023.

Statistic 92

U.S. equity trading volume averaged 11.5 billion shares daily in 2023.

Statistic 93

Average daily volume for U.S. options reached 48 million contracts in 2023.

Statistic 94

Treasury securities trading volume hit $900 billion daily in 2022.

Statistic 95

Global exchange-traded derivatives volume was 27.6 billion contracts in 2022.

Statistic 96

High-frequency trading accounted for 50% of U.S. equity volume in 2023.

Statistic 97

U.S. ETF trading volume averaged $193 billion daily in 2023.

Statistic 98

Corporate bond trading volume in U.S. was $1.1 trillion monthly in 2022.

Statistic 99

Dark pool trading represented 15% of U.S. equity volume in 2023.

Statistic 100

Futures volume on CME Group exchanges: 25.5 million contracts daily avg 2023.

Statistic 101

Municipal bond trading volume averaged $13.5 billion daily in 2023.

Statistic 102

Nasdaq daily share volume averaged 4.2 billion in 2023.

Statistic 103

U.S. equity short volume: 50% of total volume daily avg 2023.

Statistic 104

Eurodollar futures volume: 2.5 million contracts daily 2023.

Statistic 105

ADR trading volume in U.S.: $100 billion monthly 2023.

Statistic 106

Block trades in equities: 5% of total U.S. volume 2023.

Statistic 107

Options block volume: 10,000 contracts avg daily 2023.

Statistic 108

MBS trading volume: $500 billion daily avg 2023.

Statistic 109

Off-exchange equity trades: 40% of total volume 2023.

Statistic 110

Crypto-linked securities volume: $1 trillion yearly 2023.

Statistic 111

Auction volume on NYSE: 200 million shares daily 2023.

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Picture this: a single industry wields financial machinery so vast it manages over $50 trillion in U.S. assets alone and powers a global market worth $109 trillion.

Key Takeaways

  • In 2022, the U.S. securities industry managed over $50 trillion in assets under management.
  • Global securities market capitalization reached $109 trillion as of year-end 2022.
  • The U.S. bond market outstanding debt totaled $51 trillion in 2023.
  • U.S. securities industry employed 952,000 individuals in 2022.
  • Broker-dealer firms in the U.S. numbered 3,378 as of 2023.
  • Average salary for securities sales agents in U.S. was $71,430 in 2022.
  • U.S. equity trading volume averaged 11.5 billion shares daily in 2023.
  • Average daily volume for U.S. options reached 48 million contracts in 2023.
  • Treasury securities trading volume hit $900 billion daily in 2022.
  • FINRA registered over 660,000 securities professionals in 2023.
  • SEC enforcement actions resulted in $4.95 billion in penalties in FY2022.
  • Number of Form ADV filings for investment advisers: 15,396 in 2023.
  • 45% of securities firms use AI for trade surveillance in 2023.
  • Blockchain pilots in securities settlement: 150+ globally in 2023.
  • Cloud computing spend in securities industry: $15 billion in 2023.

The U.S. securities industry is a vast and technologically advancing multitrillion-dollar market.

Employment and Workforce

  • U.S. securities industry employed 952,000 individuals in 2022.
  • Broker-dealer firms in the U.S. numbered 3,378 as of 2023.
  • Average salary for securities sales agents in U.S. was $71,430 in 2022.
  • Women represented 45% of the securities industry workforce in 2022.
  • Financial advisors in U.S. totaled 283,000 in 2023.
  • Turnover rate in securities brokerage was 15% annually in 2022.
  • Compliance officers in the industry grew by 12% from 2019-2022.
  • 65% of securities professionals hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
  • Entry-level positions in securities trading averaged 250,000 openings yearly.
  • Diversity: 12% Black/African American in securities workforce 2022.
  • Securities industry added 25,000 jobs in U.S. during 2023.
  • 40% of workforce in securities is over age 50 in 2023.
  • FINRA member firms: 3,400+ with 160,000 branch offices 2023.
  • Securities compliance jobs grew 18% from 2020-2023.
  • Average tenure for financial advisors: 8 years in 2023.
  • 55% of new hires in securities from non-finance backgrounds 2023.
  • Hispanic/Latino representation: 10% in industry workforce 2023.
  • Remote work adoption: 35% full-time in securities firms 2023.
  • Training spend per employee: $2,500 annually avg 2023.
  • Unemployment rate in securities occupations: 2.1% in 2023.

Employment and Workforce Interpretation

Beneath the buzz of its 952,000 professionals, the U.S. securities industry reveals itself as a surprisingly accessible yet graying ecosystem, where a 15% churn, a compliance army on the rise, and half of new hires from other fields meet the steady demand for a quarter-million entry-level hopefuls, all under the watchful eye of regulators overseeing enough branch offices to dot the entire map.

Market Size and Growth

  • In 2022, the U.S. securities industry managed over $50 trillion in assets under management.
  • Global securities market capitalization reached $109 trillion as of year-end 2022.
  • The U.S. bond market outstanding debt totaled $51 trillion in 2023.
  • Securities industry revenue in the U.S. grew by 8.2% to $614 billion in 2022.
  • Equity market capitalization in the U.S. stood at $53.2 trillion in 2023.
  • The derivatives market notional value exceeded $600 trillion globally in 2022.
  • U.S. ETF assets under management hit $7.9 trillion by end of 2023.
  • Global IPO proceeds reached $139.6 billion in 2022.
  • U.S. municipal securities outstanding amounted to $4 trillion in 2023.
  • Asset management industry AUM globally was $112 trillion in 2022.
  • In 2023, U.S. listed equity market cap grew 20% to $53 trillion.
  • Global fixed income securities outstanding: $130 trillion end-2023.
  • U.S. money market fund assets: $6.5 trillion in 2023.
  • Private equity AUM in securities-related funds: $4.5 trillion 2023.
  • Hedge fund industry AUM: $4.3 trillion globally 2023.
  • U.S. repo market outstanding: $5 trillion daily avg 2023.
  • Sustainable investment assets: $35.3 trillion worldwide 2022.
  • Securitization issuance in U.S.: $1.2 trillion in 2023.
  • Global ETF AUM surpassed $11 trillion in 2023.
  • U.S. pension fund assets invested in securities: $38 trillion 2023.

Market Size and Growth Interpretation

The sheer scale of global finance is both a monument to human enterprise and a sobering reminder that we've built a world where the numbers on the ledger have more zeros than the collective imagination can comfortably hold.

Regulatory and Compliance

  • FINRA registered over 660,000 securities professionals in 2023.
  • SEC enforcement actions resulted in $4.95 billion in penalties in FY2022.
  • Number of Form ADV filings for investment advisers: 15,396 in 2023.
  • Compliance costs for broker-dealers averaged $500,000 per firm annually.
  • 98% of U.S. broker-dealers passed FINRA audits in 2022.
  • Insider trading cases investigated by SEC: 700+ in FY2022.
  • Dodd-Frank Act compliance spending: $100 billion industry-wide since 2010.
  • Cybersecurity incidents reported to SEC: 2,500+ in 2023.
  • MiFID II compliance affected $20 trillion in EU securities trading.
  • AML fines in securities industry: $4.3 billion globally in 2022.
  • Reg BI violations cited in 25% of FINRA exams in 2023.
  • AI adoption in compliance monitoring reached 60% of large firms in 2023.
  • SEC Rule 10b-5 violations: 450 cases in FY2023.
  • Investment adviser exams by SEC: 2,800 in FY2023.
  • FINRA arbitration cases: 6,500 resolved in 2023.
  • Cybersecurity rules compliance: 95% of firms by 2023.
  • ESG disclosure mandates affected 1,000+ issuers in 2023.
  • Whistleblower awards by SEC: $600 million total by 2023.
  • Form PF filings: 10,000+ hedge funds quarterly 2023.
  • Market abuse surveillance fines: $2 billion EU 2023.
  • Broker-dealer net capital requirements: $500 billion total 2023.
  • T+1 settlement rule implemented for 100% U.S. trades May 2024.

Regulatory and Compliance Interpretation

The sheer scale of regulation, from the 660,000 registered professionals navigating a minefield of $5 billion penalties and relentless audits to the $100 billion spent on compliance and armies of algorithms scanning for insider trading, proves the securities industry is a fortress built not just on finance, but on an expensive, high-stakes obsession with keeping itself in check.

Revenue and Financial Performance

  • U.S. securities industry revenue hit $614 billion in 2022.
  • Net income for U.S. broker-dealers was $44.7 billion in 2022.
  • Asset management fees generated $150 billion in U.S. 2023.
  • Investment banking fees: $108 billion globally in 2022.
  • Trading revenue for top U.S. banks: $25 billion quarterly avg 2023.
  • Prime brokerage revenue: $30 billion industry-wide 2022.
  • Clearing and settlement fees: $20 billion annually in U.S. 2023.
  • Margin lending revenue in securities: $5.5 billion in 2022.
  • Underwriting fees for equities: $45 billion globally 2023.
  • U.S. broker-dealer pretax income rose 15% to $52 billion in 2023.

Revenue and Financial Performance Interpretation

Despite the comforting hum of a half-trillion dollars in revenue, it seems Wall Street's magnificent money machine still requires a rather expensive lube job, consisting of over a hundred billion dollars in fees, just to keep its gears from grinding out a mere $44.7 billion in net profit.

Technology and Innovation

  • 45% of securities firms use AI for trade surveillance in 2023.
  • Blockchain pilots in securities settlement: 150+ globally in 2023.
  • Cloud computing spend in securities industry: $15 billion in 2023.
  • Robo-advisors managed $1.5 trillion AUM in U.S. by 2023.
  • Algorithmic trading penetration: 80% of U.S. equity orders in 2023.
  • Quantum computing investments by securities firms: $500 million in 2023.
  • Mobile trading app users in securities: 200 million globally 2023.
  • RegTech market size for securities: $12 billion in 2023.
  • API usage in securities trading platforms: 70% adoption rate 2023.
  • Digital asset custody services grew 300% since 2020 in securities firms.
  • Big data analytics in trading: 75% firm adoption 2023.
  • DLT for securities settlement trials: 50 live pilots 2023.
  • Machine learning fraud detection accuracy: 98% in top firms 2023.
  • 5G impact on low-latency trading: 20% faster execution 2023.
  • Tokenized assets on blockchain: $2 billion market cap 2023.
  • Voice trading platforms usage: 30% of fixed income 2023.
  • Open banking APIs in securities: 40% integration 2023.
  • VR for compliance training: 25% firm adoption 2023.
  • Predictive analytics for market risk: 65% usage rate 2023.

Technology and Innovation Interpretation

Wall Street has become a frenetic cyborg playground where algorithms whisper trades to the cloud, robots babysit trillions, regulators are pacified by digital puppets, and everyone is frantically investing in tomorrow's quantum crystal ball just to keep up with the guy on his phone beating them to the trade.

Trading Volume and Activity

  • U.S. equity trading volume averaged 11.5 billion shares daily in 2023.
  • Average daily volume for U.S. options reached 48 million contracts in 2023.
  • Treasury securities trading volume hit $900 billion daily in 2022.
  • Global exchange-traded derivatives volume was 27.6 billion contracts in 2022.
  • High-frequency trading accounted for 50% of U.S. equity volume in 2023.
  • U.S. ETF trading volume averaged $193 billion daily in 2023.
  • Corporate bond trading volume in U.S. was $1.1 trillion monthly in 2022.
  • Dark pool trading represented 15% of U.S. equity volume in 2023.
  • Futures volume on CME Group exchanges: 25.5 million contracts daily avg 2023.
  • Municipal bond trading volume averaged $13.5 billion daily in 2023.
  • Nasdaq daily share volume averaged 4.2 billion in 2023.
  • U.S. equity short volume: 50% of total volume daily avg 2023.
  • Eurodollar futures volume: 2.5 million contracts daily 2023.
  • ADR trading volume in U.S.: $100 billion monthly 2023.
  • Block trades in equities: 5% of total U.S. volume 2023.
  • Options block volume: 10,000 contracts avg daily 2023.
  • MBS trading volume: $500 billion daily avg 2023.
  • Off-exchange equity trades: 40% of total volume 2023.
  • Crypto-linked securities volume: $1 trillion yearly 2023.
  • Auction volume on NYSE: 200 million shares daily 2023.

Trading Volume and Activity Interpretation

While the sheer scale of daily trades might suggest a market of cool deliberation, the fact that half of all U.S. stock activity is driven by hyper-speed algorithms and another sizable chunk occurs hidden in dark pools reveals a financial ecosystem feverishly buzzing with both brilliant light and deliberate shadow.

Sources & References