SOC 13-2052 · May 2025
Financial Advisor Salary
Financial Advisors in the US earn a median of $105,070 a year ($75.32 an hour on average), according to the BLS May 2025 wage survey. Average Financial Advisor pay climbed from $119,290 in 2019 to $156,670 in 2025, a +31.3% change in 6 years.
Median annual
$105,070
Half of all Financial Advisors in the United States earn more than this figure, half earn less. From the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025 release.
Wage trend
+31.3% since 2019 · -2.2% YoY
Hourly
$75.32
Job growth 2025-35
+1.4%
US workers
266,800
BLS series
Annual median wage for Personal Financial Advisors in All Industries in the United States
Salary range
From entry to top decile
The 10th-to-90th percentile spread for Financial Advisors is $50,190 – $357,020.
Percentile distribution
USD · annual
10th
$50,190
25th
$72,440
Median
$105,070
75th
$176,790
90th
$357,020
Percentile bands
Where your pay would sit
Percentile bands
Annual wages at each point of the BLS distribution for Financial Advisors. Where you sit depends on experience, employer, location and credentials.
| Percentile | What it means | Annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | 10% earn less. Common for new entrants | $50,190 |
| 25th percentile | A quarter earn less | $72,440 |
| Median | Half earn more, half earn less | $105,070 |
| 75th percentile | A quarter earn more | $176,790 |
| 90th percentile | 10% earn more. Often senior or specialist staff | $357,020 |
Geography
Financial Advisor pay by state
Financial Advisors earn the most in New York ($166,400, +58% against the national median) and the least in Mississippi ($63,300). BLS publishes a May 2025 estimate for this occupation in 49 of 51 states and D.C.
National median
$105,070
Highest-paying states for financial advisors
| State | Annual median | vs national | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $166,400 | +58% | 21,550 |
| New Jersey | $158,570 | +51% | 9,300 |
| California | $130,330 | +24% | 32,200 |
| Connecticut | $129,720 | +23% | – |
| South Dakota | $128,720 | +23% | 620 |
| Massachusetts | $125,670 | +20% | – |
| Delaware | $125,050 | +19% | – |
| Oregon | $122,830 | +17% | 3,070 |
| Illinois | $120,130 | +14% | 9,760 |
| Wisconsin | $119,430 | +14% | 5,200 |
All 49 states, highest to lowest
| State | Annual median | Employed |
|---|---|---|
| New York | $166,400 | 21,550 |
| New Jersey | $158,570 | 9,300 |
| California | $130,330 | 32,200 |
| Connecticut | $129,720 | – |
| South Dakota | $128,720 | 620 |
| Massachusetts | $125,670 | – |
| Delaware | $125,050 | – |
| Oregon | $122,830 | 3,070 |
| Illinois | $120,130 | 9,760 |
| Wisconsin | $119,430 | 5,200 |
| Washington | $114,050 | 5,790 |
| Vermont | $110,020 | 520 |
| Pennsylvania | $105,200 | 12,200 |
| D.C. | $104,990 | 480 |
| Minnesota | $102,660 | 5,280 |
| Virginia | $102,640 | 6,340 |
| Kansas | $102,530 | 4,150 |
| Georgia | $101,450 | 6,830 |
| Florida | $100,970 | 21,490 |
| Missouri | $99,930 | 4,480 |
| Maryland | $99,880 | 5,260 |
| Texas | $99,160 | 18,200 |
| Montana | $97,450 | – |
| Arizona | $96,950 | 6,430 |
| North Carolina | $96,880 | 12,340 |
| New Hampshire | $96,780 | 1,850 |
| South Carolina | $96,330 | 2,400 |
| Idaho | $94,370 | 760 |
| New Mexico | $94,270 | 610 |
| Nebraska | $93,280 | 2,210 |
| Nevada | $92,720 | 1,730 |
| Iowa | $92,310 | 1,920 |
| Ohio | $90,990 | 7,680 |
| Colorado | $89,280 | 6,730 |
| Indiana | $87,710 | 5,400 |
| Tennessee | $84,160 | 3,970 |
| Rhode Island | $80,200 | 1,130 |
| West Virginia | $80,010 | 670 |
| Arkansas | $79,420 | 1,320 |
| Alaska | $78,690 | – |
| Alabama | $77,990 | 2,540 |
| Michigan | $77,930 | 6,570 |
| Wyoming | $77,490 | 310 |
| Utah | $77,390 | 2,520 |
| North Dakota | $76,870 | 540 |
| Hawaii | $76,070 | 550 |
| Oklahoma | $68,670 | 1,140 |
| Kentucky | $67,150 | 2,040 |
| Mississippi | $63,300 | 790 |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, state estimates, May 2025, all industries.
What affects this salary
Pay drivers for Financial Advisors
Personal financial advisors (BLS SOC 13-2052) assess client financial situations and provide investment, retirement, tax, and estate planning. The role typically requires a bachelor's degree, FINRA Series 7 and 66 (or 65), and increasingly the CFP designation for fiduciary advice. Compensation spans salary, commission, and fee-based AUM models. Established practices with significant AUM substantially exceed OEWS figures, which capture employer-paid wages but not the residual fee streams that drive senior-advisor income.
The 10th-to-90th percentile spread is $50,190 – $357,020. That gap reflects experience, certification, employer type, geographic cost of living, and shift differentials where applicable.
Geography matters. The best-paying states for this role are New York, New Jersey and California. Pay in New York runs 2.6 times the level in Mississippi, before any adjustment for cost of living.
Getting in. BLS lists the typical entry-level education as bachelor's degree, and projects about 17,100 openings a year over 2025-35. Employment is projected to grow 1.4% over the same period, against 3.5% for all occupations.
Frequently asked
Questions readers ask
Frequently asked
What is the average Financial Advisor salary in the US?
How much does a Financial Advisor make an hour?
How much do Financial Advisors make at the low and high end?
Which state pays Financial Advisors the most?
Is the average Financial Advisor salary higher than the median?
Is Financial Advisor a growing career?
Open positions
Open Financial Advisor roles hiring now
Browse current Financial Advisor listings on Indeed and ZipRecruiter, filtered to your role.
Source & methodology
Wage and employment figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program, May 2025 release. Standard Occupational Classification: 13-2052. Figures represent the national median, mean, and percentile distribution across all employers and industries. Hourly equivalents assume a 2,080-hour work year. Job growth, annual openings and typical education are from the BLS Employment Projections program, 2025-35; see the Occupational Outlook Handbook entry. Read our methodology for details on how the data is sourced, transformed, and refreshed.