SalariesWhat the occupation covers
Advise clients on financial plans using knowledge of tax and investment strategies, securities, insurance, pension plans, and real estate. Duties include assessing clients' assets, liabilities, cash flow, insurance coverage, tax status, and financial objectives. May also buy and sell financial assets for clients. Excludes “Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents” (41-3031).
Official definition from the Standard Occupational Classification, code 13-2052.
The pay range
Pay differs a lot inside one occupation, with experience, employer and place. The table shows where the lines fall.
| Share of workers | A year | A month* | A week* | An hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest 10% earn less than | $50,190 | $4,182 | $965 | $24.13 |
| Lowest 25% earn less than | $72,440 | $6,037 | $1,393 | $34.83 |
| Median (half earn less, half more) | $105,070 | $8,756 | $2,021 | $50.51 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $176,790 | $14,732 | $3,400 | $84.99 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $357,020 | $29,752 | $6,866 | $171.65 |
* Month and week are the yearly figure divided by 12 and by 52, worked out here for convenience. BLS publishes the yearly and hourly figures.
How it compares
The median for all occupations in the United States was $50,980 a year. The median for Personal Financial Advisors is $105,070, which is 106% higher. Among the 32 occupations of the field Business and Financial Operations, it ranks number 2 by median pay. With 266,800 jobs, it makes up about 17 of every 10,000 jobs in the country. The average ($156,670) is well above the median, a sign that a smaller group of high earners pulls the average up.
Personal Financial Advisors pay by state
The highest median pay was in New York ($166,400), New Jersey ($158,570) and California ($130,330). The lowest was in Mississippi ($63,300), Kentucky ($67,150) and Oklahoma ($68,670). The most jobs were in California (32,200), New York (21,550) and Florida (21,490). The occupation is most concentrated in Kansas, where its share of all jobs is 1.7 times the national share.
No state matches.
| State | Jobs | Median a year | Average a year | Median an hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 21,550 | $166,400 | $210,310 | $80.00 |
| New Jersey | 9,300 | $158,570 | $191,890 | $76.24 |
| California | 32,200 | $130,330 | $170,070 | $62.66 |
| Connecticut | not published | $129,720 | $160,780 | $62.36 |
| South Dakota | 620 | $128,720 | $175,820 | $61.89 |
| Massachusetts | not published | $125,670 | $172,430 | $60.42 |
| Delaware | not published | $125,050 | $136,950 | $60.12 |
| Oregon | 3,070 | $122,830 | $161,810 | $59.05 |
| Illinois | 9,760 | $120,130 | $158,450 | $57.75 |
| Wisconsin | 5,200 | $119,430 | $166,810 | $57.42 |
| Washington | 5,790 | $114,050 | $162,590 | $54.83 |
| Vermont | 520 | $110,020 | $136,000 | $52.89 |
| Pennsylvania | 12,200 | $105,200 | $165,100 | $50.58 |
| District of Columbia | 480 | $104,990 | $144,800 | $50.48 |
| Minnesota | 5,280 | $102,660 | $141,760 | $49.36 |
| Virginia | 6,340 | $102,640 | $163,180 | $49.35 |
| Kansas | 4,150 | $102,530 | $149,410 | $49.29 |
| Georgia | 6,830 | $101,450 | $154,620 | $48.78 |
| Florida | 21,490 | $100,970 | $162,780 | $48.54 |
| Missouri | 4,480 | $99,930 | $136,640 | $48.04 |
| Maryland | 5,260 | $99,880 | $153,800 | $48.02 |
| Texas | 18,200 | $99,160 | $146,000 | $47.67 |
| Montana | not published | $97,450 | $126,570 | $46.85 |
| Arizona | 6,430 | $96,950 | $125,750 | $46.61 |
| North Carolina | 12,340 | $96,880 | $143,740 | $46.58 |
| New Hampshire | 1,850 | $96,780 | $129,040 | $46.53 |
| South Carolina | 2,400 | $96,330 | $132,810 | $46.31 |
| Idaho | 760 | $94,370 | $135,790 | $45.37 |
| New Mexico | 610 | $94,270 | $151,100 | $45.32 |
| Nebraska | 2,210 | $93,280 | $129,590 | $44.85 |
| Nevada | 1,730 | $92,720 | $135,470 | $44.58 |
| Iowa | 1,920 | $92,310 | $132,560 | $44.38 |
| Ohio | 7,680 | $90,990 | $123,380 | $43.75 |
| Colorado | 6,730 | $89,280 | $123,110 | $42.92 |
| Indiana | 5,400 | $87,710 | $137,220 | $42.17 |
| Tennessee | 3,970 | $84,160 | $153,140 | $40.46 |
| Rhode Island | 1,130 | $80,200 | $105,650 | $38.56 |
| West Virginia | 670 | $80,010 | $124,400 | $38.47 |
| Arkansas | 1,320 | $79,420 | $113,140 | $38.18 |
| Alaska | not published | $78,690 | $117,610 | $37.83 |
| Alabama | 2,540 | $77,990 | $132,860 | $37.50 |
| Michigan | 6,570 | $77,930 | $121,890 | $37.47 |
| Wyoming | 310 | $77,490 | $129,060 | $37.26 |
| Utah | 2,520 | $77,390 | $117,140 | $37.21 |
| North Dakota | 540 | $76,870 | $90,390 | $36.96 |
| Hawaii | 550 | $76,070 | $117,560 | $36.57 |
| Oklahoma | 1,140 | $68,670 | $94,010 | $33.02 |
| Kentucky | 2,040 | $67,150 | $124,320 | $32.29 |
| Mississippi | 790 | $63,300 | $117,880 | $30.43 |
| Louisiana | 1,470 | not published | not published | not published |
| Maine | 850 | not published | not published | not published |
| Puerto Rico | 440 | not published | not published | not published |
Sorted by median pay, highest first. "Not published" means BLS did not release that figure for the state, usually because too few employers were surveyed. "$239,200 or more" is the highest value BLS reports in the state tables.
Similar occupations by pay
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Common questions
How much do Personal Financial Advisors earn in the United States?
The median pay was $105,070 a year in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $50,190 and the highest-paid 10% more than $357,020.
How many people work as Personal Financial Advisors?
About 266,800 jobs in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Checked in November 2026. Figures are for employees, before tax, and leave out overtime pay and benefits. They are official statistics, not advice or a pay offer; see bls.gov/oes for the original tables.