Personal Financial Advisors Salary 2025: $102,203 Median Pay (BLS OEWS)
- Official U.S. BLS OEWS data (May 2025)
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- Not self-reported estimates
$102,203 per year is the national median annual wage for personal financial advisors (BLS OEWS, May 2025 reference period). That works out to about $49/hour, with a 10th–90th percentile range of $81,520 to $420,630. The Bureau of Labor Statistics classifies this role under SOC code 13-2052.
Key Facts (BLS OEWS, May 2025)
- Median annual wage
- $102,203
- Median hourly wage
- $49/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $164,948
- Total US employment
- 171,750
- Top-paying metro
- New York, NY, NY ($170,050)
- BLS SOC code
- 13-2052
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 release.
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The national median wage for personal financial advisors (BLS SOC 13-2052) is $102,203 per year — about $49/hour — across 171,750 workers in 68 U.S. metros in the BLS OEWS May 2025 release. The mean wage of $164,948 sits above the median, which means a minority of high earners pulls the average up — the median is the more honest benchmark for a typical offer.
Experience drives the range as much as anything: the 10th percentile earns $59,282 while the 90th earns $356,350 — a 6.0× gap from entry-level to the top of the field. Most personal financial advisors land in the $82,758–$237,162 band (25th–75th percentile), which is the right anchor when you size up an offer.
Location matters too. New York, NY, NY posts the highest median at $170,050, versus $58,450 in Tucson, AZ, AZ — a 191% gap. But adjusted for cost of living, Greensboro, NC delivers the strongest real purchasing power ($138,346 in national-average dollars), which can flip the nominal ranking for anyone weighing a move.
Finance compensation for personal financial advisor roles skews heavily toward variable pay — bonuses, commissions, and deferred comp that OEWS does not capture — so the base-wage figures here understate total pay, especially in high-cost financial-center metros.
Personal Financial Advisors Salary by Experience Level (2025)
BLS OEWS doesn’t publish wages by years of experience, but its national percentile bands map cleanly to career stages. Here’s what personal financial advisors earn from entry-level to the top of the field.
| Career stage | Typical experience | BLS percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry-level | 0–2 years | 10th | $59,282 |
| Junior / early-career | 2–5 years | 25th | $82,758 |
| Mid-career | 5–10 years | 50th (median) | $117,973 |
| Senior | 10–15 years | 75th | $237,162 |
| Top earners | 15+ years | 90th | $356,350 |
Experience bands are SalaryTruth’s interpretation of BLS OEWS percentiles, not a separate BLS series. Actual pay varies by employer, specialization, and region.
Salary Range (BLS Percentiles)
Personal Financial Advisors salaries range from $58,450 to $170,050 median across cities, depending on location, experience, and industry.
Personal Financial Advisors Salary by City (BLS OEWS)
| City | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | COL-Adjusted | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York, NY | $81,520 | $116,932 | $170,050 | $295,340 | $420,630 | $90,839 | 23,980 |
| San Francisco, CA | $76,900 | $110,384 | $160,610 | $305,365 | $450,120 | $89,427 | 7,130 |
| San Jose, CA | $69,340 | $96,332 | $136,820 | $309,475 | $482,130 | $69,877 | 1,530 |
| Bridgeport, CT | $64,080 | $92,756 | $135,770 | $278,880 | $421,990 | $98,742 | 2,500 |
| San Diego, CA | $68,640 | $93,316 | $130,330 | $267,935 | $405,540 | $81,355 | 3,010 |
| Sacramento, CA | $68,640 | $92,364 | $127,950 | $221,500 | $315,050 | $102,606 | 1,260 |
| Boston, MA | $58,540 | $85,736 | $126,530 | $306,610 | $486,690 | $83,189 | 0 |
| Greensboro, NC | $58,230 | $85,462 | $126,310 | $202,220 | $278,130 | $138,346 | 580 |
| Madison, WI | $52,490 | $81,894 | $126,000 | $316,645 | $507,290 | $121,387 | 590 |
| Milwaukee, WI | $64,820 | $89,216 | $125,810 | $258,040 | $390,270 | $129,168 | 2,150 |
| Miami, FL | $49,670 | $80,070 | $125,670 | $276,415 | $427,160 | $102,088 | 8,390 |
| Albany, NY | $57,330 | $84,242 | $124,610 | $242,625 | $360,640 | $123,744 | 680 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $67,690 | $90,410 | $124,490 | $204,790 | $285,090 | $74,994 | 13,980 |
| Kansas City, MO | $60,890 | $85,790 | $123,140 | $221,980 | $320,820 | $129,078 | 3,500 |
| Portland, OR | $54,940 | $82,096 | $122,830 | $233,840 | $344,850 | $94,412 | 0 |
| Boise, ID | $60,070 | $83,026 | $117,460 | $168,845 | $220,230 | $115,044 | 370 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $62,020 | $83,836 | $116,560 | $254,410 | $392,260 | $98,446 | 7,390 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $58,700 | $81,460 | $115,600 | $256,770 | $397,940 | $125,244 | 2,030 |
| Seattle, WA | $57,860 | $80,532 | $114,540 | $274,790 | $435,040 | $76,667 | 3,940 |
| Chicago, IL | $51,050 | $75,914 | $113,210 | $217,825 | $322,440 | $105,508 | 8,370 |
| Bakersfield, CA | $58,440 | $79,696 | $111,580 | $190,220 | $268,860 | $110,915 | 80 |
| Richmond, VA | $56,100 | $78,024 | $110,910 | $243,955 | $377,000 | $108,629 | 1,350 |
| Washington, DC | $58,790 | $77,766 | $106,230 | $247,830 | $389,430 | $69,522 | 4,330 |
| Raleigh, NC | $49,760 | $71,768 | $104,780 | $331,515 | $558,250 | $104,990 | 2,340 |
| Atlanta, GA | $46,180 | $69,304 | $103,990 | $228,125 | $352,260 | $104,829 | 4,690 |
| St. Louis, MO | $52,690 | $73,090 | $103,690 | $217,025 | $330,360 | $115,211 | 2,630 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $49,250 | $71,022 | $103,680 | $159,980 | $216,280 | $102,959 | 5,000 |
| Buffalo, NY | $60,300 | $77,640 | $103,650 | $238,835 | $374,020 | $112,054 | 690 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $47,520 | $69,876 | $103,410 | $210,905 | $318,400 | $97,373 | 4,150 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $45,140 | $68,140 | $102,640 | $264,410 | $426,180 | $113,918 | 2,400 |
| Jacksonville, FL | $59,090 | $76,046 | $101,480 | $236,830 | $372,180 | $106,709 | 1,840 |
| San Antonio, TX | $49,990 | $70,566 | $101,430 | $207,915 | $314,400 | $110,852 | 1,590 |
| Rochester, NY | $61,190 | $77,174 | $101,150 | $193,730 | $286,310 | $108,881 | 820 |
| Fresno, CA | $60,660 | $76,492 | $100,240 | $176,405 | $252,570 | $95,014 | 200 |
| Memphis, TN | $44,810 | $66,934 | $100,120 | $349,240 | $598,360 | $119,190 | 790 |
| Las Vegas, NV | $62,180 | $77,288 | $99,950 | $161,405 | $222,860 | $91,697 | 1,020 |
| Charlotte, NC | $49,760 | $69,632 | $99,440 | $160,850 | $222,260 | $102,834 | 4,850 |
| Spokane, WA | $59,770 | $75,602 | $99,350 | $194,340 | $289,330 | $102,002 | 250 |
| Baltimore, MD | $48,110 | $68,454 | $98,970 | $255,880 | $412,790 | $86,664 | 3,240 |
| Houston, TX | $49,120 | $69,044 | $98,930 | $211,460 | $323,990 | $102,518 | 4,130 |
| Denver, CO | $57,890 | $74,230 | $98,740 | $196,755 | $294,770 | $87,535 | 4,700 |
| Orlando, FL | $47,790 | $68,154 | $98,700 | $236,525 | $374,350 | $95,732 | 2,100 |
| Greenville, SC | $48,060 | $67,672 | $97,090 | $187,055 | $277,020 | $107,758 | 420 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino, CA | $65,490 | $77,734 | $96,100 | $196,250 | $296,400 | $78,513 | 830 |
| Austin, TX | $52,550 | $69,926 | $95,990 | $253,295 | $410,600 | $93,194 | 2,010 |
| Albuquerque, NM | $64,380 | $77,024 | $95,990 | $294,860 | $493,730 | $102,117 | 290 |
| Little Rock, AR | $37,690 | $60,362 | $94,370 | $153,700 | $213,030 | $106,995 | 540 |
| Des Moines, IA | $52,840 | $69,412 | $94,270 | $148,105 | $201,940 | $101,040 | 640 |
| Nashville, TN | $47,510 | $64,922 | $91,040 | $250,190 | $409,340 | $90,768 | 1,710 |
| Reno, NV | $41,100 | $58,848 | $85,470 | $157,175 | $228,880 | $80,254 | 0 |
| Providence, RI | $49,970 | $63,470 | $83,720 | $129,395 | $175,070 | $70,117 | 1,200 |
| Tampa, FL | $51,310 | $63,818 | $82,580 | $222,085 | $361,590 | $82,912 | 3,660 |
| Hartford, CT | $58,830 | $68,094 | $81,990 | $123,685 | $165,380 | $72,815 | 0 |
| Columbus, OH | $47,860 | $61,356 | $81,600 | $148,425 | $215,250 | $87,648 | 1,900 |
| Wichita, KS | $51,460 | $63,356 | $81,200 | $173,790 | $266,380 | $96,667 | 470 |
| Omaha, NE | $53,950 | $64,590 | $80,550 | $179,320 | $278,090 | $87,745 | 1,120 |
| Cincinnati, OH | $45,220 | $59,348 | $80,540 | $194,240 | $307,940 | $88,311 | 2,510 |
| Knoxville, TN | $43,880 | $58,476 | $80,370 | $258,190 | $436,010 | $89,003 | 420 |
| Birmingham, AL | $38,660 | $54,988 | $79,480 | $208,760 | $338,040 | $87,920 | 1,190 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | $50,450 | $61,466 | $77,990 | $147,960 | $217,930 | $76,913 | 1,900 |
| Detroit, MI | $45,530 | $58,050 | $76,830 | $193,420 | $310,010 | $80,789 | 3,430 |
| New Orleans, LA | $43,150 | $55,886 | $74,990 | $239,335 | $403,680 | $78,196 | 440 |
| Tulsa, OK | $49,990 | $59,990 | $74,990 | $134,875 | $194,760 | $86,394 | 450 |
| Lexington, KY | $45,160 | $56,800 | $74,260 | $158,015 | $241,770 | $81,336 | 200 |
| Louisville, KY | $43,880 | $55,432 | $72,760 | $157,065 | $241,370 | $80,665 | 670 |
| Colorado Springs, CO | $58,660 | $64,168 | $72,430 | $87,535 | $102,640 | $69,311 | 0 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | $24,630 | $41,730 | $67,380 | $119,020 | $170,660 | $77,896 | 500 |
| Tucson, AZ | $41,700 | $48,400 | $58,450 | $112,255 | $166,060 | $61,268 | 680 |
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Personal Financial Advisor & H-1B Prevailing Wage
Sponsoring or filing an H-1B, PERM, or E-3 case? See the DOL prevailing-wage levels (1–4) for Personal Financial Advisor, including the 2026 proposed increase.
Personal Financial Advisor prevailing wage in New York, NY →Frequently Asked Questions
The national median salary for Personal Financial Advisor is $102,203 as of 2025 (BLS OEWS). The national mean (average) is $164,948. Salaries range from $58,450 to $170,050 median depending on city and cost of living.
Entry-level personal financial advisors (10th percentile) earn about $59,282 per year nationally. Pay rises with experience to a median of $102,203, $237,162 at the 75th percentile, and $356,350 for the top 10% of earners.
The median personal financial advisor earns about $49/hour, based on the $102,203 annual median over a standard 2,080-hour work year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
New York, NY, NY posts the highest median for Personal Financial Advisor at $170,050, well above the national median of $102,203. Cost of living matters, though — see the COL-adjusted column in the city table above, which can reorder the rankings.
There are approximately 171,750 Personal Financial Advisor positions in the US across 68 metropolitan areas tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey.
The 90th percentile personal financial advisor earns $356,350 — about 6.0× the $59,282 entry-level wage. A spread that wide signals real income growth potential with experience, specialization, and location.
No. BLS OEWS reports base wages only — bonuses, commissions, overtime, and equity are excluded. For roles where variable pay is common, total compensation runs above the figures shown here.
Salary data from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. COL adjustments use BEA Regional Price Parities.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 release.