State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
Financial Advisor Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
Personal Financial Advisors earn a median of $105,070 per year ($50.51/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to grow 9.6% through 2034, with about 24,100 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
SOC 13-2052Business and Financial OperationsLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $105,070
- Projected growth
- +9.6%
- Openings a year
- 24,100
- Typical education
- Bachelor's
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Certified Financial Planner (CFP), Financial Advisor, Financial Consultant, Financial Counselor, Financial Life Planner, Financial Planner.
How much do Personal Financial Advisors make?
10th percentile$50,190
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$72,440
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$105,070
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$176,790
Upper quartile
90th percentile$357,020
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $105,070 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $50.51/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $156,670 |
| People employed | 266,800 |
Versus all US occupations
At $105,070, Personal Financial Advisors earn 106% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $54,090 a year.
Versus business and financial operations occupations
Inside the Business and Financial Operations group, where the middle occupation pays $80,730, this is 30% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $357,020 or more while the bottom 10% earn $50,190, a gap of 7.1×. That is an unusually wide spread, which usually tracks specialisation, employer type and years of experience.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 83% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
New York pays the most at $166,400, and still leads at $154,187 once local prices are taken into account.
Which states pay Personal Financial Advisors the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $166,400 | $154,187 | 21,550 |
| New Jersey | $158,570 | $145,738 | 9,300 |
| California | $130,330 | $117,711 | 32,200 |
| Connecticut | $129,720 | $125,200 | N/A |
| South Dakota | $128,720 | $145,305 | 620 |
| Massachusetts | $125,670 | $118,829 | N/A |
| Delaware | $125,050 | $125,291 | N/A |
| Oregon | $122,830 | $118,836 | 3,070 |
| Illinois | $120,130 | $120,180 | 9,760 |
| Wisconsin | $119,430 | $126,925 | 5,200 |
Is Financial Advisor a growing career?
Personal Financial Advisors9.6%
All US occupations3.1%
+9.6% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
Much faster than average
BLS projects employment of Personal Financial Advisors to change 9.6% over 2024–2034, roughly 3.1× the 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 31,200 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 24,100 openings are projected each year, 7.4% of the 326,000 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
The primary driver of employment growth is expected to be the aging population. As large numbers of baby boomers continue to retire, they are likely to seek planning advice from personal financial advisors. Also, longer lifespans will likely lead to longer retirement periods, further increasing demand for financial planning services.
In addition, the replacement of traditional pension plans with individual retirement accounts is expected to continue. Many people used to receive defined pension payments in retirement, but most companies no longer offer these plans. Therefore, individuals must save and invest for their own retirement, increasing the demand for personal financial advisors.
The availability of “robo-advisors,” computer programs that provide automated investment advice based on user inputs, may partially temper demand for personal financial advisors. However, the impact of this technology should be limited as consumers continue turning to human advisors for more complex and specialized investment advice over the projections decade.
How to become a Financial Advisor
Personal financial advisors typically need a bachelor’s degree to enter the occupation. A master’s degree and certification may improve chances for advancement.
| Typical entry-level education | Bachelor's degree |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Medium preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | None |
| Typical on-the-job training | Long-term on-the-job training |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as personal financial advisors.
- Bachelor's Degree57.7%
- Post-Baccalaureate Certificate23.1%
- Master's Degree11.5%
- Post-Secondary Certificate7.7%
What does a Financial Advisor do?
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.
Personal financial advisors provide advice on investments, insurance, mortgages, estate planning, taxes, and retirement to help individuals manage their finances.
Day-to-day tasks
- Interview clients to determine their current income, expenses, insurance coverage, tax status, financial objectives, risk tolerance, or other information needed to develop a financial plan.
- Analyze financial information obtained from clients to determine strategies for meeting clients' financial objectives.
- Answer clients' questions about the purposes and details of financial plans and strategies.
- Review clients' accounts and plans regularly to determine whether life changes, economic changes, environmental concerns, or financial performance indicate a need for plan reassessment.
- Recommend to clients strategies in cash management, insurance coverage, investment planning, or other areas to help them achieve their financial goals.
- Implement financial planning recommendations, or refer clients to someone who can assist them with plan implementation.
- Prepare or interpret for clients information, such as investment performance reports, financial document summaries, or income projections.
- Manage client portfolios, keeping client plans up-to-date.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Where personal financial advisors work
| Securities, commodity contracts, and other financial investments and related activities | 60% |
|---|---|
| Credit intermediation and related activities | 15% |
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | 3% |
| Insurance carriers and related activities | 3% |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition.
Core skills
- Reading Comprehension4.1/5
- Active Listening4.1/5
- Speaking4.0/5
- Writing3.9/5
- Critical Thinking3.8/5
- Mathematics3.6/5
- Active Learning3.3/5
- Monitoring3.1/5
Transferable skills
- Social Perceptiveness3.6/5
- Service Orientation3.6/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.6/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.6/5
- Persuasion3.4/5
- Systems Analysis3.4/5
- Systems Evaluation3.4/5
- Coordination3.0/5
Tools and software
- Customer relationship management CRM software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Development environment software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Object or component oriented development software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Project management software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Accounting software
- Analytical or scientific software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits a Financial Advisor?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realistic1.0
Investigative3.3
Artistic1.7
Socialprimary4.1
Enterprisingprimary5.8
Conventionalprimary5.6
Day to day this is work built around leading, persuading, selling and making decisions, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Financial Advisor: frequently asked questions
How much do Personal Financial Advisors make?
Personal Financial Advisors earn a median of $105,070 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). That is 106% above the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $50.51/hr. The middle half earn between $72,440 and $176,790. The top 10% earn $357,020 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Financial Advisor?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Personal Financial Advisors, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as medium preparation. BLS also lists long-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 57.7% hold bachelor's degree.
Is Financial Advisor a growing career?
Yes, strongly. Employment is projected to grow 9.6% over 2024–2034, more than double the 3.1% projected for all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 24,100 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Financial Advisor do?
Personal financial advisors provide advice on investments, insurance, mortgages, estate planning, taxes, and retirement to help individuals manage their finances. A core O*NET task: interview clients to determine their current income, expenses, insurance coverage, tax status, financial objectives, risk tolerance, or other information needed to develop a financial plan. Employers most often ask for Customer relationship management CRM software, Data base user interface and query software, Development environment software.
Which states pay Personal Financial Advisors the most?
The highest state medians for Personal Financial Advisors are New York ($166,400), New Jersey ($158,570), California ($130,330) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Financial Advisor?
O*NET scores Personal Financial Advisors highest on the Enterprising, Conventional and Social interest areas, so the work mixes leading, persuading, selling and making decisions with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ESFJ, ESTJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.