How much do wealth advisors make in 2026?
Wealth advisors are reported in SOC 13-2052, personal financial advisors, which BLS OEWS May 2025 puts at a national median of $105,070 a year, or $50.51 an hour, with a P10 to P90 range of $50,190 to $357,020 across 266,800 workers. That is one of the longest upper tails in this entire dataset, and it is a genuine feature of the occupation rather than an artefact. Advisor compensation is tied to the assets and relationships under management, and both accumulate: a book built over fifteen years generates recurring fee income that a new advisor's does not, regardless of comparable skill. Compensation models differ substantially and are worth distinguishing, since fee-only advisors charge a percentage of assets or a flat planning fee, commission-based advisors earn on product sales, and many operate a hybrid. Employment model matters too, because OEWS counts employees, so independent advisory firm principals and many registered investment adviser owners are outside this survey. Early attrition is high and largely invisible in the data. This page describes how the occupation is paid and does not offer investment or financial advice. BLS projects 9.6% growth through 2034 with roughly 24,100 openings a year. → Full wealth advisor career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $105,070 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Wealth Advisors earn a national median $105,070/yr ($50.51/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 13-2052); the P10 to P90 range is $50,190 to $357,020.
- This occupation has one of the longest upper tails in the dataset because compensation compounds with assets and relationships accumulated over a career rather than resetting each year.
- Fee-only, commission-based and hybrid compensation models produce genuinely different income patterns, and knowing which model an employer uses matters more than the headline median.
- Early attrition is high and invisible in the wage data, since advisors who leave before building a book never appear in a survey of employed advisors.
US Wealth Advisor Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do wealth advisors earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 13-2052; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 13-2052, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a wealth advisor earn at each career stage?
Advisor pay follows the book and the fee model behind it. Each median below is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 13-2052.
By State
Which states pay wealth advisors the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates, not BLS state observations: the national median for SOC 13-2052 scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index. Advisor income depends on the wealth of the client base rather than on local wage levels, so markets with concentrated wealth support advisor earnings well above what a general wage index predicts.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($120,830), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay wealth advisors the most?
Metro figures are modeled, national median times state wage index times published metro index, not BLS metropolitan observations. For this occupation the relevant variable is investable assets in the market, which is distributed very differently from general metro wage levels.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a wealth advisor’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does wealth advisor pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Wealth Advisors sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify wealth advisor wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a wealth advisor actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Wealth Advisor Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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