Personal Financial Advisor Schools, Salaries, and Job Data

Job Numbers and Growth

Data from 2008 shows about 176,000 jobs for personal financial advisors in the US. This job is ranked very low for unemployment. On the order of 2% of employees could not find work in 2008.

Area Job Conditions

Bridgeport (Connecticut), West Palm Beach (Florida), and New York (New York) can boast the most personal financial advisors for their size. Stockton (California), El Paso (Texas), and Baton Rouge (Louisiana) have the fewest per capita.

The highest salaries for workers are found in Worcester (Massachusetts), San Francisco (California), and New York (New York), and the lowest-paying areas are in Tallahassee (Florida), Gulfport (Mississippi), and Pascagoula (Mississippi).

Training and Education

Many employers require that job applicants for this career have a bachelor's degree. The percentage of personal financial advisors with a bachelor's degree or better is 81%. Approximately 15% of workers went to college, but did not have to get a four year degree. Completing high school was all that was needed for 4% of employees. Recommended schools are shown in the column to the right; request information from them to help you decide which if any could help you with this career.

Part-Time Work and Self-Employment

About 8% of people in this field work less than full time. Self-employment is the path of choice for 31% of workers.

Personal Financial Advisors: An Introductory Video

Personal Financial Advisors Around the Country

In the list below, each metro area is rated for the relative popularity of personal financial advisors compared to other locations (that is, jobs per population). Single or double up or down arrows indicate the relative popularity in that location. Within each state listing, metro areas are sorted by the actual number of jobs for personal financial advisors.

Alabama

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Birmingham	$95,000	720
Huntsville	$122,000	160
Montgomery	$123,000	150
Mobile	$121,000	140
Decatur	$105,000	60
Tuscaloosa		50
Dothan	$76,000	30

Alaska

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Anchorage		50

Arizona

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Phoenix	$68,000	1,680
Tucson	$63,000	240

Arkansas

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Little Rock	$71,000	340
Fort Smith	$69,000	90
Fayetteville	$84,000	80

California

Location	Median Pay	Workers
San Francisco	$139,000	3,900
Santa Ana	$106,000	1,930
San Diego	$73,000	1,540
Oakland	$75,000	1,430
Sacramento	$65,000	1,380
San Jose	$105,000	1,120
Riverside	$75,000	700
Oxnard	$124,000	410
Santa Barbara	$73,000	320
Fresno	$69,000	170
Salinas	$80,000	160
Modesto		120
Santa Rosa	$98,000	110
Santa Cruz	$84,000	90
Bakersfield	$79,000	70
Napa	$96,000	70
Stockton	$69,000	50
Visalia		50
Chico	$70,000	40
Vallejo	$72,000	30

Colorado

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Denver	$111,000	1,390
Boulder	$71,000	170
Colorado Springs		130
Fort Collins	$76,000	100
Grand Junction	$103,000	50

Connecticut

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Bridgeport	$123,000	1,730
Hartford	$103,000	1,210
New Haven	$101,000	200
Danbury	$106,000	40

Delaware

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Wilmington	$89,000	890
Dover	$70,000	80

District of Columbia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Washington	$87,000	2,180

Florida

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Miami	$58,000	2,690
Tampa	$61,000	2,510
West Palm Beach	$70,000	2,120
Orlando	$62,000	1,720
Fort Lauderdale	$94,000	1,500
Jacksonville	$69,000	1,240
Sarasota	$71,000	560
Tallahassee	$40,000	530
Naples	$79,000	320
Cape Coral	$62,000	280
Palm Bay	$50,000	280
Port St Lucie	$64,000	190
Pensacola	$50,000	160
Sebastian	$98,000	150
Lakeland	$54,000	80
Ocala	$62,000	80
Punta Gorda	$73,000	60
Fort Walton Beach	$87,000	50
Panama City		40

Georgia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Atlanta	$92,000	3,700
Macon	$103,000	100

Hawaii

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Honolulu	$63,000	280

Idaho

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Boise	$58,000	300

Illinois

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Chicago	$96,000	3,690
Peoria		120
Springfield	$91,000	100
Rockford	$89,000	80
Champaign	$103,000	60

Indiana

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Indianapolis	$112,000	700
Fort Wayne	$71,000	210
Gary	$88,000	160
Evansville	$82,000	120
South Bend	$100,000	90
Bloomington	$91,000	70
Terre Haute		40
Columbus		30

Iowa

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Des Moines	$73,000	450
Davenport	$63,000	100
Waterloo	$56,000	70
Sioux City	$74,000	50
Cedar Rapids	$92,000	50

Kansas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Wichita	$65,000	170
Topeka	$80,000	90

Kentucky

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Louisville	$53,000	420
Lexington	$50,000	120
Owensboro	$44,000	30

Louisiana

Location	Median Pay	Workers
New Orleans	$70,000	300
Baton Rouge	$72,000	60
Monroe		40

Maine

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Portland	$86,000	110

Maryland

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Baltimore	$89,000	1,700
Bethesda	$80,000	610

Massachusetts

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Boston	$128,000	3,890
Springfield	$94,000	210
Barnstable Town	$63,000	190
Worcester	$135,000	170
Framingham	$91,000	70
Brockton	$51,000	50
Lowell	$66,000	40

Michigan

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Warren	$96,000	1,880
Detroit	$82,000	590
Kalamazoo	$70,000	260
Grand Rapids	$71,000	200
Lansing	$105,000	190
Saginaw	$61,000	110
Flint	$103,000	90
Ann Arbor	$78,000	80
Niles	$105,000	30
Monroe	$63,000	30

Minnesota

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Minneapolis	$65,000	1,490
Duluth	$47,000	60
St Cloud	$58,000	50

Mississippi

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Jackson	$59,000	340
Pascagoula	$35,000	70
Gulfport	$40,000	40

Missouri

Location	Median Pay	Workers
St Louis	$94,000	1,170
Kansas City	$82,000	1,010
Springfield	$81,000	270
Jefferson City	$99,000	40
Columbia	$103,000	40

Montana

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Billings	$57,000	120

Nebraska

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Omaha	$55,000	370
Lincoln	$74,000	160

Nevada

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Las Vegas	$73,000	460
Reno	$91,000	400

New Hampshire

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Manchester	$94,000	120

New Jersey

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Edison	$80,000	990
Newark	$86,000	950
Camden	$73,000	470
Trenton	$129,000	350

New Mexico

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Albuquerque	$54,000	280
Santa Fe	$103,000	170

New York

Location	Median Pay	Workers
New York	$139,000	20,270
Nassau	$113,000	2,110
Albany	$117,000	650
Buffalo	$78,000	640
Rochester	$97,000	480
Syracuse	$86,000	280
Poughkeepsie	$127,000	140
Utica	$117,000	80
Binghamton	$53,000	70
Kingston	$58,000	40
Elmira	$71,000	30

North Carolina

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Charlotte	$70,000	2,200
Durham	$69,000	560
Raleigh	$53,000	470
Greensboro	$69,000	440
Winston Salem	$68,000	270
Asheville	$76,000	110
Hickory	$70,000	90
Greenville	$63,000	50
Wilmington	$57,000	40
Fayetteville	$70,000	30

North Dakota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Fargo	$83,000	90

Ohio

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Cincinnati	$75,000	1,410
Columbus	$85,000	810
Cleveland	$95,000	800
Akron	$86,000	280
Toledo	$107,000	180
Dayton	$54,000	160
Youngstown	$76,000	100

Oklahoma

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Oklahoma City	$53,000	540
Tulsa	$80,000	300

Oregon

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Portland	$76,000	670
Eugene	$81,000	70

Pennsylvania

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Philadelphia	$88,000	3,440
Pittsburgh	$80,000	1,700
Allentown	$62,000	290
Scranton	$77,000	270
Lancaster		230
Reading	$61,000	190
York	$67,000	160
Harrisburg	$54,000	80
Erie	$96,000	70
State College	$61,000	70
Johnstown		50
Altoona		30

Rhode Island

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Providence	$88,000	570

South Carolina

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Columbia	$76,000	410
Greenville	$64,000	370
Charleston	$69,000	230
Florence	$54,000	60
Spartanburg	$69,000	60
Anderson	$57,000	40

South Dakota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Sioux Falls	$74,000	80

Tennessee

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Nashville	$67,000	550
Memphis	$102,000	290
Knoxville	$74,000	150
Chattanooga	$102,000	120

Texas

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Dallas	$110,000	3,000
Houston	$92,000	2,430
San Antonio	$66,000	1,270
Austin	$93,000	960
Fort Worth	$92,000	960
Corpus Christi	$87,000	120
Mcallen	$54,000	90
Amarillo		80
El Paso	$102,000	60
Waco	$62,000	60
Abilene	$68,000	50
Beaumont	$59,000	40
Laredo	$78,000	40

Utah

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Salt Lake City	$67,000	1,120
Provo	$80,000	110

Vermont

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Burlington	$56,000	120

Virginia

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Richmond	$90,000	670
Virginia Beach	$70,000	370
Roanoke	$89,000	150
Lynchburg	$90,000	110
Charlottesville	$91,000	80

Washington

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Seattle	$93,000	970
Olympia	$69,000	50
Kennewick	$115,000	50

Wisconsin

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Milwaukee	$60,000	1,250
Madison	$70,000	640
Green Bay	$62,000	160
Oshkosh	$99,000	90
Appleton	$78,000	90
Wausau	$68,000	60
La Crosse	$71,000	50
Janesville	$57,000	40
Racine		40

Wyoming

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Casper		50

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