Financial Advisor Hourly Pay (2026): How Much Do CFPs Make Per Hour?
The median financial advisor hourly pay is $52.18 per hour in 2026, equivalent to $108,537 annually (BLS captures W-2; production-based wirehouse FAs and RIA owner income exceed substantially). Effective hourly rates reach $300–$500+ for established RIA principals and senior wirehouse FAs in Jersey City, NJ, with fee-only CFPs billing $200–$400+/hour for hourly financial planning.
2019 BLS
$42.24/hr
2025 BLS
$50.51/hr
2026 Current Est.
$52.18/hr
2019–2027 Growth
+27.6%
National Financial Advisor Hourly Rate Trend
2019–2025: BLS OEWS actual data. 2026+: CAGR 3.30% projection.
| Year | Median Hourly Rate | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | $42.24/hr | Actual |
| 2020 | $42.95/hr | Actual |
| 2021 | $45.27/hr | Actual |
| 2022 | $45.86/hr | Actual |
| 2023 | $47.88/hr | Actual |
| 2024 | $49.11/hr | Actual |
| 2025 | $50.51/hr | Actual |
| 2026(current) | $52.18/hr | Estimated |
| 2027 | $53.90/hr | Projected |
The national median hourly rate for financial advisors has grown steadily over the past 7 years of BLS data, reflecting strong demand for financial planning services. At the current 3.30% CAGR, hourly rates are projected to continue rising through 2027.
Note: BLS actual data is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. Estimated and projected values are calculated using a 3.30% historical CAGR. Actual compensation may vary based on employer, experience, certifications, and local market conditions.
Financial Advisor Salary Per Hour by State
Hourly rates for financial advisors vary widely by state. Western and Northeastern states consistently top the rankings, while Southeastern states tend to fall below the national median of $52.18/hour.
| # | State | Avg Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $81.09 |
| 2 | Connecticut | $65.59 |
| 3 | California | $65.03 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $63.49 |
| 5 | Vermont | $62.99 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $62.92 |
| 7 | Wisconsin | $60.65 |
| 8 | South Dakota | $57.29 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | $56.88 |
| 10 | Illinois | $56.39 |
| 11 | Missouri | $54.96 |
| 12 | Washington | $54.90 |
| 13 | Oregon | $53.15 |
| 14 | District of Columbia | $52.76 |
| 15 | Florida | $52.58 |
| 16 | Delaware | $51.64 |
| 17 | Georgia | $51.62 |
| 18 | Virginia | $51.37 |
| 19 | New Mexico | $50.37 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $49.66 |
| 21 | Alaska | $49.63 |
| 22 | Nevada | $49.63 |
| 23 | Maryland | $49.52 |
| 24 | Maine | $48.68 |
| 25 | Montana | $48.52 |
| 26 | North Carolina | $48.34 |
| 27 | South Carolina | $48.32 |
| 28 | Idaho | $47.90 |
| 29 | Iowa | $47.73 |
| 30 | Colorado | $47.56 |
| 31 | Texas | $46.76 |
| 32 | Arizona | $46.19 |
| 33 | Indiana | $45.88 |
| 34 | Kansas | $44.15 |
| 35 | Tennessee | $43.72 |
| 36 | West Virginia | $43.37 |
| 37 | New Hampshire | $42.86 |
| 38 | Rhode Island | $42.38 |
| 39 | Hawaii | $42.32 |
| 40 | Ohio | $41.35 |
| 41 | Michigan | $41.25 |
| 42 | Arkansas | $40.90 |
| 43 | Alabama | $39.75 |
| 44 | Nebraska | $39.72 |
| 45 | Mississippi | $39.61 |
| 46 | Wyoming | $38.61 |
| 47 | North Dakota | $38.53 |
| 48 | Utah | $38.02 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $37.14 |
| 50 | Kentucky | $36.48 |
| 51 | Louisiana | $35.37 |
| 52 | Puerto Rico | $24.55 |
How Much Do Financial Advisors Make Per Hour? Top 20 Cities
These 20 metro areas offer the highest hourly rates for financial advisors in the United States. Rates reflect the median hourly wage reported by BLS, or estimated from annual salary data.
| # | City | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jersey City, NJ | $85.90 |
| 2 | Newark, NJ | $84.58 |
| 3 | New York, NY | $84.45 |
| 4 | Oakland, CA | $81.58 |
| 5 | Norton Shores, MI | $81.39 |
| 6 | Fremont, CA | $79.78 |
| 7 | San Francisco, CA | $79.77 |
| 8 | Muskegon, MI | $79.46 |
| 9 | Springfield, IL | $76.67 |
| 10 | Amherst Town, MA | $72.10 |
| 11 | Northampton, MA | $71.15 |
| 12 | Bloomington, IL | $70.06 |
| 13 | Sunnyvale, CA | $69.54 |
| 14 | Santa Clara, CA | $69.09 |
| 15 | Santa Fe, NM | $68.92 |
| 16 | San Jose, CA | $67.95 |
| 17 | Bridgeport, CT | $67.43 |
| 18 | Stamford, CT | $66.53 |
| 19 | Staunton, VA | $66.50 |
| 20 | Honolulu, HI | $66.25 |
Financial Advisor Hourly Rate: Wirehouse, RIA Owner, Private Bank, and Fee-Only CFP Pay
Financial advisor compensation is heavily commission and AUM-driven, varying dramatically by channel (wirehouse vs RIA vs private bank vs fee-only) and book maturity. Established RIA owners and top-producer wirehouse FAs at HNW / UHNW markets reach $1M–$5M+ annually.
Staff FA hourly equivalent — at $52.18/hour median (annualized from $108,537 at 2,080 hours). New / mid-level FAs on salary plus commission.
Established wirehouse senior FA (top tier) — Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, UBS Wealth Management Americas, Wells Fargo Advisors. Senior FAs with mature $200M+ books earn $1,000,000–$5,000,000+ annually.
RIA principal / owner — Edelman Financial Engines, Mariner Wealth Advisors, Creative Planning, Mercer Advisors, Beacon Pointe, Hightower, Captrust, Cerity Partners, EP Wealth, Wealth Enhancement, Aspiriant. Mature RIA partner economics typically exceed wirehouse FA at equivalent AUM.
Private banker (top tier) — JP Morgan Private Bank, Goldman Sachs Private Wealth Management, Bank of America Private Bank, Northern Trust, Bessemer Trust, BBH, Wilmington Trust, BNY Mellon Wealth. UHNW client base.
Multi-family office advisor — Rockefeller, Pathstone, Pitcairn, Bessemer, Tiedemann.
Independent broker-dealer producer — LPL Financial, Raymond James, Edward Jones, Cetera, Commonwealth. Broad geographic distribution; Edward Jones uniquely covers small-town and suburban markets.
Fee-only CFP (hourly planning) — emerging fee-only model. Bills $200–$400+/hour for hourly financial planning at NAPFA / Garrett Planning Network FAs.
Bank-employed advisor — bank-channel financial advisors at Chase, Citi, BofA branches. Lower commission ceiling.
| Schedule | Weekly | Monthly | Annual (50 wks) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 days/week (24 hrs) | $1,252 | $5,423 | $62,617 |
| 4 days/week (32 hrs) | $1,670 | $7,230 | $83,490 |
| Full-time (40 hrs) | $2,087 | $9,038 | $104,363 |
* Based on the national median hourly rate of $52.18. Actual earnings vary by location.
Financial Advisor Pay Per Hour vs Similar Healthcare Roles
How does financial advisor hourly pay compare to similar allied health professions? Here's a side-by-side comparison using BLS 2025 national median data:
| Occupation | Hourly |
|---|---|
| Financial Advisor ★ | $52.18 |
| Financial Analyst | $47.61 |
| Accountant / Auditor | $39.88 |
| Insurance Sales Agent | $29.02 |
| Securities / Commodities Sales Agent | $35.30 |
★ = Financial Advisor (2026 projected). Other roles: BLS OEWS 2025 national median wages.
Factors That Drive Financial Advisor Hourly Pay Differences
Financial advisor compensation is heavily commission and AUM-driven, with wide variation by channel (wirehouse vs RIA vs private bank), client demographic (HNW vs UHNW vs retail mass affluent), book maturity, and state. The national median sits at $52.18/hour BLS-reported, but effective hourly rates for established RIA owners and senior wirehouse FAs reach $300–$700+/hour, and Jersey City, NJ HNW markets drive top of distribution.
This guide breaks down the five biggest drivers of FA hourly pay differences. Whether you're a Series 7 candidate, a working CFP / CFA considering RIA founding, or an established advisor benchmarking competitive wages, the framework below is the central reference.
1. Channel: Wirehouse / RIA / Private Bank / Fee-Only
- RIA principal / owner (top tier) — established RIAs at mature firms.
- Wirehouse senior FA — Morgan Stanley, ML, UBS, Wells Fargo Advisors. Mature $200M+ book.
- Private banker (UHNW) — JPM PB, Goldman PWM, BofA PB, Northern Trust, Bessemer, BBH.
- Multi-family office advisor — Rockefeller, Pathstone, Pitcairn.
- Fee-only CFP hourly planner — $200–$400+/hour planning.
- Independent broker-dealer producer — LPL, Raymond James, Edward Jones.
- Bank-employed advisor — branch channel.
- 1099 fee-only RIA — direct retention.
2. State HNW / UHNW Client Concentration
- California (Bay Area + LA) — highest US UHNW concentration. Bay Area tech wealth, LA entertainment / RE.
- New York (NYC + Westchester + Long Island) — Wall Street finance wealth, hedge fund principals, PE / VC.
- Connecticut (Fairfield County) — hedge fund principal concentration. Highest HNW per capita.
- Florida (Miami + Palm Beach + Naples) — rapid UHNW migration from CA, NY, IL. No state tax.
- Texas (Houston + Dallas + Austin) — energy, corporate exec, tech / PE wealth. No state tax.
- Massachusetts (Boston + Cambridge + Wellesley) — life sciences, finance, university endowment wealth.
- Washington (Seattle) — Microsoft / Amazon wealth. No state tax.
- Illinois (Chicago Gold Coast / North Shore) — strong HNW.
- Colorado (Denver / Aspen / Vail) — emerging HNW.
3. Wirehouse vs RIA Migration
- Wirehouse-to-RIA migration — accelerated as fiduciary regulation evolves. Mature wirehouse FAs increasingly transition to RIA channel.
- RIA M&A consolidation — Hightower, Captrust, Mercer Advisors, Wealth Enhancement, Cerity Partners, Mariner Wealth Advisors aggressively acquiring.
- Aggregator economics — RIA aggregator buyers typically pay 12–15x EBITDA for mature RIAs.
- Independent fee-only growth — NAPFA, Garrett Planning Network expanding fee-only advisor population.
4. State Cost of Living and Tax
- State cost of living — NY, CA, MA, CT, NJ, Hawaii, WA lead nominal.
- State income tax (top producer) — at $500K–$3M+ FA income, no-tax states (TX, FL, TN, NV, WA, WY, SD, AK, NH) deliver $50K–$300K+ annual savings.
- HNW client migration — UHNW migration to FL, TX, TN, WY drives FA migration.
- State property tax for retiree client base — FL homestead, TX, WY low property tax appeal to retiree HNW clients.
5. Credentials and Specialty
- CFP (Certified Financial Planner) — most widely held planning designation.
- CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) — investment-focused; institutional / family office.
- ChFC, CIMA, CPWA — additional planning / wealth credentials.
- CTFA (Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisor) — trust specialty.
- FINRA Series — Series 7 + 65/66 base; Series 24 supervisory.
- State insurance licenses — Life, Health, Variable annuity.
- HNW / UHNW specialty — concentrated estate planning, business owner planning, executive comp planning.
2026 Financial Advisor Hourly Pay Outlook
Financial advisor pay has grown at a compound annual rate of 3.30% nationally over the past five years — driven by structural HNW / UHNW wealth growth, the great wealth transfer from boomers to younger generations, ongoing wirehouse-to-RIA migration, aggressive RIA M&A consolidation (Hightower, Captrust, Mercer, Wealth Enhancement, Cerity, Mariner), accelerating HNW client migration to no-tax states (Florida, Texas, Tennessee, Wyoming), and growing demand for tax-advantaged wealth planning under SALT / 2025 tax sunset uncertainty. The BLS projects FA employment growth at 13% through 2033 — much faster than average — keeping strong upward pay pressure especially for established RIA owners and senior wirehouse FAs.
States with rapid HNW migration (Florida, Texas, Tennessee, Nevada, Wyoming) and established HNW concentration states (California, NY, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Illinois, NJ, Washington, Colorado, Maryland) continue to lead state-level FA pay rankings. RIA aggregator M&A activity keeps pressure on independent RIA valuations and partner economics through 2026, while fee-only CFP hourly planning models grow steadily as fiduciary regulation continues to evolve and younger HNW clients increasingly prefer transparent hourly rates over AUM-fee structures.
More Salary Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
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Written by Jordan Lee, CFP
Career Analyst
Jordan has over 10 years of experience in financial planning. They specialize in retirement planning for individuals. They work at a financial services firm in New York City.
Data Sources & Methodology
Source: BLS, OEWS , released .
Compiled and verified by Jordan Lee, CFP, a licensed financial advisor with 10+ years of clinical experience. · View source data at BLS.gov
Methodology & Data Source
Salary figures on this page are 2026 projections based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2026 release. We applied a 3.30% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), derived from 6-year national BLS trends, to estimate current 2026 compensation.