Personal Financial Advisors Salary in Boston, MA (2024)
Personal Financial Advisors in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area earn a median of $101,320 per year ($48.71 per hour) based on 6,440 jobs counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024. That is -0.8% against the national median of $102,140 for this occupation.
Pay distribution
The median is a single point on a wide curve. The table below shows where personal financial advisors actually sit across the pay range in Boston, MA, from the bottom decile to the top.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $31.16 | $64,810 | |
| 25th percentile | $38.90 | $80,910 | |
| Median | $48.71 | $101,320 | half earn more, half earn less |
| 75th percentile | $72.92 | $151,680 | |
| 90th percentile | — | — | |
| Average (mean) | $70.19 | $145,990 |
How Boston, MA compares
The local median of $101,320 runs -0.8% below the US median of $102,140 for this occupation; it pays 56.8% more than the metro-wide median across all jobs ($64,620); within the metro it ranks 141st of 688 detailed occupations by median pay.
| Benchmark | Median annual | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Boston, MA — this occupation | $101,320 | — |
| US median, same occupation (all areas) | $102,140 | -0.8% |
| Boston, MA — all occupations | $64,620 | +56.8% |
| Highest metro in the US for this job | $168,350 | -39.8% |
At a location quotient of 1.36, this occupation is over-represented locally: the metro has about 136% of the national share of these workers.
Moderate confidence The relative standard error is 8.5%. Treat the headline number as accurate to within roughly 9%, and read the percentiles as a range rather than a precise point.
Ranked 141st of 688 detailed occupations in the metro by median annual wage.
Highest-paying jobs in Boston, MA
To put $101,320 in context, these are the best-paid detailed occupations in the same metro area. This occupation sits 141st.
| Occupation | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Neurologists | $228,070 | 180 |
| Physicians, Pathologists | $228,050 | 200 |
| Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates | $221,710 | 430 |
| Natural Sciences Managers | $219,380 | 7,670 |
| Pediatricians, General | $213,240 | 2,360 |
| Physicians, All Other | $212,030 | 6,650 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $207,150 | 22,280 |
| Marketing Managers | $200,010 | 11,440 |
| Lawyers | $194,740 | 18,900 |
| Astronomers | $189,430 | 60 |
Where personal financial advisors earn the most
Across the 24 metro areas with released data for this occupation, medians run from $78,650 to $168,350. These are the top markets.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $168,350 | 28,950 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $157,510 | 8,830 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $128,400 | 2,810 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $121,940 | 12,240 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $114,490 | 3,540 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $112,020 | 4,860 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $109,520 | 4,320 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $109,390 | 7,370 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $108,640 | 8,170 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $108,310 | 7,180 |
See the full national picture on the Personal Financial Advisors salary by metro page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for personal financial advisors in Boston, MA?
The median annual wage is $101,320, or $49 per hour. That means half of the personal financial advisors working in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area earn more than this figure and half earn less. The average is $145,990.
Is personal financial advisors pay in Boston, MA above the local average?
Yes, it is 56.8% above the all-occupation median for the metro, which is $64,620. That comparison is the fairer one for judging local purchasing power, because it holds the metro's overall cost and wage level constant.
How does Boston, MA pay compare with the rest of the US for this job?
At $101,320 the metro median is 0.8% lower than the US median of $102,140 for personal financial advisors. Across the 24 metro areas covered here, this occupation ranges from $78,650 to $168,350.
How many personal financial advisors work in Boston, MA?
BLS counts about 6,440 people in this occupation in the metro area, or 2.38 jobs per 1,000 total jobs. At a location quotient of 1.36, this occupation is over-represented locally: the metro has about 136% of the national share of these workers.
About these figures
Figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for 2024 (employment relative standard error 11.2%). OEWS measures what employers pay, not what any individual earns; it excludes self-employed workers, and it does not adjust for local cost of living.
Read the full methodology, or the original data at bls.gov/oes.