Personal Financial Advisors Salary in San Francisco, CA (2024)
Personal Financial Advisors in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area earn a median of $157,510 per year ($75.73 per hour) based on 8,830 jobs counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024. That is +54.2% 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 San Francisco, CA, from the bottom decile to the top.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $36.56 | $76,040 | |
| 25th percentile | $47.72 | $99,260 | |
| Median | $75.73 | $157,510 | half earn more, half earn less |
| 75th percentile | $105.74 | $219,940 | |
| 90th percentile | — | — | |
| Average (mean) | $98.52 | $204,930 |
How San Francisco, CA compares
The local median of $157,510 runs +54.2% above the US median of $102,140 for this occupation; it pays 113.0% more than the metro-wide median across all jobs ($73,960); within the metro it ranks 53rd of 681 detailed occupations by median pay.
| Benchmark | Median annual | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA — this occupation | $157,510 | — |
| US median, same occupation (all areas) | $102,140 | +54.2% |
| San Francisco, CA — all occupations | $73,960 | +113.0% |
| Highest metro in the US for this job | $168,350 | -6.4% |
San Francisco, CA has an unusually deep bench in this occupation — the location quotient of 2.09 means the job is roughly 209% as common here as it is nationally, which usually reflects a specialised local industry cluster.
Moderate confidence The relative standard error is 6.2%. Treat the headline number as accurate to within roughly 6%, and read the percentiles as a range rather than a precise point.
Ranked 53rd of 681 detailed occupations in the metro by median annual wage.
Highest-paying jobs in San Francisco, CA
To put $157,510 in context, these are the best-paid detailed occupations in the same metro area. This occupation sits 53rd.
| Occupation | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Natural Sciences Managers | $222,840 | 5,160 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $221,810 | 26,640 |
| Nurse Practitioners | $220,330 | 2,960 |
| Lawyers | $215,090 | 16,940 |
| Marketing Managers | $212,520 | 12,820 |
| Podiatrists | $211,750 | 100 |
| Financial Managers | $211,730 | 18,380 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $208,580 | 6,380 |
| Human Resources Managers | $206,420 | 5,890 |
| Dentists, General | $205,380 | 1,680 |
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 San Francisco, CA?
The median annual wage is $157,510, or $76 per hour. That means half of the personal financial advisors working in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area earn more than this figure and half earn less. The average is $204,930.
Is personal financial advisors pay in San Francisco, CA above the local average?
Yes, it is 113.0% above the all-occupation median for the metro, which is $73,960. 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 San Francisco, CA pay compare with the rest of the US for this job?
At $157,510 the metro median is 54.2% higher 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 San Francisco, CA?
BLS counts about 8,830 people in this occupation in the metro area, or 3.67 jobs per 1,000 total jobs. San Francisco, CA has an unusually deep bench in this occupation — the location quotient of 2.09 means the job is roughly 209% as common here as it is nationally, which usually reflects a specialised local industry cluster.
About these figures
Figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for 2024 (employment relative standard error 7.4%). 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.