How many Financial Advisors does Arizona employ?

BLS OES counts 7,190 Financial Advisors employed in Arizona in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

Where does Arizona rank for Financial Advisor pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Arizona ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.

What are the limits of these Financial Advisor salary numbers?

BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Arizona?

The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Arizona.

Wirehouse W-2 vs independent RIA principal vs hybrid in Arizona?

BLS reports W-2 wages under SOC 13-2052, capturing wirehouse advisors (Merrill, Morgan Stanley, UBS, Wells Fargo Advisors) and bank-channel advisors directly. Independent RIA principals — increasingly the dominant model in Arizona — operate as business owners taking K-1 partnership distributions and ownership equity, which are EXCLUDED from BLS. Hybrid RIAs (independent + insurance B/D affiliation) have mixed reporting. Net effect: the BLS figure on this page accurately represents employed wirehouse advisors and bank-channel reps; it materially understates total income for established RIA principals in Arizona once practice equity and distributions are factored in.

AUM-fee economics — what does it take to earn the Arizona BLS median?

The classic 1% AUM fee on a $50M practice yields $500K gross revenue. After overhead (typically 30-50% of revenue: staff, technology, custodial fees, compliance, rent, marketing) the principal advisor in Arizona nets $250-350K, well above the BLS-reported W-2 median for SOC 13-2052. To match the BLS-reported median for Arizona as a wirehouse W-2 advisor, the typical book size required is $30-40M AUM at standard grid payouts — achievable in 5-10 years with strong recruiting and referral systems. Below that production threshold, wirehouse advisors are typically counseled out or transition to support roles.

CFP / CFA / ChFC credential premium in Arizona?

BLS does not split by credential. CFP Board surveys and FA Insight industry studies typically show CFP charterholders earning 15-30% above non-CFP advisors at comparable AUM, concentrated in fee-only RIA channels where the credential is functionally required for client trust. CFA charter is rarer in retail wealth management — most relevant for advisors with high-net-worth or institutional book — but adds incremental premium. ChFC, CIMA, and CPWA fall in similar credential premium bands. In Arizona, the credential premium is largest at the high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth end of the market and smaller in mass-affluent and bank-channel practices.

Arizona Financial Advisor Salary: BLS $85K Median, Real $85K (2026)

TL;DR

$85,150 is the BLS median wage for Financial Advisors in Arizona; $84,523 is the BEA-adjusted purchasing-power equivalent.
BLS percentile breakdown: P10 $45,470 · P25 $50,000 · P75 $132,710 · P90 $163,770.
BEA RPP near 100 means nominal pay translates almost 1:1 into real take-home.
Nominal: #28/51 · Real: #37/51 — ranking shifts by 9 positions after RPP.

Wage breakdown — Arizona

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$45,470	$45,135
P25 (lower quartile)	$50,000	$49,632
P50 (median)	$85,150	$84,523
P75 (upper quartile)	$132,710	$131,733
P90 (top tier)	$163,770	$162,564
Mean	$104,330	$103,562
Employment	7,190 Financial Advisors in Arizona

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Arizona index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	100.7
Goods	97.9
Services	83.3
Rents	108.6

Arizona's overall RPP (100.7) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

After-tax take-home — Arizona (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)

Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Financial Advisor)	$85,150	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$9,980	11.7% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$1,735	2.5% flat (2026)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$6,514	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$66,921	78.6% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$66,428	÷ (100.7 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Arizona state-tax burden means for Financial Advisor take-home

Arizona's state tax is light at this income tier (~2.0% effective). The bigger compensation lever is the cost-of-living premium (RPP 100.7), which still erodes real take-home despite the low state tax — net real after-tax $66,428.

Computed from 2026 IRS federal brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), 2026 state DOR brackets, and 2026 FICA rates. Single filer, standard deduction, no other adjustments. See methodology · tax for limitations (married filers, ITM/SALT itemizers, retirement deferrals, HSA, dependent credits, etc.).

National context

Across the United States, BLS reports a national median of $102,140 for Financial Advisors with mean pay of $160,210 and total employment of 270,480. Arizona sits at #28 on nominal pay and #37 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Arizona falls 9 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How many Financial Advisors does Arizona employ?: BLS OES counts 7,190 Financial Advisors employed in Arizona in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
Where does Arizona rank for Financial Advisor pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Arizona ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.
What are the limits of these Financial Advisor salary numbers?: BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Arizona?: The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Arizona.
Wirehouse W-2 vs independent RIA principal vs hybrid in Arizona?: BLS reports W-2 wages under SOC 13-2052, capturing wirehouse advisors (Merrill, Morgan Stanley, UBS, Wells Fargo Advisors) and bank-channel advisors directly. Independent RIA principals — increasingly the dominant model in Arizona — operate as business owners taking K-1 partnership distributions and ownership equity, which are EXCLUDED from BLS. Hybrid RIAs (independent + insurance B/D affiliation) have mixed reporting. Net effect: the BLS figure on this page accurately represents employed wirehouse advisors and bank-channel reps; it materially understates total income for established RIA principals in Arizona once practice equity and distributions are factored in.
AUM-fee economics — what does it take to earn the Arizona BLS median?: The classic 1% AUM fee on a $50M practice yields $500K gross revenue. After overhead (typically 30-50% of revenue: staff, technology, custodial fees, compliance, rent, marketing) the principal advisor in Arizona nets $250-350K, well above the BLS-reported W-2 median for SOC 13-2052. To match the BLS-reported median for Arizona as a wirehouse W-2 advisor, the typical book size required is $30-40M AUM at standard grid payouts — achievable in 5-10 years with strong recruiting and referral systems. Below that production threshold, wirehouse advisors are typically counseled out or transition to support roles.
CFP / CFA / ChFC credential premium in Arizona?: BLS does not split by credential. CFP Board surveys and FA Insight industry studies typically show CFP charterholders earning 15-30% above non-CFP advisors at comparable AUM, concentrated in fee-only RIA channels where the credential is functionally required for client trust. CFA charter is rarer in retail wealth management — most relevant for advisors with high-net-worth or institutional book — but adds incremental premium. ChFC, CIMA, and CPWA fall in similar credential premium bands. In Arizona, the credential premium is largest at the high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth end of the market and smaller in mass-affluent and bank-channel practices.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 13-2052, 2024 reference period.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities, 2023 vintage (all-items, goods, services, rents).
Real-wage figures = nominal BLS wage ÷ (state RPP / 100).
See the methodology page for full computation details and limitations.

By Marcus Liang · Founder & Editor · Last synced 2026-05-08.

Cross-comparison: see how Arizona Financial Advisor pay ranks against the other 254 state × occupation pages on the Real Wage Atlas → — four-way ranking by real wage, after-tax take-home, state-tax savings, and cost-of-living arbitrage.