How much does a Financial Advisor make in Kentucky?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $79,100 for Financial Advisors in Kentucky as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $63,260 and the 75th-percentile is $161,970.

How are Kentucky Financial Advisor salaries calculated on this page?

Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.

How many Financial Advisors does Kentucky employ?

BLS OES counts 1,870 Financial Advisors employed in Kentucky in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

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 Kentucky?

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 Kentucky.

AUM-fee economics — what does it take to earn the Kentucky 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 Kentucky nets $250-350K, well above the BLS-reported W-2 median for SOC 13-2052. To match the BLS-reported median for Kentucky 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 Kentucky?

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 Kentucky, 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.

How Much Do Financial Advisors Make in Kentucky? $79K (2026 BLS + BEA)

TL;DR

Financial Advisors in Kentucky earn a BLS median of $79,100, with real take-home of $87,996 after BEA RPP adjustment.
Low BEA RPP (89.9) means the paycheck stretches further than the BLS number suggests; net lift roughly $8,896.
BLS percentiles available for this state: P25 $63,260, P50 $79,100, P75 $161,970. P10 or P90 is suppressed by BLS for this occupation-state cell.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #31 of 51; nominal rank is #38.

Wage breakdown — Kentucky

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$46,280	$51,485
P25 (lower quartile)	$63,260	$70,375
P50 (median)	$79,100	$87,996
P75 (upper quartile)	$161,970	$180,187
P90 (top tier)
Mean	$162,520	$180,799
Employment	1,870 Financial Advisors in Kentucky

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Kentucky index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	89.9
Goods	94.5
Services	80.9
Rents	62.9

Kentucky sits below the national baseline (RPP 89.9), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 62.9.

After-tax take-home — Kentucky (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)	$79,100	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$8,649	10.9% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$2,654	3.5% flat 2026 (+ local 1-2.5% avg)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$6,051	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$61,746	78.1% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$68,690	÷ (89.9 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.4% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $61,746 (78.1% of gross). After the 89.9 RPP, real take-home is $68,690. Local-tax overlay: Most Kentucky counties + cities add 1–2.5% occupational license tax (Louisville ~2.2%, Lexington 2.25%).

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. Kentucky sits at #38 on nominal pay and #31 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Kentucky climbs 7 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Financial Advisor make in Kentucky?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $79,100 for Financial Advisors in Kentucky as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $63,260 and the 75th-percentile is $161,970.
How are Kentucky Financial Advisor salaries calculated on this page?: Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.
How many Financial Advisors does Kentucky employ?: BLS OES counts 1,870 Financial Advisors employed in Kentucky in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
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 Kentucky?: 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 Kentucky.
AUM-fee economics — what does it take to earn the Kentucky 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 Kentucky nets $250-350K, well above the BLS-reported W-2 median for SOC 13-2052. To match the BLS-reported median for Kentucky 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 Kentucky?: 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 Kentucky, 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 Kentucky 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.