Financial Advisor · Louisiana · SOC 13-2052
Louisiana Financial Advisor Salary — 2026 BLS + BEA RPP
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2024 reference period · BEA Regional Price Parity 2023 vintage · Last synced 2026-05-08.
TL;DR
- BLS reports Louisiana Financial Advisor median pay at $78,150. Adjusted for state cost of living, real purchasing power equals $88,106.
- State ranks #39 nationally on nominal wage, #30 on real (RPP-adjusted) wage.
- Cost of living below the national index lifts real wage by $9,956 over the nominal — a take-home arbitrage that nominal-ranking tables miss.
- BLS percentiles available for this state: P25 $52,370, P50 $78,150, P75 $220,750. P10 or P90 is suppressed by BLS for this occupation-state cell.
Wage breakdown — Louisiana
| Percentile | Nominal (BLS) | Real (BEA RPP-adjusted) |
|---|---|---|
| P10 (entry tier) | $42,570 | $47,993 |
| P25 (lower quartile) | $52,370 | $59,042 |
| P50 (median) | $78,150 | $88,106 |
| P75 (upper quartile) | $220,750 | $248,873 |
| P90 (top tier) | ||
| Mean | $166,400 | $187,599 |
| Employment | 1,280 Financial Advisors in Louisiana | |
Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity
| Component | Louisiana index (US = 100) |
|---|---|
| All-items RPP | 88.7 |
| Goods | 93.0 |
| Services | 76.7 |
| Rents | 65.1 |
Louisiana sits below the national baseline (RPP 88.7), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 65.1.
After-tax take-home — Louisiana (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) | $78,150 | nominal median |
| Federal income tax | −$8,440 | 10.8% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied |
| State income tax | −$1,970 | 3.0% flat (2025+ HB 2) |
| FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%) | −$5,978 | SS capped at $183,600 wage base |
| Take-home (after-tax) | $61,762 | 79.0% of gross |
| Real take-home (RPP-adjusted) | $69,630 | ÷ (88.7 / 100) BEA cost-of-living |
What the Louisiana state-tax burden means for Financial Advisor take-home
Mid-band state-tax burden at 2.5% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $61,762 (79.0% of gross). After the 88.7 RPP, real take-home is $69,630.
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. Louisiana sits at #39 on nominal pay and #30 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Louisiana climbs 9 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a Financial Advisor make in Louisiana?
- BLS reports a median annual wage of $78,150 for Financial Advisors in Louisiana as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $52,370 and the 75th-percentile is $220,750.
- How are Louisiana 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 Louisiana employ?
- BLS OES counts 1,280 Financial Advisors employed in Louisiana in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
- Why is the BEA RPP for Louisiana different from a single CPI number?
- BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Louisiana's overall index of 88.7 reflects rents 65.1, services 76.7, and goods 93.0.
- Is Louisiana a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Financial Advisors?
- Yes — the BEA RPP of 88.7 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $78,150 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $88,106. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Financial Advisors comparing offers across regions.
- When does this data update?
- BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.
- CFP / CFA / ChFC credential premium in Louisiana?
- 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 Louisiana, 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.
Cross-comparison: see how Louisiana 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.