How much does a Financial Advisor make in Montana?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $96,670 for Financial Advisors in Montana as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $73,560 and the 75th-percentile is $208,130.

What is the real (cost-adjusted) Financial Advisor salary in Montana?

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 91.0 for Montana), the real-wage equivalent is $106,214 — what the $96,670 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $80,823 to $228,679.

How many Financial Advisors does Montana employ?

BLS OES counts 480 Financial Advisors employed in Montana 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 Montana 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. Montana's overall index of 91.0 reflects rents 76.8, services 72.8, and goods 96.5.

Is Montana a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Financial Advisors?

Yes — the BEA RPP of 91.0 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $96,670 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $106,214. 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 Montana?

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 Montana, 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.

Montana Financial Advisor Salary: BLS $97K Median, Real $106K (2026)

TL;DR

Headline Financial Advisor pay in Montana is $96,670. Real take-home, after the state's cost-of-living index, lands at $106,214.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #12 of 51; nominal rank is #23.
Cost of living below the national index lifts real wage by $9,544 over the nominal — a take-home arbitrage that nominal-ranking tables miss.
Mid-band breakdown: P25 $73,560, P50 $96,670, P75 $208,130. Tail percentiles withheld by BLS — common when tech-sector wages exceed the OES survey cap.

Wage breakdown — Montana

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$52,340	$57,508
P25 (lower quartile)	$73,560	$80,823
P50 (median)	$96,670	$106,214
P75 (upper quartile)	$208,130	$228,679
P90 (top tier)
Mean	$145,440	$159,800
Employment	480 Financial Advisors in Montana

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Montana index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	91.0
Goods	96.5
Services	72.8
Rents	76.8

Montana sits below the national baseline (RPP 91.0), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 76.8.

After-tax take-home — Montana (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)	$96,670	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$12,514	12.9% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$4,596	4.7–5.9% (2 brackets)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$7,395	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$72,164	74.7% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$79,289	÷ (91.0 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 4.8% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $72,164 (74.7% of gross). After the 91.0 RPP, real take-home is $79,289.

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. Montana sits at #23 on nominal pay and #12 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Montana climbs 11 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Financial Advisor make in Montana?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $96,670 for Financial Advisors in Montana as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $73,560 and the 75th-percentile is $208,130.
What is the real (cost-adjusted) Financial Advisor salary in Montana?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 91.0 for Montana), the real-wage equivalent is $106,214 — what the $96,670 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $80,823 to $228,679.
How many Financial Advisors does Montana employ?: BLS OES counts 480 Financial Advisors employed in Montana 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 Montana 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. Montana's overall index of 91.0 reflects rents 76.8, services 72.8, and goods 96.5.
Is Montana a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Financial Advisors?: Yes — the BEA RPP of 91.0 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $96,670 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $106,214. 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 Montana?: 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 Montana, 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 Montana 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.