How much does a Financial Advisor make in New Jersey?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $123,690 for Financial Advisors in New Jersey as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $91,450 and the 75th-percentile is $179,600.

How are New Jersey 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 New Jersey employ?

BLS OES counts 6,830 Financial Advisors employed in New Jersey 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 New Jersey?

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 New Jersey.

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

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 New Jersey, 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.

New Jersey Financial Advisor Salary: BLS $124K Median, Real $114K (2026)

TL;DR

Median Financial Advisor salary in New Jersey: $123,690 nominal, $113,539 real (BEA RPP basis).
Mid-band cost of living: real and nominal wage are within a few percent of each other.
Quartile range $91,450 (bottom 25%) to $179,600 (top 25%). BLS suppresses the P10 or P90 tail for this state, typically because the top tier exceeds the OES wage cap.
State ranks #5 nationally on nominal wage, #8 on real (RPP-adjusted) wage.

Wage breakdown — New Jersey

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$64,170	$58,903
P25 (lower quartile)	$91,450	$83,945
P50 (median)	$123,690	$113,539
P75 (upper quartile)	$179,600	$164,860
P90 (top tier)
Mean	$170,950	$156,920
Employment	6,830 Financial Advisors in New Jersey

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	New Jersey index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	108.9
Goods	105.8
Services	114.8
Rents	134.1

New Jersey is a high-cost state — RPP 108.9 above the national 100 baseline. Most of the cost premium routes through rents (134.1) and services (114.8).

After-tax take-home — New Jersey (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)	$123,690	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$18,504	15.0% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$5,753	1.4–10.75% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$9,462	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$89,971	72.7% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$82,587	÷ (108.9 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 4.7% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $89,971 (72.7% of gross). After the 108.9 RPP, real take-home is $82,587.

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. New Jersey sits at #5 on nominal pay and #8 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, New Jersey falls 3 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Financial Advisor make in New Jersey?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $123,690 for Financial Advisors in New Jersey as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $91,450 and the 75th-percentile is $179,600.
How are New Jersey 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 New Jersey employ?: BLS OES counts 6,830 Financial Advisors employed in New Jersey 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 New Jersey?: 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 New Jersey.
AUM-fee economics — what does it take to earn the New Jersey 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 New Jersey nets $250-350K, well above the BLS-reported W-2 median for SOC 13-2052. To match the BLS-reported median for New Jersey 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 New Jersey?: 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 New Jersey, 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 New Jersey 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.