How much does a Financial Advisor make in North Dakota?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $98,990 for Financial Advisors in North Dakota as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $64,440 and the 75th-percentile is $125,980.

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

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 88.2 for North Dakota), the real-wage equivalent is $112,267 — what the $98,990 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $73,083 to $142,877.

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.

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.

Wirehouse W-2 vs independent RIA principal vs hybrid in North Dakota?

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 North Dakota — 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 North Dakota once practice equity and distributions are factored in.

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

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 North Dakota, 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.

North Dakota Financial Advisor Salary: BLS $99K Median, Real $112K (2026)

TL;DR

Financial Advisors in North Dakota earn a BLS median of $98,990, with real take-home of $112,267 after BEA RPP adjustment.
After the cost-of-living adjustment, take-home rises by $13,277 versus the BLS median — purchasing-power arbitrage.
P25-P75 spread runs $64,440 to $125,980; P10 floor $55,850, P90 ceiling $217,370.
State ranks #19 nationally on nominal wage, #9 on real (RPP-adjusted) wage.

Wage breakdown — North Dakota

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$55,850	$63,341
P25 (lower quartile)	$64,440	$73,083
P50 (median)	$98,990	$112,267
P75 (upper quartile)	$125,980	$142,877
P90 (top tier)	$217,370	$246,524
Mean	$114,900	$130,311
Employment	480 Financial Advisors in North Dakota

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	North Dakota index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	88.2
Goods	97.0
Services	75.0
Rents	69.3

North Dakota sits below the national baseline (RPP 88.2), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 69.3.

After-tax take-home — North Dakota (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)	$98,990	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$13,025	13.2% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$704	0–2.5% (graduated, 2026)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$7,573	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$77,689	78.5% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$88,108	÷ (88.2 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

North Dakota's state tax is light at this income tier (~0.7% effective). The bigger compensation lever is the below-baseline cost of living (RPP 88.2), which lifts real take-home above nominal after-tax — net real after-tax $88,108.

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. North Dakota sits at #19 on nominal pay and #9 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, North Dakota climbs 10 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Financial Advisor make in North Dakota?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $98,990 for Financial Advisors in North Dakota as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $64,440 and the 75th-percentile is $125,980.
What is the real (cost-adjusted) Financial Advisor salary in North Dakota?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 88.2 for North Dakota), the real-wage equivalent is $112,267 — what the $98,990 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $73,083 to $142,877.
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.
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.
Wirehouse W-2 vs independent RIA principal vs hybrid in North Dakota?: 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 North Dakota — 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 North Dakota once practice equity and distributions are factored in.
AUM-fee economics — what does it take to earn the North Dakota 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 North Dakota nets $250-350K, well above the BLS-reported W-2 median for SOC 13-2052. To match the BLS-reported median for North Dakota 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 North Dakota?: 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 North Dakota, 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 North Dakota 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.