What does the top of the Financial Advisor pay scale look like in Ohio?

The 90th percentile lands at $238,140. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $151,490.

Why is the BEA RPP for Ohio 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. Ohio's overall index of 91.9 reflects rents 72.1, services 89.2, and goods 94.2.

Where does Ohio rank for Financial Advisor pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Ohio ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.

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

Yes — the BEA RPP of 91.9 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $82,100 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $89,333. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Financial Advisors comparing offers across regions.

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 Ohio?

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 Ohio.

Wirehouse W-2 vs independent RIA principal vs hybrid in Ohio?

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 Ohio — 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 Ohio once practice equity and distributions are factored in.

Ohio Financial Advisor Salary: BLS $82K Median, Real $89K (2026)

TL;DR

Ohio pays Financial Advisors a BLS median of $82,100 — the more useful number is $89,333, what that paycheck buys after rent and services.
Low BEA RPP (91.9) means the paycheck stretches further than the BLS number suggests; net lift roughly $7,233.
Wage envelope: $46,280 (P10) to $238,140 (P90), with quartiles at $60,990 and $151,490.
Nominal: #32/51 · Real: #29/51 — ranking shifts by 3 positions after RPP.

Wage breakdown — Ohio

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$46,280	$50,357
P25 (lower quartile)	$60,990	$66,363
P50 (median)	$82,100	$89,333
P75 (upper quartile)	$151,490	$164,837
P90 (top tier)	$238,140	$259,121
Mean	$120,980	$131,639
Employment	10,210 Financial Advisors in Ohio

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Ohio index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	91.9
Goods	94.2
Services	89.2
Rents	72.1

Ohio sits below the national baseline (RPP 91.9), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 72.1.

After-tax take-home — Ohio (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)	$82,100	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$9,309	11.3% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$1,550	0–3.5% (graduated, +local 0.5–3% RITA cities)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$6,281	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$64,961	79.1% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$70,684	÷ (91.9 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Ohio's state tax is light at this income tier (~1.9% effective). The bigger compensation lever is the below-baseline cost of living (RPP 91.9), which lifts real take-home above nominal after-tax — net real after-tax $70,684. Local-tax overlay: Most Ohio cities levy 0.5–3% local income tax (RITA / CCA jurisdictions). Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, Akron all assess ≥2.5%.

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. Ohio sits at #32 on nominal pay and #29 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Ohio climbs 3 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

What does the top of the Financial Advisor pay scale look like in Ohio?: The 90th percentile lands at $238,140. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $151,490.
Why is the BEA RPP for Ohio 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. Ohio's overall index of 91.9 reflects rents 72.1, services 89.2, and goods 94.2.
Where does Ohio rank for Financial Advisor pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Ohio ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.
Is Ohio a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Financial Advisors?: Yes — the BEA RPP of 91.9 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $82,100 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $89,333. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Financial Advisors comparing offers across regions.
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 Ohio?: 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 Ohio.
Wirehouse W-2 vs independent RIA principal vs hybrid in Ohio?: 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 Ohio — 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 Ohio once practice equity and distributions are factored in.

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 Ohio 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.