How much does a Financial Advisor make in Washington?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $112,020 for Financial Advisors in Washington as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $77,630 and the 75th-percentile is $168,610.

How are Washington 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 Washington employ?

BLS OES counts 6,510 Financial Advisors employed in Washington 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 Washington 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. Washington's overall index of 108.4 reflects rents 125.5, services 84.0, and goods 106.9.

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 Washington?

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 Washington.

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

Washington Financial Advisor Salary: BLS $112K Median, Real $103K (2026)

TL;DR

Financial Advisors in Washington earn a BLS median of $112,020, with real take-home of $103,368 after BEA RPP adjustment.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #17 of 51; nominal rank is #9.
Cost adjustment is small — neither an arbitrage state nor a high-cost penalty.
Quartile range $77,630 (bottom 25%) to $168,610 (top 25%). BLS suppresses the P10 or P90 tail for this state, typically because the top tier exceeds the OES wage cap.

Wage breakdown — Washington

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$63,150	$58,273
P25 (lower quartile)	$77,630	$71,634
P50 (median)	$112,020	$103,368
P75 (upper quartile)	$168,610	$155,587
P90 (top tier)
Mean	$156,310	$144,237
Employment	6,510 Financial Advisors in Washington

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Washington index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	108.4
Goods	106.9
Services	84.0
Rents	125.5

Washington is a high-cost state — RPP 108.4 above the national 100 baseline. Most of the cost premium routes through rents (125.5) and services (84.0).

After-tax take-home — Washington (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)	$112,020	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$15,891	14.2% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	$0	no state income tax (capital gains tax above $262K)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$8,570	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$87,559	78.2% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$80,796	÷ (108.4 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Washington levies no state income tax on wages, which is worth roughly $5,601 a year for a Financial Advisor at the BLS median compared with the national-average state burden (≈5%). After cost of living, real take-home is $80,796 — lower than the nominal after-tax figure because RPP exceeds 100.

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. Washington sits at #9 on nominal pay and #17 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Washington falls 8 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Financial Advisor make in Washington?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $112,020 for Financial Advisors in Washington as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $77,630 and the 75th-percentile is $168,610.
How are Washington 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 Washington employ?: BLS OES counts 6,510 Financial Advisors employed in Washington 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 Washington 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. Washington's overall index of 108.4 reflects rents 125.5, services 84.0, and goods 106.9.
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 Washington?: 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 Washington.
AUM-fee economics — what does it take to earn the Washington 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 Washington nets $250-350K, well above the BLS-reported W-2 median for SOC 13-2052. To match the BLS-reported median for Washington 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.

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 Washington 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.