How much does a Financial Advisor make in Wisconsin?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $115,680 for Financial Advisors in Wisconsin as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $75,220 and the 75th-percentile is $174,310.

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

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 93.2 for Wisconsin), the real-wage equivalent is $124,094 — what the $115,680 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $80,691 to $186,988.

Why is the BEA RPP for Wisconsin 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. Wisconsin's overall index of 93.2 reflects rents 78.3, services 89.5, and goods 94.3.

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

Yes — the BEA RPP of 93.2 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $115,680 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $124,094. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Financial Advisors comparing offers across regions.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Wisconsin?

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 Wisconsin.

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

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

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

Wisconsin Financial Advisor Salary: BLS $116K Median, Real $124K (2026)

TL;DR

$115,680 is the BLS median wage for Financial Advisors in Wisconsin; $124,094 is the BEA-adjusted purchasing-power equivalent.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #5 of 51; nominal rank is #8.
Low BEA RPP (93.2) means the paycheck stretches further than the BLS number suggests; net lift roughly $8,414.
Mid-band breakdown: P25 $75,220, P50 $115,680, P75 $174,310. Tail percentiles withheld by BLS — common when tech-sector wages exceed the OES survey cap.

Wage breakdown — Wisconsin

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$56,670	$60,792
P25 (lower quartile)	$75,220	$80,691
P50 (median)	$115,680	$124,094
P75 (upper quartile)	$174,310	$186,988
P90 (top tier)
Mean	$158,660	$170,200
Employment	5,240 Financial Advisors in Wisconsin

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Wisconsin index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	93.2
Goods	94.3
Services	89.5
Rents	78.3

Wisconsin sits below the national baseline (RPP 93.2), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 78.3.

After-tax take-home — Wisconsin (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)	$115,680	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$16,697	14.4% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$5,043	3.5–7.65% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$8,850	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$85,091	73.6% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$91,279	÷ (93.2 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 4.4% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $85,091 (73.6% of gross). After the 93.2 RPP, real take-home is $91,279.

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. Wisconsin sits at #8 on nominal pay and #5 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Wisconsin climbs 3 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Financial Advisor make in Wisconsin?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $115,680 for Financial Advisors in Wisconsin as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $75,220 and the 75th-percentile is $174,310.
What is the real (cost-adjusted) Financial Advisor salary in Wisconsin?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 93.2 for Wisconsin), the real-wage equivalent is $124,094 — what the $115,680 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $80,691 to $186,988.
Why is the BEA RPP for Wisconsin 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. Wisconsin's overall index of 93.2 reflects rents 78.3, services 89.5, and goods 94.3.
Is Wisconsin a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Financial Advisors?: Yes — the BEA RPP of 93.2 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $115,680 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $124,094. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Financial Advisors comparing offers across regions.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Wisconsin?: 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 Wisconsin.
Wirehouse W-2 vs independent RIA principal vs hybrid in Wisconsin?: 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 Wisconsin — 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 Wisconsin once practice equity and distributions are factored in.
AUM-fee economics — what does it take to earn the Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin nets $250-350K, well above the BLS-reported W-2 median for SOC 13-2052. To match the BLS-reported median for Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin 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.