What is the real (cost-adjusted) Financial Analyst salary in Montana?

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 91.0 for Montana), the real-wage equivalent is $105,467 — what the $95,990 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $89,052 to $120,685.

How are Montana Financial Analyst 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.

What does the top of the Financial Analyst pay scale look like in Montana?

The 90th percentile lands at $160,040. 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 $109,840.

How wide is the wage spread in Montana?

P10 to P90 spans $57,480 to $160,040. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

Is Montana a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Financial Analysts?

Yes — the BEA RPP of 91.0 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $95,990 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $105,467. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Financial Analysts comparing offers across regions.

What are the limits of these Financial Analyst 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.

Buy-side vs sell-side vs corporate finance analyst pay in Montana?

BLS aggregates SOC 13-2051 (Financial and Investment Analysts) without segmenting by sector. In Montana, buy-side roles at hedge funds, asset managers, and private equity firms typically lead on total comp at every level — bonus carry / performance fees can dwarf base. Sell-side investment banking analysts in Montana earn high cash comp but with steep hours; equity research mid-band; corporate finance / FP&A analysts earn the lowest among financial-analyst-track roles but with the most predictable hours. The Montana BLS median primarily reflects the corporate / FP&A end of the band; high-finance-cluster cities show much higher P90s as a result.

How Much Do Financial Analysts Make in Montana? $96K (2026 BLS + BEA)

TL;DR

Financial Analysts in Montana earn a BLS median of $95,990, with real take-home of $105,467 after BEA RPP adjustment.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #5 of 51; nominal rank is #18.
Below-100 RPP flips this state above its nominal rank in real-wage terms; the gap is about $9,477.
Bottom quartile $81,050, top quartile $109,840. The P90 ($160,040) is roughly 2.8× the P10 ($57,480).

Wage breakdown — Montana

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$57,480	$63,155
P25 (lower quartile)	$81,050	$89,052
P50 (median)	$95,990	$105,467
P75 (upper quartile)	$109,840	$120,685
P90 (top tier)	$160,040	$175,841
Mean	$110,330	$121,223
Employment	570 Financial Analysts in Montana

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Montana index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	91.0
Goods	96.5
Services	72.8
Rents	76.8

Montana sits below the national baseline (RPP 91.0), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 76.8.

After-tax take-home — Montana (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)

Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Financial Analyst)	$95,990	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$12,365	12.9% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$4,556	4.7–5.9% (2 brackets)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$7,343	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$71,726	74.7% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$78,808	÷ (91.0 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Montana state-tax burden means for Financial Analyst take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 4.7% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $71,726 (74.7% of gross). After the 91.0 RPP, real take-home is $78,808.

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 $101,350 for Financial Analysts with mean pay of $116,490 and total employment of 340,580. Montana sits at #18 on nominal pay and #5 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Montana climbs 13 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

What is the real (cost-adjusted) Financial Analyst salary in Montana?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 91.0 for Montana), the real-wage equivalent is $105,467 — what the $95,990 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $89,052 to $120,685.
How are Montana Financial Analyst 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.
What does the top of the Financial Analyst pay scale look like in Montana?: The 90th percentile lands at $160,040. 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 $109,840.
How wide is the wage spread in Montana?: P10 to P90 spans $57,480 to $160,040. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
Is Montana a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Financial Analysts?: Yes — the BEA RPP of 91.0 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $95,990 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $105,467. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Financial Analysts comparing offers across regions.
What are the limits of these Financial Analyst 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.
Buy-side vs sell-side vs corporate finance analyst pay in Montana?: BLS aggregates SOC 13-2051 (Financial and Investment Analysts) without segmenting by sector. In Montana, buy-side roles at hedge funds, asset managers, and private equity firms typically lead on total comp at every level — bonus carry / performance fees can dwarf base. Sell-side investment banking analysts in Montana earn high cash comp but with steep hours; equity research mid-band; corporate finance / FP&A analysts earn the lowest among financial-analyst-track roles but with the most predictable hours. The Montana BLS median primarily reflects the corporate / FP&A end of the band; high-finance-cluster cities show much higher P90s as a result.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 13-2051, 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 2026-05-05.

Cross-comparison: see how Montana Financial Analyst 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.