How much does a Financial Analyst make in Pennsylvania?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $87,360 for Financial Analysts in Pennsylvania as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $72,770 and the 75th-percentile is $119,230.

How are Pennsylvania 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.

Why is the BEA RPP for Pennsylvania 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. Pennsylvania's overall index of 97.4 reflects rents 85.8, services 118.3, and goods 98.4.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Pennsylvania?

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 Pennsylvania.

Does BLS financial analyst pay in Pennsylvania include investment-banking bonuses?

BLS OEWS captures W-2 wage and salary income — which includes annual cash bonuses paid through payroll. So sell-side IB analyst-level bonuses, equity-research bonuses, and FP&A annual incentives all show up in the BLS figure. What's NOT included: deferred stock, unvested RSU grants, partnership distributions to senior associates and above, and post-tax-year 'true-up' bonuses paid through 1099. In Pennsylvania, this means BLS reasonably represents junior analyst total comp but increasingly understates senior comp once equity becomes a meaningful share — gap widens at the P90 band.

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

BLS aggregates SOC 13-2051 (Financial and Investment Analysts) without segmenting by sector. In Pennsylvania, 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania BLS median primarily reflects the corporate / FP&A end of the band; high-finance-cluster cities show much higher P90s as a result.

Does CFA charterholder status raise financial analyst pay in Pennsylvania?

CFA Institute survey data and industry comp reports typically show a 10-20% pay premium for CFA charterholders over non-charterholders at comparable seniority — though the causal share (vs. selection effect: higher-track analysts pursue CFA) is debated. In Pennsylvania, the CFA premium is largest in equity research, portfolio management, and credit analysis roles where the credential is functionally required at the senior level; in IB and corporate finance the premium is smaller and substitutable with MBA. The 4-year, three-exam CFA path costs $3-5K in fees and 900-1,000 study hours, so the realized ROI in Pennsylvania depends heavily on whether the role values the credential for promotion vs. just hiring.

Pennsylvania Financial Analyst Salary: BLS $87K Median, Real $90K (2026)

TL;DR

$87,360 is the BLS median wage for Financial Analysts in Pennsylvania; $89,692 is the BEA-adjusted purchasing-power equivalent.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #37 of 51; nominal rank is #34.
Cost of living tracks roughly with the national index, so nominal and real wages stay close.
P25-P75 spread runs $72,770 to $119,230; P10 floor $58,830, P90 ceiling $161,390.

Wage breakdown — Pennsylvania

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$58,830	$60,400
P25 (lower quartile)	$72,770	$74,713
P50 (median)	$87,360	$89,692
P75 (upper quartile)	$119,230	$122,413
P90 (top tier)	$161,390	$165,698
Mean	$101,420	$104,127
Employment	12,220 Financial Analysts in Pennsylvania

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Pennsylvania index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	97.4
Goods	98.4
Services	118.3
Rents	85.8

Pennsylvania's overall RPP (97.4) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

After-tax take-home — Pennsylvania (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)	$87,360	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$10,466	12.0% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$2,682	3.07% flat (+ local 0.5-3.9% Philly/Pgh)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$6,683	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$67,529	77.3% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$69,331	÷ (97.4 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.1% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $67,529 (77.3% of gross). After the 97.4 RPP, real take-home is $69,331. Local-tax overlay: Philadelphia residents pay 3.75% city wage tax; Pittsburgh ~3% combined city + school. Subtract roughly $3,058/year if PHL-based.

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. Pennsylvania sits at #34 on nominal pay and #37 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Pennsylvania falls 3 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Financial Analyst make in Pennsylvania?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $87,360 for Financial Analysts in Pennsylvania as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $72,770 and the 75th-percentile is $119,230.
How are Pennsylvania 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.
Why is the BEA RPP for Pennsylvania 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. Pennsylvania's overall index of 97.4 reflects rents 85.8, services 118.3, and goods 98.4.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Pennsylvania?: 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 Pennsylvania.
Does BLS financial analyst pay in Pennsylvania include investment-banking bonuses?: BLS OEWS captures W-2 wage and salary income — which includes annual cash bonuses paid through payroll. So sell-side IB analyst-level bonuses, equity-research bonuses, and FP&A annual incentives all show up in the BLS figure. What's NOT included: deferred stock, unvested RSU grants, partnership distributions to senior associates and above, and post-tax-year 'true-up' bonuses paid through 1099. In Pennsylvania, this means BLS reasonably represents junior analyst total comp but increasingly understates senior comp once equity becomes a meaningful share — gap widens at the P90 band.
Buy-side vs sell-side vs corporate finance analyst pay in Pennsylvania?: BLS aggregates SOC 13-2051 (Financial and Investment Analysts) without segmenting by sector. In Pennsylvania, 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania BLS median primarily reflects the corporate / FP&A end of the band; high-finance-cluster cities show much higher P90s as a result.
Does CFA charterholder status raise financial analyst pay in Pennsylvania?: CFA Institute survey data and industry comp reports typically show a 10-20% pay premium for CFA charterholders over non-charterholders at comparable seniority — though the causal share (vs. selection effect: higher-track analysts pursue CFA) is debated. In Pennsylvania, the CFA premium is largest in equity research, portfolio management, and credit analysis roles where the credential is functionally required at the senior level; in IB and corporate finance the premium is smaller and substitutable with MBA. The 4-year, three-exam CFA path costs $3-5K in fees and 900-1,000 study hours, so the realized ROI in Pennsylvania depends heavily on whether the role values the credential for promotion vs. just hiring.

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 Pennsylvania 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.