Personal Financial Advisors Salary
The median pay for a personal financial advisors in Boulder, CO is $83,070/year ($39.94/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $57K at the entry level to $178K for experienced workers. Prices run high here (RPP 105.2), so that salary is closer to $78,964 in real purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $2,033/month, about 38% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $83K actually covers in Boulder, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Boulder’s Regional Price Parity (105.2). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About personal financial advisors
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What this looks like in Boulder
Pay for personal financial advisors in Boulder runs about 21% below the U.S. median of $105K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $2,033/month, which is 38.6% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost-of-living overall is 5% above the national average (BEA RPP 105.2), so groceries and services cost more too. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for personal financial advisors.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for personal financial advisors in metros near Boulder, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial | $99K | $93K |
| Fort Collins-Loveland | $66K | $66K |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler | $104K | $100K |
| Salt Lake City-Murray | $78K | $77K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Boulder, CO
Entry-level personal financial advisors (10th percentile) start around $57K. Mid-career wages sit at $83K. Top earners bring in $178K or more, a $121K spread from bottom to top.
Personal Financial Advisors pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Personal Financial Advisors salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $166K | +58% | 21,550 |
| New Jersey | $159K | +51% | 9,300 |
| California | $130K | +24% | 32,200 |
| Connecticut | $130K | +23% | N/A |
| South Dakota | $129K | +23% | 620 |
| Massachusetts | $126K | +20% | N/A |
| Delaware | $125K | +19% | N/A |
| Oregon | $123K | +17% | 3,070 |
| Illinois | $120K | +14% | 9,760 |
| Wisconsin | $119K | +14% | 5,200 |
| Washington | $114K | +9% | 5,790 |
| Vermont | $110K | +5% | 520 |
| Pennsylvania | $105K | +0% | 12,200 |
| District of Columbia | $105K | -0% | 480 |
| Minnesota | $103K | -2% | 5,280 |
| Virginia | $103K | -2% | 6,340 |
| Kansas | $103K | -2% | 4,150 |
| Georgia | $101K | -3% | 6,830 |
| Florida | $101K | -4% | 21,490 |
| Missouri | $100K | -5% | 4,480 |
| Maryland | $100K | -5% | 5,260 |
| Texas | $99K | -6% | 18,200 |
| Montana | $97K | -7% | N/A |
| Arizona | $97K | -8% | 6,430 |
| North Carolina | $97K | -8% | 12,340 |
| New Hampshire | $97K | -8% | 1,850 |
| South Carolina | $96K | -8% | 2,400 |
| Idaho | $94K | -10% | 760 |
| New Mexico | $94K | -10% | 610 |
| Nebraska | $93K | -11% | 2,210 |
| Nevada | $93K | -12% | 1,730 |
| Iowa | $92K | -12% | 1,920 |
| Ohio | $91K | -13% | 7,680 |
| Colorado | $89K | -15% | 6,730 |
| Indiana | $88K | -17% | 5,400 |
| Tennessee | $84K | -20% | 3,970 |
| Rhode Island | $80K | -24% | 1,130 |
| West Virginia | $80K | -24% | 670 |
| Arkansas | $79K | -24% | 1,320 |
| Alaska | $79K | -25% | N/A |
| Alabama | $78K | -26% | 2,540 |
| Michigan | $78K | -26% | 6,570 |
| Wyoming | $77K | -26% | 310 |
| Utah | $77K | -26% | 2,520 |
| North Dakota | $77K | -27% | 540 |
| Hawaii | $76K | -28% | 550 |
| Oklahoma | $69K | -35% | 1,140 |
| Kentucky | $67K | -36% | 2,040 |
| Mississippi | $63K | -40% | 790 |
Showing 1–10 of 49 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track personal financial advisors salary changes
BLS updates this data annually. We'll email you when Boulder numbers change.
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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a personal financial advisor afford a 2BR apartment alone in Boulder?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $83K, rent takes 38.6% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,033/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,600/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for personal financial advisors in Boulder?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new personal financial advisors typically earn — is $57K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,764/month. At HUD’s $2,033/month FMR, rent would take 54% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is personal financial advisor a high-paying job in Boulder?
Local pay runs 21% below the national median — $83K here vs. $105K nationally.
How does Boulder compare to the national average for personal financial advisors?
Boulder pays $83K median vs. the U.S. average of $105K — that’s -21%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 105.2), the purchasing-power equivalent is $79K — below the national median.
How much do personal financial advisors make in Boulder, CO?
The median is $83,070 a year, that works out to about $40 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $56,790, and experienced personal financial advisors can clear $177,940. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $83K enough to live in Boulder?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,264/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,033/month, which eats 38.6% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a personal financial advisors salary go in Boulder?
Boulder has a Regional Price Parity of 105.2 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median personal financial advisors salary is worth about $78,964 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do personal financial advisors get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.