Personal Financial Advisors Salary
The median pay for a personal financial advisors in Lake Charles, LA is $47,040/year ($22.62/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $39K at the entry level to $148K for experienced workers. Note: the mean (average) wage is $84K, significantly higher than the median. This typically reflects a mix of employment settings including academic and private practice positions. Cost of living is below average (RPP 85.85), which stretches that salary to about $54,793 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,217/month, about 37.9% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $47K get you in Lake Charles?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Lake Charles’s Regional Price Parity (85.85). 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 Lake Charles
Pay for personal financial advisors in Lake Charles runs about 55% below the U.S. median of $105K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,217/month, which is 38% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 85.85 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 14% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for personal financial advisorss.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for personal financial advisors in metros near Lake Charles, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| New Orleans-Metairie | $75K | $81K |
| Baton Rouge | $81K | $89K |
| Lafayette | $64K | $73K |
| Slidell-Mandeville-Covington | $75K | $81K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Lake Charles, LA
Entry-level personal financial advisors (10th percentile) start around $39K. Mid-career wages sit at $47K. Top earners bring in $148K or more, a $109K 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 quarterly. We'll email you when Lake Charles numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a personal financial advisor afford a 2BR apartment alone in Lake Charles?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $47K, rent takes 38% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,217/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,000/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 Lake Charles?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new personal financial advisors typically earn — is $39K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,351/month. At HUD’s $1,217/month FMR, rent would take 52% 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 Lake Charles?
Local pay runs 55% below the national median — $47K here vs. $105K nationally. Cost of living is 14% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Lake Charles compare to the national average for personal financial advisors?
Lake Charles pays $47K median vs. the U.S. average of $105K — that’s -55%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 85.85), the purchasing-power equivalent is $55K — below the national median.
How much do personal financial advisors make in Lake Charles, LA?
The median is $47,040 a year, that works out to about $23 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $39,190, and experienced personal financial advisors can clear $148,160. The mean (average) is $84,190, reflecting that some workers earn substantially more. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $47K enough to live in Lake Charles?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,200/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,217/month, which eats 38% 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 Lake Charles?
Lake Charles has a Regional Price Parity of 85.85 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median personal financial advisors salary is worth about $54,793 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.