Business and Financial Operations Occupations·SOC 13-2052

Best degree programs for Personal Financial Advisors, ranked by enrollment

3 college programs and 779 schools train Personal Financial Advisors. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $105,070 median wage, 266,800 U.S. jobs. Federal data.

3 college programs at 779 schools train personal financial advisors, graduating 54,921 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Finance, General. The job pays a median of $105,070 (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Graduates / yr
54,921
from every feeder program
Median annual wage
$105,070
BLS OEWS May 2025
Projected growth
+9.6%
Much faster than average
Openings / yr
24,100
new plus replacement
Schools
779
with a feeder program
States with jobs
51
BLS reports wages

About personal financial advisors

Advise clients on financial plans using knowledge of tax and investment strategies, securities, insurance, pension plans, and real estate. Duties include assessing clients' assets, liabilities, cash flow, insurance coverage, tax status, and financial objectives. May also buy and sell financial assets for clients.

Also calledFinancial AdvisorFinancial PlannerPortfolio ManagerCertified Financial Planner (CFP)StrategistAsset AnalystAsset ManagerMoney ManagerClient AdvisorDebt CounselorEstate PlannerEstate Trustee

Fields of study that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.

Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
CIP 52.08
Finance and Financial Management Services
54,185graduates / yr
753 schools · 2 specializations · 98.6% of pipeline
Grad earnings $53,572
Family And Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
CIP 19.04
Family and Consumer Economics and Related Studies
736graduates / yr
14 schools · 1 specialization · 1.3% of pipeline
Grad earnings $40,141

3 degree programs that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
Finance, General
CIP 52.0801
49,441
90.0%
753$53,572$23,672
2
Financial Planning and Services
CIP 52.0804
4,744
8.6%
94$53,572$23,672
3
Family Resource Management Studies, Generalmain feeder
CIP 19.0401
736
1.3%
14$40,141$24,270

Top 50 schools by graduates into this job

Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad rateNet priceAcceptance
1American College of Financial Services
King of Prussia, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
3,439Financial Planning and Services———
2Ohio State University - Main Campus
Columbus, OH Public · 2 feeder programs
925Finance, General88%—61%
3CUNY Bernard M Baruch College
New York, NY Public · 1 feeder programs
843Finance, General72%—48%
4Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL Public · 2 feeder programs
746Finance, General86%—24%
5The University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, AL Public · 2 feeder programs
650Finance, General73%—77%
6University of Georgia
Athens, GA Public · 3 feeder programs
619Finance, General90%—38%
7Florida International University
Miami, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
538Finance, General74%—55%
8University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA Public · 1 feeder programs
538Finance, General75%—84%
9Arizona State University Campus Immersion
Tempe, AZ Public · 2 feeder programs
531Finance, General68%—90%
10Texas Tech University
Lubbock, TX Public · 3 feeder programs
528Finance, General69%—73%
11Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus
University Park, PA Public · 2 feeder programs
513Finance, General86%—61%
12University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI Public · 2 feeder programs
509Finance, General90%—45%
13Rutgers University - New Brunswick
New Brunswick, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs
502Finance, General84%—58%
14University of South Florida
Tampa, FL Public · 2 feeder programs
477Finance, General77%—43%
15Miami University - Oxford
Oxford, OH Public · 1 feeder programs
469Finance, General80%—75%
16University of South Carolina - Columbia
Columbia, SC Public · 1 feeder programs
462Finance, General79%—60%
17University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, AR Public · 1 feeder programs
456Finance, General71%—74%
18Texas A&M University - College Station
College Station, TX Public · 2 feeder programs
442Finance, General84%—57%
19The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
433Finance, General89%—27%
20Tulane University of Louisiana
New Orleans, LA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
429Finance, General86%$33,10614%
21University of Houston
Houston, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
427Finance, General65%—74%
22Auburn University
Auburn, AL Public · 2 feeder programs
409Finance, General82%—46%
23University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
405Finance, General84%$26,58919%
24University of Central Florida
Orlando, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
401Finance, General78%—40%
25Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI Public · 2 feeder programs
399Finance, General81%—85%
26University of Massachusetts - Amherst
Amherst, MA Public · 1 feeder programs
383Finance, General83%—60%
27Bentley University
Waltham, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
382Finance, General87%$31,67745%
28University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Charlotte, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
380Finance, General69%—80%
29Clemson University
Clemson, SC Public · 1 feeder programs
379Finance, General87%—38%
30Georgetown University
Washington, DC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
378Finance, General95%$22,24213%
31University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD Public · 1 feeder programs
376Finance, General89%—45%
32Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Blacksburg, VA Public · 1 feeder programs
356Finance, General86%—55%
33The University of Tennessee - Knoxville
Knoxville, TN Public · 1 feeder programs
353Finance, General74%—42%
34Southern New Hampshire University
Manchester, NH Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
347Finance, General43%$34,565100%
35Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
328Finance, General63%—66%
36Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, IN Public · 2 feeder programs
324Finance, General83%—50%
37University of Delaware
Newark, DE Public · 2 feeder programs
317Finance, General81%—71%
38University of Florida
Gainesville, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
314Finance, General91%—24%
39University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY Public · 2 feeder programs
314Finance, General71%—93%
40Kansas State University
Manhattan, KS Public · 3 feeder programs
311Finance, General71%—82%
41University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
307Finance, General95%$19,45211%
42Grand Canyon University
Phoenix, AZ Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
306Finance, General43%$21,53579%
43Texas Christian University
Fort Worth, TX Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
302Finance, General86%$25,82344%
44University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN Public · 1 feeder programs
296Finance, General85%—80%
45University of Cincinnati - Main Campus
Cincinnati, OH Public · 1 feeder programs
290Finance, General75%—85%
46University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT Public · 2 feeder programs
287Finance, General83%—52%
47Iowa State University
Ames, IA Public · 2 feeder programs
280Finance, General75%—89%
48University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign
Champaign, IL Public · 1 feeder programs
278Finance, General85%—42%
49Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
271Finance, General91%$21,12616%
50The University of Tampa
Tampa, FL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
271Finance, General64%$33,07040%

What personal financial advisors earn

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual wage
$105,070
Mean annual
$156,670
Median hourly
$50.51/hr
People employed
266,800
What the range looks like
10th pct$50,190Median$105,07090th pct$357,020

Top-paying metro areas

Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA
$133,900median
40 jobs
Naples-Marco Island, FL
$121,000median
500 jobs
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$170,050median
23,980 jobs
Macon-Bibb County, GA
$126,390median
100 jobs
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
$160,610median
7,130 jobs
Sheboygan, WI
$133,200median
50 jobs
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
$136,820median
1,530 jobs
Great Falls, MT
$131,270median
60 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+9.6%
Much faster than average
Openings per year
24,100
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
31,200
326,000 → 357,200
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
Plus long-term on-the-job training

Where the jobs are, state by state

Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.

This occupation state by state: pay, jobs, and schools
StateMedian payJobsConcentrationSchoolsGraduates / yr
Pennsylvania$105,20012,2001.17×525,903
Texas$99,16018,2000.75×524,779
Florida$100,97021,4901.26×334,197
Ohio$90,9907,6800.81×383,006
New York$166,40021,5501.30×502,505
Arizona$96,9506,4301.16×71,767
Massachusetts$125,670——291,751
Michigan$77,9306,5700.87×321,588
Illinois$120,1309,7600.93×321,568
Wisconsin$119,4305,2001.03×231,568
Georgia$101,4506,8300.81×151,498
New Jersey$158,5709,3001.27×191,492
Alabama$77,9902,5400.70×161,395
North Carolina$96,88012,3401.46×181,289
South Carolina$96,3302,4000.61×121,171
Indiana$87,7105,4000.98×231,169
Utah$77,3902,5200.85×101,110
Connecticut$129,720——141,055
Iowa$92,3101,9200.72×141,042
California$130,33032,2001.03×24970
Minnesota$102,6605,2801.04×26970
Louisiana—1,4700.44×12957
Tennessee$84,1603,9700.71×20949
Kansas$102,5304,1501.68×16911
Virginia$102,6406,3400.90×15876
Washington$114,0505,7900.95×11761
Maryland$99,8805,2601.11×7713
Missouri$99,9304,4800.89×22695
Kentucky$67,1502,0400.60×11685
Arkansas$79,4201,3200.59×13657
Oklahoma$68,6701,1400.39×12638
District of Columbia$104,9904800.40×5633
Rhode Island$80,2001,1301.31×9619
Delawaremoderate$125,050——4492
Colorado$89,2806,7301.36×8459
Mississippi$63,3007900.40×7413
New Hampshire$96,7801,8501.57×5403
Nebraska$93,2802,2101.26×8397
Oregon$122,8303,0700.91×5292
Nevadalimited$92,7201,7300.65×2281
Idahomoderate$94,3707600.51×3212
North Dakota$76,8705400.73×6194
Hawaiilimited$76,0705500.51×1143
Maine—8500.78×5139
West Virginiamoderate$80,0106700.56×4134
Wyominglimited$77,4903100.65×178
South Dakotamoderate$128,7206200.79×460
New Mexicolimited$94,2706100.41×252
Montanamoderate$97,450——337
Alaskalimited$78,690——115
Vermontlimited$110,0205201.01×113

Skills and tools

From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.

What they do day to day

  • Interview clients to determine their current income, expenses, insurance coverage, tax status, financial objectives, risk tolerance, or other information needed to develop a financial plan.
  • Analyze financial information obtained from clients to determine strategies for meeting clients' financial objectives.
  • Answer clients' questions about the purposes and details of financial plans and strategies.
  • Review clients' accounts and plans regularly to determine whether life changes, economic changes, environmental concerns, or financial performance indicate a need for plan reassessment.
  • Manage client portfolios, keeping client plans up-to-date.
  • Recommend to clients strategies in cash management, insurance coverage, investment planning, or other areas to help them achieve their financial goals.
  • Recommend financial products, such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds, or insurance.
  • Implement financial planning recommendations, or refer clients to someone who can assist them with plan implementation.

Skills

  • Reading Comprehension4.1
  • Active Listening4.1
  • Speaking4.0
  • Writing3.9
  • Critical Thinking3.8
  • Mathematics3.6
  • Active Learning3.3
  • Monitoring3.1

Knowledge areas

  • Customer and Personal Service4.4
  • Economics and Accounting4.1
  • English Language3.9
  • Mathematics3.7
  • Psychology3.1
  • Administration and Management2.9

Abilities

  • Oral Comprehension4.0
  • Written Comprehension4.0
  • Speech Clarity4.0
  • Oral Expression4.0
  • Inductive Reasoning3.9
  • Number Facility3.8

Core activities

  • Getting Information4.8
  • Analyzing Data or Information4.7
  • Working with Computers4.6
  • Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships4.6
  • Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.6
  • Processing Information4.5

Tools and technology

hotmarks an O*NET hot technology
Microsoft AccesshotMicrosoft ExcelhotMicrosoft Office softwarehotMicrosoft OutlookhotMicrosoft PowerPointhotMicrosoft ProjecthotMicrosoft SQL ServerhotMicrosoft Visual BasichotMicrosoft WordhotSalesforce softwarehot

How to get in

How to become a Personal Financial Advisor

Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
On-the-job training
Long-term on-the-job training

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 3 majors mapped to Personal Financial Advisors3 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 19.0401Family Resource Management Studies, General
  • 52.0801Finance, General
  • 52.0804Financial Planning and Services

Related careers

Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.

13-2051
Financial and Investment Analysts
$102,740361,980 jobs+5.7%
13-2071
Credit Counselors
$52,23027,770 jobs+3.3%
41-3031
Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents
$78,660489,570 jobs+3.3%
11-3031
Financial Managers
$166,570841,710 jobs+14.8%
13-2054
Financial Risk Specialists
$117,33063,850 jobs+6.5%
13-2072
Loan Officers
$76,690274,330 jobs+1.7%

Common questions

What degree do you need to become a Personal Financial Advisor?+

Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Finance, General, which awarded 49,441 degrees in 2024-25, 90.0% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Personal Financial Advisor?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 3 programs to this occupation. The largest are Finance and Financial Management Services, Family and Consumer Economics and Related Studies. Together they graduate about 54,921 people a year.

How much do personal financial advisors earn?+

The median is $105,070 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $50,190 at the 10th percentile to $357,020 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for personal financial advisors growing?+

BLS projects a +9.6% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, much faster than average, with roughly 24,100 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career?+

779 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 3 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do personal financial advisors work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Financial Advisor, Financial Planner, Portfolio Manager, Certified Financial Planner (CFP) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 13-2052.

↑ Zoom outAll occupationsBusiness and Financial Operations Occupations
Personal Financial Advisors by statePennsylvaniaTexasFloridaOhioNew YorkArizonaMassachusettsMichiganIllinoisWisconsinGeorgiaNew Jersey
Related careersFinancial and Investment AnalystsCredit CounselorsSecurities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales AgentsFinancial ManagersFinancial Risk SpecialistsLoan Officers
Programs that lead hereFinance and Financial Management ServicesFamily and Consumer Economics and Related Studies

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

    Official source →

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

    Official source →

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

    Official source →

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

    Official source →

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

    Official source →

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

    Official source →

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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