SOC 13-2052 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Personal Financial Advisors — Illinois
Illinois · 6 metro areas compared
Median pay for this occupation in Illinois comes to $120,130 a year, ahead of the national median of $105,070 by 14.3%.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to grow faster than average
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- +9.6%
- Openings per year
- 24,100
- Typical entry-level education
- Bachelor's degree
- On-the-job training
- Long-term on-the-job training
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
15.8% of people in this occupation work for themselves.
Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Illinois.
Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.
Salary overview
Median pay for this occupation in Illinois comes to $120,130 a year, ahead of the national median of $105,070 by 14.3%. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $73,010 and $175,680. The lowest tenth earn under $51,820, while the highest tenth earn more than $328,650.
Employment stands at 9,760, or 1.6 jobs per thousand held locally. Among the 49 states with published data for this occupation, Illinois ranks 9th by median wage. Springfield leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $154,370. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 71st of 747 by median pay.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $51,820 | −50.7% |
| 25th | $73,010 | −30.5% |
| Median (50th) | $120,130 | +14.3% |
| 75th | $175,680 | +67.2% |
| 90th | $328,650 | +212.8% |
| Mean | $158,450 | +50.8% |
Highest-paying metro areas in Illinois
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Springfield | $154,370 | 100 | |
| 2 | Bloomington | $141,070 | 60 | |
| 3 | Chicago | $113,210 | 8,370 | |
| 4 | Champaign | $111,540 | 80 | |
| 5 | Rockford | $110,850 | 90 | |
| 6 | Peoria | $108,930 | 200 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Illinois sit close to the national average, so $120,130 is worth roughly its face value against pay elsewhere.
Published median
$120,130as reported by BLSLocal price level
100.0US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$120,130US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $120,130 a year, 14.3% above the national median.
- Published pay spans $51,820 to $328,650 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 9,760 jobs in this occupation.
- It ranks 9th of 49 states for this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Springfield, at $154,370.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Personal Financial Advisors in Illinois?
The median annual wage is $120,130, or $57.75 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.
Is that higher than the national average?
The national median for this occupation is $105,070, so pay in Illinois is 14.3% higher. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.
What do the top earners make?
The top tenth of this occupation in Illinois earns more than $328,650 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $51,820 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.
Which area nearby pays the most?
The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Springfield, at $154,370 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 9,760 jobs in this occupation in Illinois. Self-employed workers are not included.
Source and methodology
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.
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