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Detroit · Occupational wage benchmark

Personal Financial Advisors Salary in Detroit

What Personal Financial Advisors actually earn in the Detroit metro area — the published BLS median, what it is worth after local costs, and how it ranks against other major metros.

Direct answer
Personal Financial Advisors in the Detroit metro area earn a median of $76,830 per year (-26.9% vs national, #41 of 43 major metros). Because the area price level is 100.3 against a U.S. average of 100, that salary carries roughly the purchasing power of $76,602 nationally. These are BLS occupational wage benchmarks across all workers — not MBA-graduate-specific outcomes.

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) (May 2024 estimates (published April 2025)), Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro estimates for SOC 13-2052; cost-of-living adjustment from U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities by Metropolitan Statistical Area (MARPP) (2024). Occupational wage benchmarks across all workers, not MBA-specific outcomes.

Median annual wage
$76,830
Personal Financial Advisors in Detroit
Adjusted for cost of living
$76,602
Detroit price level 100.3 (U.S. = 100)
Rank among metros
#41 of 43
#42 after cost of living
Workers employed
3,430
in metro Detroit

What Personal Financial Advisors earn in Detroit, adjusted for what it costs to live there

A headline wage only means something next to local prices. Once local prices are accounted for, Detroit drops 1 place — a higher headline wage is partly consumed by a higher cost of living.

MetroMedian (nominal)Adjusted for cost of living
New York$170,050$151,071
San Francisco$160,610$138,920
San Jose$136,820$123,905
San Diego$130,330$116,484
Sacramento$127,950$119,949
Milwaukee$125,810$129,785
Miami$125,670$110,087
Los Angeles$124,490$109,619
Kansas City$123,140$133,062
Philadelphia$116,560$113,657
Pittsburgh$115,600$122,107
Seattle$114,540$103,066
Chicago$113,210$109,281
Richmond$110,910$113,338
Washington DC$106,230$97,563
Raleigh$104,780$106,747
Atlanta$103,990$103,930
St. Louis$103,690$109,046
Phoenix$103,680$100,352
Buffalo$103,650$108,144

Nominal medians: BLS OEWS, May 2024 estimates (published April 2025) — occupational wage benchmarks across all workers, not MBA-specific outcomes. Adjusted column: SalaryMBA estimate, computed as nominal ÷ (metro RPP ÷ 100) using BEA MARPP 2024 regional price parities.

The national pay range for Personal Financial Advisors

BLS publishes the full percentile distribution nationally. The spread within the occupation is usually far wider than the gap between metros.

Percentile (national)Annual wageReading
10th percentile$50,190Entry / early-career end
25th percentile$72,440
Median (50th)$105,070
75th percentile$176,790
90th percentile$357,020Senior / top-market end

Other MBA-relevant roles in Detroit

How to read the Detroit number

The $76,830 median means half of Personal Financial Advisors in the Detroit area earn less and half earn more. It is measured across everyone in the occupation — every experience level, industry, and level of education. It is not the salary of a recent MBA graduate, and it is not a starting salary.

BLS counts roughly 3,430 people in this role in the Detroit area. To compare against the state and national picture, see Personal Financial Advisors nationally or model your own economics with the MBA ROI calculator.

Frequently asked questions

How much do Personal Financial Advisors make in Detroit?

Personal Financial Advisors in the Detroit metro area earn a median of $76,830 per year, according to BLS OEWS May 2024 estimates (published April 2025). That is -26.9% vs national, ranking Detroit #41 of 43 major metros we track for this role. This is an occupational wage benchmark across all workers in the metro, not an MBA-graduate-specific salary.

Is $76,830 a good salary in Detroit?

It depends on local prices. The Detroit area price level is 100.3 against a U.S. average of 100, so $76,830 there carries roughly the purchasing power of $76,602 nationally — about $228 less than the headline number implies. Once local prices are accounted for, Detroit drops 1 place — a higher headline wage is partly consumed by a higher cost of living.

Do Personal Financial Advisors in Detroit need an MBA?

These BLS figures cover everyone in the occupation regardless of degree, so they cannot isolate what an MBA adds. Personal Financial Advisors is a role MBA graduates commonly target, and an MBA can affect where you land within the range through network, function, and seniority — but any precise MBA premium for this role in Detroit would not be supported by this data.

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Every figure on SalaryMBA is source-labeled. See our methodology for how we source and gate data.