Financial Advisor.
Columbus.
$80,000
median salary, 9% below the national average
$57,000 to $114,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
A Financial Advisor in Columbus earns a median of $80,000 in 2026. That is 9% below the national average. The range runs from $57,000 to $114,000, and where you land depends on your experience, your skills, and how well you negotiate. Assets under management (AUM) and client acquisition ability are the dominant pay factors. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page.
Salary range.
Where do you fall?
Orbyt estimate for Financial Advisor in Columbus, modelled from national occupation wages adjusted for local cost of living. The published government benchmark for this occupation is below.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $81,600 for Personal Financial Advisors (SOC 13-2052) in the Columbus, OH metropolitan area, based on 1,900 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$47,860
25th percentile
$64,570
Median
$81,600
75th percentile
$140,030
90th percentile
$215,250
Workers surveyed
1,900
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Personal Financial Advisors (SOC 13-2052) rather than Financial Advisor specifically. The Columbus range at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.
View the BLS source for SOC 13-2052Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $72,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$52,000
to $64,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$68,000
to $84,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$88,000
to $104,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$100,000
to $124,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $19,000 to the total package.
Base
$80,000
Equity
$10,000
Bonus
$7,000
Signing
$2,000
Estimated total: $99,000
How Columbus compares.
Columbus, OH
$80,000
Cost of living: 7% below average
National Average
$88,000
Columbus is $8,000 below
Financial Advisor salary by city.
Salary by role in Columbus.
What you should know.
The Financial Advisor landscape in Columbus is not what most salary sites will tell you. Columbus is Ohio's largest city and a growing technology and logistics hub, home to companies like Nationwide Insurance and a major Intel semiconductor fab under construction. The city's large university system and low cost of living attract both startups and corporate expansions. Tech salaries have been climbing as national employers establish Midwest offices. Assets under management (AUM) and client acquisition ability are the dominant pay factors. Advisors managing $50 million or more in AUM earn substantially more through fee-based compensation. The wirehouse versus independent RIA distinction matters: wirehouses offer higher base salaries, while independent advisors have higher long-term earnings potential.
Associate advisors earn $50,000 to $70,000 during training. Advisors with established books earn $80,000 to $130,000. Senior advisors managing $50 million or more in AUM reach $150,000 to $250,000. Partners and principals at RIA firms with large AUM can earn $300,000 to $1 million or more. In Columbus, cost of living sits near the national average, so the numbers you see are roughly what you keep.
Base salary is not the full picture. Fee-based advisors earn 0.5 to 1.5% of AUM annually, making a $100 million book worth $500,000 to $1.5 million in annual revenue before firm payout. Commission-based advisors earn front-end loads and trailing commissions. Production bonuses and retention bonuses add 10 to 30% at wirehouses. And on the tax side: ohio's income tax tops out around 3.5%, and Columbus adds a city income tax of 2.5%. The combined rate is moderate, but the city tax applies to all who work within city limits. When someone quotes you $80,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Mention Intel's new fab investment when negotiating. The semiconductor megaproject is driving salaries upward across the entire Columbus tech and engineering market. The range for Financial Advisors in Columbus runs from $57,000 to $114,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL). COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified July 1, 2026. Full methodology
Considering a related role?
- An Operations Manager in Columbus earns $82,000 (3% more)
- The highest-paying role in Columbus is CTO at $285,000
Common questions.
Financial Advisor salary in other cities.
Other salaries in Columbus.
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Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Financial Advisor Salary in Columbus, OH." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/financial-advisor/columbus
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