Hiring a personal financial advisor in San Francisco, CA

Do San Francisco residents in business and financial operations work earn more than employers in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA area pay?

San Francisco residents working in business and financial operations occupations earn a median of $117,933 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $104,500 as the median of the 29 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 13%, with the residents figure the higher of the two.

Both sides of that figure describe the whole business and financial operations group, not this one role. In the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA area the group covers 29 occupations BLS publishes a wage for, from financial specialists, all other at $78,410 to financial risk specialists at $167,440 (BLS OEWS, May 2025), with personal financial advisors at $160,610 inside it.

That comparison is between two different measures, not a pay gap. The two weight the same occupation group differently: the Census figure is the midpoint across the people who actually hold those jobs, so a group carrying a few very well paid occupations is pulled toward them, while the BLS figure is the midpoint across the 29 published occupation wages, which counts each of those occupations once whatever its headcount. Census also counts where people live and BLS counts where the jobs are, and the two cover different populations, Census the civilian employed population 16 and over, BLS wage-and-salary jobs only. Read the number against other cities, where the same definitional difference applies on both sides, rather than as a shortfall.

Residents here out-earn the midpoint of what the metro pays across this group, which usually points to people commuting out to better-paying employers. Expect a San Francisco offer in this field to compete with a drive, not only with the firm down the road.

Is the talent actually in San Francisco?

This is a job zone four: considerable preparation needed occupation. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not. O*NET OnLine, SOC 13-2052.

That matters here, because 60.1% of San Francisco adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. That is a deep local pool for a degree-requiring role. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501, residents of San Francisco aged 25 and over.

The average San Francisco commute runs 31.2 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 27.5% of San Francisco workers already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that. Census ACS 5-year 2023, place-level commuting characteristics for San Francisco.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In San Francisco County, accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll services employs 9,622 and turns over 7.4% a quarter, with 926 hires against 775 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $11,457 a month. Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2024 Q1, NAICS 5412.

That figure covers every occupation in the industry, not this role alone, so read it as the local churn rate rather than as a number about personal financial advisors. It still tells you what you are hiring into: a normal churn rate, where a well-run search closes on schedule.

What does the search cost?

The fee is set by the seniority of the role, never by salary and never by location. Across all six tiers it runs $6,240 to $54,340 per search. A contingency firm hiring at this role's $160,610 median in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would bill roughly $32,122 to $48,183 on the first year salary alone.

One owner runs the search from market map to signed offer. Searches typically fill in 23 to 35 days, which is a typical window rather than a promise, and the replacement guarantee runs 45 days at 50% off.

Questions employers ask about hiring a personal financial advisor in San Francisco

What does it cost to hire a personal financial advisor in San Francisco?

Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role and never by salary or location. A contingency firm billing 20 to 30% of this role's $160,610 median wage in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $32,122 to $48,183 on the first year salary alone.

What should an offer for a personal financial advisor in San Francisco look like?

Employers in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA area pay personal financial advisors a median of $160,610, with the middle half of the market between $105,850 and $293,030 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $105,850 competes for the bottom quarter of that market.

Do San Francisco residents in business and financial operations work earn more than employers in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA area pay?

San Francisco residents working in business and financial operations occupations earn a median of $117,933 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $104,500 as the median of the 29 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 13%. Both figures cover the whole occupation group rather than this one role, and one counts where people live while the other counts where the jobs are, so the percentage is not a pay gap.

Is the talent for this role already in San Francisco?

This is a job zone 4 occupation, which usually calls for a bachelor's degree, and 60.1% of San Francisco adults hold one or higher (Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501). That is a deep local pool for a degree-requiring role.

Related

• Hiring Personal Financial Advisors: the role, the pay, the process
• Recruiting services in San Francisco
• Every California city we cover

San Francisco is the 4th largest of 21 California cities in this dataset.