Quick answer: The San Francisco metro employs about 7,130 personal financial advisors (BLS OEWS, May 2025), and licensing is set at the state level, through FINRA, the SEC or your state securities regulator.
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Licensing is a state matter, not a city one. The gates in finance belong to regulators, not colleges. Securities work runs through FINRA examinations under a sponsoring firm, investment advisers register with the SEC or their state, and the CFP credential requires a bachelor’s degree, board-registered coursework, an examination and experience hours. The degree feeds those systems and replaces none of them.
See the California licensing and pay overview for the statewide picture, and confirm current requirements with FINRA, the SEC or your state securities regulator.
Schools in our database near this area, ranked by BOC Score. The list favors schools with a related program on record, but program availability and delivery format change, so confirm directly with any school that it currently offers the program you want.
This page lists 5 schools within 40 miles, closest group first, then ordered by BOC Score with the highest at the top. 5 of them carry a score.
Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal about the institution rather than about this subject. Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Personal Financial Advisors in the San Francisco area earn a median $160,610 per year, above the national median of $105,070 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
| Metric | San Francisco metro | California | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual wage | $160,610 | $130,330 | $105,070 |
| 10th percentile | $76,900 | $67,690 | $50,190 |
| 25th percentile | $105,850 | $83,860 | $72,440 |
| 75th percentile | $293,030 | $195,420 | $176,790 |
| 90th percentile | $450,120 | $393,860 | $357,020 |
| Employment | 7,130 | 32,200 | 266,800 |
| Location quotient | 1.75 | - | 1.00 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Metro figures cover the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metropolitan statistical area.
The San Francisco median of $160,610 is above the national median of $105,070, and above the California statewide median of $130,330 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
The metro’s location quotient of 1.75 means personal financial advisors are more concentrated here than in the average U.S. labor market (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Higher concentration generally means more employers competing for the same people, and an easier job change later.
Advisory work distributes with population and wealth, banking follows regional financial centers, and corporate finance sits where headquarters do.
| Metro area | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | $124,490 | 13,980 |
| San Diego | $130,330 | 3,010 |
| San Jose | $136,820 | 1,530 |
| Sacramento | $127,950 | 1,260 |
| Riverside | $96,100 | 830 |
| Oxnard | $98,260 | 390 |
| Santa Maria | $124,380 | 210 |
| Fresno | $100,240 | 200 |
Figures: BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Wage and employment figures describe the occupation as measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, not the graduates of any particular program, and individual outcomes may vary. Licensing rules change; confirm current requirements with the responsible state board before enrolling.
The median annual wage for personal financial advisors in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area is $160,610, above the national median of $105,070 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
The San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area employs about 7,130 personal financial advisors (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Licensing is handled at state level rather than by city. The gates in finance belong to regulators, not colleges. Securities work runs through FINRA examinations under a sponsoring firm, investment advisers register with the SEC or their state, and the CFP credential requires a bachelor's degree, board-registered coursework, an examination and experience hours. The degree feeds those systems and replaces none of them. Confirm current requirements with FINRA, the SEC or your state securities regulator.
The academic portion of these programs is widely available online for working adults, while labs, clinical hours or supervised field work are completed in person. Check that the program's accreditation satisfies FINRA, the SEC or your state securities regulator.
The San Francisco metro median is $160,610 against a statewide median of $130,330 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Compare that gap with the difference in living costs before treating it as a raise.
About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.
