Average Financial Managers Salary in the United States
The national median salary for Financial Managers is $166,570 per year. The middle 50% earn between $125,490 and $219,980, with 841,710 workers employed nationally.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2025 estimates . Data covers 51 states and 390 metro areas.
Pay distribution
Here is how Financial Managers pay is distributed across workers nationally. The 10th percentile typically reflects entry-level or early-career pay, the median is the midpoint, and the 90th percentile represents the top earners in the field.
- 10th
- $94,310
- 25th
- $125,490
- Median
- $166,570
- 75th
- $219,980
- 90th
- $323,270
All values are percentiles of annual wages.
Financial Managers are among the highest-paid occupations tracked by BLS, well into the top decile of US wages.
Pay varies significantly across workers. Seniority, employer size, and specialization all move the needle, so it is normal for two financial managers at different points in their careers to earn very different salaries.
Job outlook
BLS projects employment for financial managers from 2024 to 2034. Financial Managers are projected to grow much faster than average, more than double the roughly 4% growth rate for all US occupations. Demand is strong and outpacing most of the labor market.
- Projected growth
- +14.8%
- 128,800 net jobs over the projection period.
- Annual openings
- 74,600
- Includes growth plus replacements for workers who leave. Annual openings reflect typical replacement demand alongside any growth.
- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- Work experience
- 5 years or more
A bachelor's degree is the typical entry requirement for financial managers.
Where Financial Managers earn the most
Location matters a lot. The gap between top-paying and bottom-paying states is large, so where financial managers work can reshape their total compensation. Right now, the top-paying state is New York at $219,880, about 32.0% above the national median. At the metro level, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA leads with a median of $225,280.
Top-paying states
| State | Median salary | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| New York | $219,880 | 80,810 |
| Massachusetts | $206,760 | 26,150 |
| New Jersey | $199,110 | 32,510 |
| District of Columbia | $188,880 | 8,930 |
| Virginia | $185,220 | 20,850 |
| Colorado | $182,690 | 10,640 |
| Delaware | $181,580 | 2,810 |
| California | $180,770 | 93,310 |
Top-paying metros
| Metro area | Median salary | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $225,280 | 7,970 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $221,010 | 89,960 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $216,150 | 17,040 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | $211,000 | 7,210 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $209,780 | 21,650 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $193,400 | 7,490 |
| Boulder, CO | $192,970 | 700 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $185,550 | 8,500 |
Compare two locations side by side
Pick two states or metros to see financial managers pay in each, along with a cost-of-living adjusted view.
Salary trend and related occupations
Between 2019 and 2025, the national median salary for Financial Managers rose from $129,890 to $166,570, a gain of +28.2% in nominal dollars.
Over the same period, US consumer prices rose by +25.9%. Just to keep pace with inflation, the 2019 median of $129,890 would need to be worth $163,567 in 2025 dollars.
The actual 2025 median of $166,570 is $3,003 above that inflation-adjusted benchmark, a real change of +1.8% in purchasing power.
Wages have roughly kept pace with inflation. Nominal pay rose by 28.2%, but inflation absorbed most of it.
- Nominal change
- +28.2%
- 2019–2025
- Cumulative inflation
- +25.9%
- US CPI, 2019–2025
- Real change
- +1.8%
- After adjusting for inflation
Median salary over time
Financial Managers median pay by year, going back through the available BLS releases.
- 2025
- $166,570
- 2024
- $161,700
- 2023
- $156,100
- 2022
- $139,790
- 2021
- $131,710
- 2020
- $134,180
- 2019
- $129,890
BLS did not publish a median for 2000–2018, so those years are omitted.
Related occupations
Other occupations in the same field, with median pay for comparison.
- Purchasing Managers
- $148,080
- Industrial Production Managers
- $126,060
- Administrative Services Managers
- $114,130
- Facilities Managers
- $106,660
- Marketing Managers
- $166,790
- Natural Sciences Managers
- $167,220
Common salary questions for Financial Managers
What does the median salary mean? +
The median is the midpoint of all wages. Half of Financial Managers workers earn more and half earn less. It is a better measure of typical pay than the average, which can be skewed by very high or very low earners.
Why does pay vary so much by location? +
Local labor markets, cost of living, industry concentration, and employer competition all affect wages. High-cost metros like San Francisco and New York often pay more in nominal terms, though some of that premium is offset by higher living costs.
How current is this salary data? +
This page uses the May 2025 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. BLS publishes OEWS data once per year, typically in the spring for the previous May reference period.
What do the percentile ranges tell me? +
The 10th and 90th percentiles show the full pay band. The 25th to 75th percentile range, the middle 50%, is where most workers fall. A wide spread usually means experience, specialization, or location matter a lot for this occupation.