Median pay for financial managers runs from $73,200 in Puerto Rico nonmetropolitan area to $225,280 in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara — a 3.08× range across 524 metropolitan areas. The national median of $166,570 sits inside that range but describes no particular market.
The top tenth of financial managers earn $323,270 or more; the bottom tenth earn under $94,310. That is a 3.43× gap within the same occupation, in the same year. A spread this wide means the job title is not what determines pay — specialisation, employer type, seniority or book of business is. Expect the early years to sit near the bottom of the band rather than the middle, and treat the $166,570 median as a waypoint, not a destination.
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (CA) leads and Puerto Rico nonmetropolitan area () trails, but the gap is modest. For a role like this the more useful comparison is not between cities but between the 10th and 90th percentile within one — see the band above.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $225,280 | $108.31 | 1.3 | 7,970 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $221,010 | $106.26 | 1.75 | 89,960 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $216,150 | $103.92 | 1.33 | 17,040 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury CT | $211,000 | $101.44 | 3.29 | 7,210 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $209,780 | $100.85 | 1.48 | 21,650 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial CO | $193,400 | $92.98 | 0.86 | 7,490 |
| Boulder CO | $192,970 | $92.77 | 0.67 | 700 |
| Sussex Delaware nonmetropolitan area | $187,220 | $90.01 | 0.4 | 210 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $185,550 | $89.21 | 0.75 | 8,500 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $185,270 | $89.07 | 1.56 | 26,430 |
| Trenton-Princeton NJ | $184,800 | $88.84 | 1.89 | 2,460 |
| Springfield MA | $175,950 | $84.59 | 0.85 | 920 |
| Fort Collins-Loveland CO | $175,890 | $84.56 | 0.49 | 450 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $175,310 | $84.28 | 1.02 | 34,480 |
| Western Washington nonmetropolitan area | $174,980 | $84.12 | 0.33 | 230 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad CA | $174,210 | $83.76 | 0.88 | 7,350 |
| Richmond VA | $173,140 | $83.24 | 0.97 | 3,480 |
| Midland MI | $173,080 | $83.21 | 1.52 | 310 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia NC-SC | $172,760 | $83.06 | 1.26 | 9,290 |
| Colorado Springs CO | $172,680 | $83.02 | 0.42 | 710 |
| Greeley CO | $172,530 | $82.95 | 0.42 | 270 |
| Midland TX | $172,520 | $82.94 | 1.2 | 800 |
| Lawrence KS | $171,290 | $82.35 | 0.6 | 170 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA | $171,240 | $82.33 | 1 | 15,660 |
| Worcester MA | $170,940 | $82.18 | 0.82 | 1,560 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puerto Rico nonmetropolitan area | $73,200 | $35.19 | 0.45 | 70 |
| Arecibo PR | $75,140 | $36.12 | 0.52 | 100 |
| Mayaguez PR | $75,380 | $36.24 | 0.41 | 120 |
| Aguadilla PR | $77,020 | $37.03 | 0.47 | 120 |
| Ponce PR | $77,470 | $37.24 | 0.42 | 150 |
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas PR | $94,600 | $45.48 | 0.86 | 3,200 |
| Hot Springs AR | $95,010 | $45.68 | 0.57 | 120 |
| South Arkansas nonmetropolitan area | $95,190 | $45.77 | 0.9 | 570 |
| East Arkansas nonmetropolitan area | $95,190 | $45.76 | 0.66 | 240 |
| West Arkansas nonmetropolitan area | $95,930 | $46.12 | 0.61 | 280 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury CT | $211,000 | $101.44 | 3.29 | 7,210 |
| Bloomington IL | $156,240 | $75.11 | 2.93 | 1,400 |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford CT | $170,310 | $81.88 | 2.32 | 7,540 |
| Trenton-Princeton NJ | $184,800 | $88.84 | 1.89 | 2,460 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $221,010 | $106.26 | 1.75 | 89,960 |
| Des Moines-West Des Moines IA | $154,140 | $74.11 | 1.74 | 3,800 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $168,810 | $81.16 | 1.7 | 41,590 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $185,270 | $89.07 | 1.56 | 26,430 |
| Midland MI | $173,080 | $83.21 | 1.52 | 310 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $209,780 | $100.85 | 1.48 | 21,650 |
| Manchester-Nashua NH | $139,230 | $66.94 | 1.41 | 1,530 |
| Tallahassee FL | $98,510 | $47.36 | 1.36 | 1,370 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $221,010 | $106.26 | 1.75 | 89,960 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $168,810 | $81.16 | 1.7 | 41,590 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $175,310 | $84.28 | 1.02 | 34,480 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $169,200 | $81.35 | 1.21 | 26,600 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $185,270 | $89.07 | 1.56 | 26,430 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $209,780 | $100.85 | 1.48 | 21,650 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX | $166,910 | $80.24 | 1.04 | 18,570 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD | $166,920 | $80.25 | 1.18 | 18,520 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $216,150 | $103.92 | 1.33 | 17,040 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA | $171,240 | $82.33 | 1 | 15,660 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach FL | $164,230 | $78.96 | 0.95 | 14,540 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI | $165,620 | $79.62 | 1.18 | 12,460 |
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 11-3031. OEWS surveys employers, so it reports what is actually paid rather than what job advertisements claim, and it excludes the self-employed. Estimates cover 524 of 528 metropolitan areas — near-complete coverage, which means the ranges above are reliable rather than drawn from a handful of markets. Read the methodology.