National salary comparison — BLS OES 2024-2025 data
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Software Engineers earn a national median of $132,270/year vs Financial Advisors at $99,580/year. Software Engineers earn 25% more nationally. The gap is $32,690 per year — or $2,724 per month.
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Software Engineer
$132,270
national median/year
$11,023/mo • $64/hr
VS
Financial Advisor
$99,580
national median/year
$8,298/mo • $48/hr
Annual salary gap
$32,690
Software Engineers earn 25% more per year nationally. Over 30 years at 7% investment return that gap compounds to approximately $370,551.
Best states for Financial Advisors
vs Software Engineers
New York+$0
North Dakota+$-8,000
Connecticut+$-10,000
New Jersey+$-10,000
Kentucky+$-14,000
Best states for Software Engineers
vs Financial Advisors
California+$40,000
Colorado+$40,000
Oregon+$40,000
Washington+$40,000
Utah+$32,000
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Software Engineers earn more nationally. The median annual salary for Software Engineers is $132,270 versus $99,580 for Financial Advisors — a difference of $32,690 per year or $2,724 per month.
The national median salary gap between Software Engineers and Financial Advisors is $32,690 per year. Software Engineers earn 25% more. Over a 30-year career this difference, if invested at 7% annual return, compounds to approximately $370,551.
Based on BLS OES 2024-2025 data, California pays Software Engineers the highest median salary at $168,320 per year.
Based on BLS OES 2024-2025 data, New York pays Financial Advisors the highest median salary at $148,320 per year.
Salary is one factor — Software Engineers earn more nationally. But career choice involves job satisfaction, work-life balance, education requirements, and job growth. Software Developers and Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Personal Financial Advisors both have different educational paths, licensing requirements, and long-term growth projections. Use salary as a starting point, not the only factor.
Based on a standard 2,080-hour work year, Software Engineers earn approximately $64 per hour nationally and Financial Advisors earn approximately $48 per hour. Actual hourly rates vary based on overtime, part-time work, and whether the role is salaried or hourly.
Methodology: Salary data from Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) 2024-2025. Figures represent median annual wages for wage and salary workers. Self-employed excluded. Hourly rates calculated at 2,080 hours per year. State salary figures from same BLS OES dataset. Updated annually.
