Chesapeake, Va. ranks in the top 20% of cities for three out of the five metrics we considered. It has both the eighth-highest average financial advisor earnings ($158,860) and percentage of the population nearing retirement (26.2%). Additionally, rent makes up only 9.25% of average financial advisor earnings, the 20th-lowest rate in our study.

Richmond is the second of three Virginia cities that make it into the top 10. It ranks in the top 10% of cities for two metrics: average financial advisor earnings and rent as a percentage of average financial advisor earnings. According to BLS data, financial advisors in the greater Richmond metro area earn an average of almost $160,700 annually. With median annual rent in Richmond amounting to about $12,900, young advisors can expect to spend only about 8% of their pre-tax salary on housing costs.

Financial advisors in New Orleans, La. earn an average of $141,630 annually—a top 25 rate. Beyond that, New Orleans ranks in the top fourth of cities for two additional metrics: rent as a percentage of average financial advisor earnings (8.56%) and percentage of the population nearing retirement (24.8%).

Across the five metrics the study considered, Portland, Ore. ranks particularly well for financial advisor search volume relative to the population. Portland residents search for financial advisors 1.40 times more often than the average across all 100 cities in the study. Additionally, there are many high earners in Portland—11.0% of households earn $200,000 or more annually.

Average earnings for financial advisors in Minneapolis, Minn. are fourth-highest in the study, at $161,020. With Minneapolis median monthly rent at $1,068, young advisors can expect to spend around 8% of their pre-tax salary on housing costs—a top 10 rate. Additionally, SmartAsset data shows that Minneapolis residents search for financial advisors 2.18 times more often than residents elsewhere.

Financial advisors in San Francisco, Calif. tend to have high earnings—and with many high-earning households in the area, they seem to be in high demand. Specifically, average financial advisor earnings in San Francisco are 11th-highest, at almost $156,000. Moreover, more than 30% of households earn $200,000 or more per year and financial advisors are searched 1.11 times more often than the average across all cities in surveyed.

Virginia Beach, Va. ranks in the top third of cities for three metrics. It has the eighth-highest average financial advisor earnings ($158,860) and the 32nd-lowest rent as a percentage of average financial advisor earnings (10.30%). Additionally, almost 25% of the population is between the ages of 45 and 64.

Located in eastern Washington, Spokane is the No. 8 city for young financial advisors to start their career. It ranks in the top 25% of cities for four metrics. It has the 22nd-highest average financial advisor earnings ($138,570) and seventh-lowest rent as a percentage of average financial advisor earnings (7.73%). Financial advisor search volume relative to population is 23rd-highest, with online search rates 1.17 times higher than the average. Finally, the percentage of the population nearing retirement is the 20th-highest, at 24.8%.

St. Paul, Minn. has the fourth-highest average financial advisor earnings ($161,020) and second-lowest rent as a percentage of average financial advisor earnings (7.46%) in the study. Additionally, residents search for financial advisors about two times more than the national average.

Fremont, Calif. rounds out our list of the top 10 cities for young financial advisors to start their careers. Although it might be expected to have much higher rents as a percentage of financial advisor earnings (almost 20%, the sixth-lowest in the study), the city ranks in the top five on the two metrics measuring demand for financial advisors. Across all 100 cities, Fremont has the highest percentage of high-earning households (31%) and fifth-highest percentage of the population nearing retirement (27.5%).