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Northwestern Mutual salaries
Northwestern Mutual salary estimate
$49,484yearly
Understanding Salaries at Northwestern Mutual
The salary structure at Northwestern Mutual reflects a diverse range of roles, with an average annual salary of $49,484. However, this figure masks significant disparities depending on the job title and department. For instance, top earners like Development Directors enjoy salaries averaging $141,530, followed by Senior Software Engineers at $118,271 and Senior Engineers at $116,255.
In contrast, entry-level positions, such as Marketing Interns, earn an average of $34,499. Departmental salary differences are notable as well; the engineering division boasts an average salary of $109,897, significantly higher than the administrative roles that average $46,338.
Comparative Insights
When comparing salaries at Northwestern Mutual to competitors like Morgan Stanley and MassMutual, Northwestern Mutual's compensation remains competitive, albeit lower than Morgan Stanley's average of $103,933. This comparative insight helps current and prospective employees make informed decisions about their career paths.
Highest paying jobs at Northwestern Mutual
The highest paying jobs at Northwestern Mutual are development director, senior software engineer, senior engineer, and wealth management advisor. Development director jobs at Northwestern Mutual earn an average yearly salary of $141,530, Northwestern Mutual senior software engineer jobs average $118,271, and Northwestern Mutual senior engineer jobs average $116,255.
The lowest paying Northwestern Mutual roles include marketing internship and receptionist. Northwestern Mutual marketing internship average salary is $34,499 per year. So while the average Northwestern Mutual salary is $49,484 there is a big variation in pay depending on the role.
Highest paying jobs at Northwestern Mutual
| Rank | Job title | Average Northwestern Mutual salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Development Director | $141,530 | $68.04 |
| 2 | Senior Software Engineer | $118,271 | $56.86 |
| 3 | Senior Engineer | $116,255 | $55.89 |
| 4 | Wealth Management Advisor | $101,271 | $48.69 |
| 5 | Sales Professional | $96,342 | $46.32 |
| 6 | Operations Manager | $95,003 | $45.67 |
| 7 | Recruitment Director | $75,026 | $36.07 |
| 8 | Recruiter | $66,163 | $31.81 |
| 9 | Insurance Agent | $65,078 | $31.29 |
| 10 | Executive Assistant | $64,084 | $30.81 |
| 11 | Sales Representative | $62,929 | $30.25 |
| 12 | Office Manager | $56,538 | $27.18 |
| 13 | Recruiting Coordinator | $48,721 | $23.42 |
| 14 | Finance Representative | $45,252 | $21.76 |
| 15 | Finance Internship | $44,523 | $21.41 |
| 16 | Administrative Assistant | $40,701 | $19.57 |
| 17 | Receptionist | $35,119 | $16.88 |
| 18 | Marketing Internship | $34,499 | $16.59 |
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Average Northwestern Mutual salary by state
Northwestern Mutual pays the highest salaries in New York due to higher costs of living and competition in the state.
| Rank | State | Average Northwestern Mutual salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $78,492 | $37.74 |
| 2 | New Hampshire | $64,535 | $31.03 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | $62,024 | $29.82 |
| 4 | North Carolina | $60,710 | $29.19 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $60,638 | $29.15 |
| 6 | District of Columbia | $60,634 | $29.15 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $59,881 | $28.79 |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | $58,990 | $28.36 |
| 9 | Maryland | $58,236 | $28.00 |
| 10 | Virginia | $57,835 | $27.81 |
| 11 | Illinois | $56,392 | $27.11 |
| 12 | New Jersey | $56,014 | $26.93 |
| 13 | West Virginia | $55,787 | $26.82 |
| 14 | Minnesota | $55,777 | $26.82 |
| 15 | Florida | $54,990 | $26.44 |
| 16 | Georgia | $54,977 | $26.43 |
| 17 | Texas | $54,621 | $26.26 |
| 18 | Indiana | $54,070 | $26.00 |
| 19 | Kansas | $53,991 | $25.96 |
| 20 | South Carolina | $53,726 | $25.83 |
How much does Northwestern Mutual pay by location?
Highest paying Northwestern Mutual locations
| Rank | Location | Average Northwestern Mutual salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York, NY | $78,864 | $37.92 |
| 2 | Boston, MA | $60,690 | $29.18 |
| 3 | Shelton, CT | $59,910 | $28.80 |
| 4 | Exton, PA | $59,339 | $28.53 |
| 5 | Asheville, NC | $58,309 | $28.03 |
| 6 | Frederick, MD | $57,984 | $27.88 |
| 7 | Newport News, VA | $57,960 | $27.87 |
| 8 | Houston, TX | $56,347 | $27.09 |
| 9 | Aurora, IL | $56,214 | $27.03 |
| 10 | Boca Raton, FL | $55,983 | $26.91 |
| 11 | Jersey City, NJ | $55,901 | $26.88 |
| 12 | Hopkins, MN | $55,732 | $26.79 |
| 13 | Overland Park, KS | $54,716 | $26.31 |
| 14 | Atlanta, GA | $54,665 | $26.28 |
| 15 | Columbus, OH | $52,994 | $25.48 |
| 16 | Milwaukee, WI | $52,328 | $25.16 |
| 17 | Baton Rouge, LA | $49,018 | $23.57 |
| 18 | Los Angeles, CA | $48,826 | $23.47 |
| 19 | Highlands Ranch, CO | $47,910 | $23.03 |
| 20 | Phoenix, AZ | $45,126 | $21.70 |
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Northwestern Mutual salaries by department
Salaries at Northwestern Mutual vary depending on the department you work in. Northwestern Mutual salaries in the engineering department are the highest with an average salary of $109,897. Employees in the it department at Northwestern Mutual receive relatively high salaries as well, with an average salary of $79,338 per year. Departments that don't pay as well at Northwestern Mutual include the administrative and the finance organizational functions, with employees earning average salaries of $46,338 and $46,532, respectively.
Average Northwestern Mutual salary by department
| Rank | Department | Average Northwestern Mutual salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Engineering | $109,897 | $52.84 |
| 2 | IT | $79,338 | $38.14 |
| 3 | Human Resources | $61,922 | $29.77 |
| 4 | Marketing | $58,952 | $28.34 |
| 5 | Sales | $56,721 | $27.27 |
| 6 | Customer Service | $52,000 | $25.00 |
| 7 | Finance | $46,532 | $22.37 |
| 8 | Administrative | $46,338 | $22.28 |
How much does Northwestern Mutual pay by department?
Best paying Northwestern Mutual finance salaries
| Rank | Position | Average Northwestern Mutual salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finance Representative | $45,252 | $21.76 |
| 2 | Finance Internship | $44,523 | $21.41 |
Best paying Northwestern Mutual administrative salaries
| Rank | Position | Average Northwestern Mutual salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Internship Director | $76,876 | $36.96 |
| 2 | Executive Assistant | $64,084 | $30.81 |
| 3 | Team Coordinator | $58,783 | $28.26 |
| 4 | Secretary | $58,098 | $27.93 |
| 5 | Office Manager | $56,538 | $27.18 |
| 6 | Data Entry Associate | $56,224 | $27.03 |
| 7 | Bookkeeper | $47,361 | $22.77 |
| 8 | Administrative Internship | $43,739 | $21.03 |
| 9 | Office Administrator | $41,484 | $19.94 |
| 10 | Administrative Assistant | $40,701 | $19.57 |
| 11 | Registration Coordinator | $37,394 | $17.98 |
| 12 | File Clerk | $36,051 | $17.33 |
| 13 | Receptionist | $35,119 | $16.88 |
| 14 | Work Study Student | $27,803 | $13.37 |
Best paying Northwestern Mutual engineering salaries
| Rank | Position | Average Northwestern Mutual salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Software Engineering Manager | $132,236 | $63.58 |
| 2 | Director Technical Development | $121,421 | $58.38 |
| 3 | Senior Software Engineer | $118,271 | $56.86 |
| 4 | Senior Engineer | $116,255 | $55.89 |
| 5 | Technical Team Lead | $115,026 | $55.30 |
| 6 | Information Architect | $113,117 | $54.38 |
| 7 | Project Leader | $112,832 | $54.25 |
| 8 | Test Engineering Manager | $109,280 | $52.54 |
| 9 | Data Scientist | $108,518 | $52.17 |
| 10 | Database Administrator DB2 | $107,048 | $51.47 |
| 11 | SQL Database Administrator | $106,990 | $51.44 |
| 12 | ETL Lead | $105,256 | $50.60 |
| 13 | Mainframe Developer | $104,685 | $50.33 |
| 14 | Java Developer | $101,831 | $48.96 |
| 15 | Applications Development Specialist | $100,188 | $48.17 |
| 16 | Programmer | $96,252 | $46.28 |
| 17 | Test Analyst | $71,563 | $34.41 |
| 18 | Data Analyst | $62,814 | $30.20 |
Northwestern Mutual competitors’ average salaries
Average salaries at Northwestern Mutual competitors, like Morgan Stanley, MassMutual, and Edward Jones, vary. Morgan Stanley employees earn the highest salaries, with an average yearly salary of $103,933. The average salary at MassMutual is $68,354 per year, and the average salary at Edward Jones is $67,600 per year.
Highest paying Northwestern Mutual competitors
| Rank | Company name | Zippia score | Average salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Morgan Stanley | 4.6 | $103,933 |
| 2 | MassMutual | 4.3 | $68,354 |
| 3 | Edward Jones | 4.5 | $67,600 |
| 4 | New England Financial | 3.8 | $62,475 |
| 5 | Thrivent | 4.4 | $59,973 |
| 6 | Prudential Financial | 4.8 | $59,696 |
| 7 | Ameriprise Financial | 4.5 | $56,770 |
| 8 | Lincoln Financial Group | 4.6 | $55,311 |
| 9 | MetLife | 4.4 | $52,477 |
| 10 | Foresters Financial | 4.6 | $42,944 |
Recently added Northwestern Mutual salaries
| Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| MGR Advisory Trading & OPS | Franklin, WI | 06/30/2025 | $84,350 |
| Registered Client Care Services REP (Must Have Series 6 & Series 63) | Milwaukee, WI | 06/30/2025 | $44,557 |
| Building Automation Systems Technician | Milwaukee, WI | 06/30/2025 | $56,370 |
| Communications Strategist-Corporate Reputation | Milwaukee, WI | 06/30/2025 | $64,820 |
| MGR Investment Client Srvcs | Franklin, WI | 06/30/2025 | $76,650 |
What employees say about salary at Northwestern Mutual
Great product and opportunity
It's a difficult business to develop in early years
Getting paid
The focus on customers
Continue focus on customer and keep the mutuality of products
the freedom to make my own schedule.
No salary
ability to earn uncapped commission
It was a very positive working environment with great benefits. Management was very supportive and I wish I was still working there.
HR challenges with a disability I had.
Benefits and the best lunch!
Competitive, but patient growth mindset. Great mentoring with great people. Opportunity to help those that are uneducated in finances or less fortunate.
Not everyone was working towards their personal goals while trying to help customers. Recommended financial plans and insurance plans weren't always in the best interest for the customers.
The office was accessible. No one was above anyone, and everyone was typically open and willing to help younger employees that didn't necessarily have the same amount of experience like myself. Training was a huge component and helped many.
self starting. independence.
paid based on commission only - no salary or bonus structure. sales structured towards insurance, rather than full comprehensive service
unlimited potential salary
Great mentoring and leadership. Phenomenal training program.
Complete autonomy
2001-2008, after that year it all went downhill.
The process by which they review employees is extremely flawed. Just look at anyone who post something constructive about them. It will be followed by one of their puppets replying in a condescending way. If you challenge your team leads, you will literally be “shushed”. However, if you like to be in control, take pride in your monkey mind, will take papers out of a filing cabinet just to put them back in the same way to stay “busy”.....you might fit right in and make good money!
The people at the Starbucks there were nice. It was nice visiting them, kind of like a dose of human during the day. The free lunch isn’t worth it. For real, people are so paranoid of being late from lunch, if you’re in line for food, there will usually be someone behind you having a panic attack that you’re not moving fast enough. I’m grateful I’m gone.
I love how diverse Northwestern Mutual is. There are also many opportunities to move up in different areas of the company.
I feel that there is sometimes a divide between leadership and the rest of the employees.
My favorite perk was the free lunch everyday and access to the parking structure.
Great environment. My mentor, the Network Office Director, is one of the nicest men I have ever met, and I truly enjoyed working with him. I can’t speak to other offices, but the one I was in, was great.
The job is sold as a financial advisor role, which is what I ultimately wanted. But, after going through training, I realized my performance would be measured by insurance sales. I can understand them wanting reps to sell insurance, as that is how the company started, but I brought over quite a bit in Assets, and pressure was still applied because I didn’t have enough ‘lives’. I understand how a real financial plan includes risk management, or insurance, but at the end of the day, NM reps, especially those who have been there for less than 3 years, are insurance salesmen. That’s how performance is measured.
The freedom. I really appreciated being able to make my own schedule. It was tough to give up, but I was so stressed and anxious on a daily basis, it just wasn’t worth it.
Great company with great reputation. World class training, people, and culture.
If you're someone looking for a strong team environment, Northwestern Mutual probably isn't the place for you.
Freedom to create my own schedule
In the big picture, Keller Williams is a pretty different real estate company in the fact that, we, as individuals, are shareholders in the company. You don't get that at a lot of the other big places. It's really my personal business within the overall business. On the day to day, there's no better commission structure for real estate agents. You can cap - for instance once you hit a commission amount in a time period, you don't have to pay the broker anything above that until the end of that period. The brand helps you bring in more business that you could by yourself. It's a company that no one would want to leave- I've actually invited a lot of friends into Keller Williams as it's great no matter your situation.
Because it's so national, there's a rah-rah cheer-leading push about it. Those are great if you are into it, but that's not my style. So there's no real glaring flaws as you can easily work around that.
Frequently asked questions about Northwestern Mutual salaries
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Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Northwestern Mutual, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Northwestern Mutual. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Northwestern Mutual. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Northwestern Mutual. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Northwestern Mutual and its employees or that of Zippia.
Northwestern Mutual may also be known as or be related to Northwestern Mutual, Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC, Northwestern Mutual Life Ins, Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance and Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company.