How much do mental health counselors make?

Mental Health Counselor salary 2026 · BLS occupation: Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors (SOC 21-1018) · Updated October 28, 2026

Answer

Mental health counselors in the US earned a median of $59,350 a year ($28.53 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned $47,100 to $76,530.

Median annual pay: $59,350; Mean $64,440
Median hourly pay: $28.53; Mean $30.98
Typical range (10th–90th): $38.9K–$97.6K; $38,940 to $97,590
US jobs: 491,930; +18.4% projected, 2025–35

BLS OEWS, May 2025, released April 30, 2026. Wages include tips, commissions and production bonuses but not overtime premiums, shift differentials, other bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers are not included. Methodology

How to become a mental health counselor: steps, years and cost · Best-paying state after cost of living: New Mexico

Mental Health Counselor pay range

Annual wages, May 2025

10th percentile$38,940
25th percentile$47,100
Median$59,350
75th percentile$76,530
90th percentile$97,590

Half of all mental health counselors earned more than $59,350 and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% made under $38,940; the top 10% made over $97,590. The middle 50%, from the 25th to the 75th percentile, ran from $47,100 to $76,530.

These percentiles describe everyone in the occupation at one time. They are not pay steps by years of experience: they mix new and senior workers, different states, employers and hours. Pay generally rises with experience, credentials and specialization, but BLS does not publish pay by experience.

Percentile	Annual	Hourly	Monthly
10th	$38,940	$18.72	$3,245
25th	$47,100	$22.65	$3,925
Median (50th)	$59,350	$28.53	$4,946
75th	$76,530	$36.80	$6,378
90th	$97,590	$46.92	$8,133
Mean (average)	$64,440	$30.98	$5,370

Mental Health Counselor salary by state

Median annual pay; cost of living from BEA regional price parities 2024

Median annual pay for mental health counselors by state. Darker tiles pay more.

Highest-paying states

1. Alaska $80,770
2. Oregon $74,590
3. New Mexico $74,100
4. Washington $68,910
5. North Dakota $68,630

Lowest-paying states

51. Louisiana $37,910
50. Mississippi $46,990
49. Alabama $47,310
48. West Virginia $49,430
47. Tennessee $49,580

Best after cost of living: New Mexico. Its median of $74,100 is worth about $80,358 at national-average prices, more than in Alaska once prices are counted.


Alabama	$47,310	49	$53,263	49	$22.74	—	—
Alaska	$80,770	1	$78,909	2	$38.83	1,290	3.98
Arizona	$65,300	6	$64,861	12	$31.39	9,990	3.08
Arkansas	$51,580	46	$59,330	30	$24.80	2,570	1.97
California	$59,250	30	$53,513	47	$28.48	75,610	4.15
Colorado	$62,390	15	$60,542	27	$30.00	14,920	5.19
Connecticut	$63,590	10	$61,374	23	$30.57	7,540	4.45
Delaware	$56,020	38	$56,128	38	$26.93	1,700	3.50
District of Columbia	$60,450	21	$55,004	42	$29.06	1,260	1.79
Florida	$56,790	37	$54,915	43	$27.30	29,750	3.00
Georgia	$58,960	32	$61,230	24	$28.35	9,600	1.96
Hawaii	$60,090	22	$54,652	44	$28.89	2,110	3.36
Idaho	$63,360	11	$66,350	9	$30.46	2,990	3.48
Illinois	$60,730	20	$60,756	25	$29.20	20,250	3.32
Indiana	$53,760	42	$57,603	34	$25.85	11,890	3.71
Iowa	$60,880	19	$69,369	6	$29.27	3,530	2.27
Kansas	$59,470	27	$66,028	11	$28.59	2,600	1.81
Kentucky	$54,190	41	$60,105	28	$26.05	7,690	3.85
Louisiana	$37,910	51	$42,978	51	$18.22	6,420	3.32
Maine	$59,970	23	$61,793	22	$28.83	1,930	3.02
Maryland	$59,530	26	$56,717	36	$28.62	9,730	3.52
Massachusetts	$59,890	24	$56,630	37	$28.80	18,190	5.00
Michigan	$61,690	18	$64,115	16	$29.66	10,100	2.29
Minnesota	$58,780	33	$59,602	29	$28.26	7,110	2.41
Mississippi	$46,990	50	$54,041	45	$22.59	2,090	1.80
Missouri	$56,910	36	$62,664	20	$27.36	8,130	2.77
Montana	$59,000	31	$62,338	21	$28.36	1,820	3.55
Nebraska	$63,770	9	$70,775	5	$30.66	2,170	2.12
Nevada	$57,210	35	$57,222	35	$27.51	1,810	1.17
New Hampshire	$54,840	40	$52,647	50	$26.36	3,690	5.41
New Jersey	$62,820	13	$57,736	33	$30.20	14,210	3.31
New Mexico	$74,100	3	$80,358	1	$35.63	2,420	2.77
New York	$59,450	28	$55,087	41	$28.58	26,770	2.76
North Carolina	$55,490	39	$58,828	32	$26.68	10,300	2.08
North Dakota	$68,630	5	$77,148	3	$33.00	1,290	3.00
Ohio	$58,360	34	$62,906	19	$28.06	18,020	3.25
Oklahoma	$59,350	29	$67,564	8	$28.53	5,150	3.02
Oregon	$74,590	2	$72,165	4	$35.86	8,160	4.15
Pennsylvania	$52,010	45	$53,304	48	$25.01	30,620	5.05
Rhode Island	$65,120	7	$63,668	17	$31.31	2,170	4.33
South Carolina	$52,370	44	$55,862	39	$25.18	6,300	2.73
South Dakota	$53,650	43	$60,563	26	$25.79	1,710	3.75
Tennessee	$49,580	47	$53,968	46	$23.84	9,040	2.76
Texas	$62,630	14	$64,529	14	$30.11	21,400	1.52
Utah	$63,890	8	$64,624	13	$30.72	6,320	3.64
Vermont	$61,810	17	$63,098	18	$29.72	1,120	3.70
Virginia	$59,880	25	$59,226	31	$28.79	17,940	4.37
Washington	$68,910	4	$64,394	15	$33.13	14,250	4.01
West Virginia	$49,430	48	$55,231	40	$23.76	2,100	3.00
Wisconsin	$62,220	16	$66,125	10	$29.91	8,340	2.83
Wyoming	$62,980	12	$67,946	7	$30.28	910	3.26

BLS OEWS, May 2025, state estimates. Adjusted pay = median ÷ (state price level ÷ 100), using BEA regional price parities for 2024; it ignores taxes. Figures for states with few workers in the occupation have larger survey errors and can change sharply from one year to the next. “—” means BLS did not publish the figure. State names link to each state’s highest-paying jobs.

Best-paying metro areas for mental health counselors

386 metro areas with published pay

Highest median pay
Metro area	Median	Adjusted	Jobs
Fairbanks-College, AK	$83,680	$81,079	100
Anchorage, AK	$81,120	$76,949	810
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA	$80,770	$74,377	350
Albany, OR	$78,910	$77,287	110
Salem, OR	$78,870	$76,093	560
Bellingham, WA	$77,620	$75,116	440
Lincoln, NE	$76,480	$83,511	560
Las Cruces, NM	$76,350	$84,634	310
Corvallis, OR	$75,700	$72,777	170
Bend, OR	$75,470	$72,843	590

Most jobs
Metro area	Jobs	Median	Adjusted
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	26,960	$51,910	$45,709
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	26,200	$61,020	$54,210
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	15,580	$61,600	$59,462
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	14,920	$58,140	$56,692
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	11,150	$62,130	$57,386
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	10,240	$57,290	$50,186
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	9,520	$68,400	$59,163
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	9,030	$65,270	$59,945
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO	8,480	$62,810	$59,377
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	7,950	$66,020	$63,901

BLS OEWS, May 2025, metropolitan statistical areas; adjusted with BEA metro price parities (2024).

What moves mental health counselor pay: employers and settings

Work setting and licensure drive most of the pay difference for mental health counselors. Local government programs pay the highest median among the largest employers at $67,870. Schools pay $62,710. Outpatient care centers pay $59,390. Individual and family service agencies pay $58,440 and private practices $58,240. Residential treatment facilities pay the least at $49,330. They often staff around the clock.

Public employers pay more than private ones overall. Local government counselors earn a median of $66,400 and state government counselors $65,890. The private-sector median is $58,390.

BLS does not report pay by license status or by counselor type. What a full LPC or LMHC license changes is what you can do: bill insurance under your own license and open a private practice, which a counselor still working under supervision cannot.

By state, Alaska has the highest median at $80,770, followed by Oregon at $74,590, New Mexico at $74,100, Washington at $68,910, and North Dakota at $68,630. New Mexico leads after living costs at $80,358. Louisiana is lowest at $37,910. Across the occupation, pay runs from $38,940, the 10th percentile, to $97,590, the 90th.

Where mental health counselors work
Industry	Share of jobs	Median pay
Offices of Other Health Practitioners	21.7%	$58,240
Outpatient Care Centers	20%	$59,390
Individual and Family Services	16.4%	$58,440
Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities	9.7%	$49,330
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals	5.7%	$67,870
Elementary and Secondary Schools	4.7%	$62,710

Private employers and government
Employer type	Jobs	Median pay
Private employers	427,000	$58,390
State government (incl. schools and hospitals)	14,870	$65,890
Local government (incl. schools and hospitals)	50,060	$66,400

BLS OEWS, May 2025, national industry-specific and ownership estimates (4-digit NAICS).

Mental Health Counselor pay over time

Median annual pay, 2017–2025

$59.4K $43.3K

2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

Nominal median (dollars of each year)In May 2025 dollars (adjusted with CPI-U)

The median rose from $43,300 in 2017 to $59,350 in 2025, up 37% in nominal dollars. After inflation, the 2017 median is worth $56,876 in May 2025 dollars, so real pay grew 4% over the period.

The series starts in 2017 because BLS changed how it defines or publishes this occupation before then, so earlier figures are not comparable.

BLS OEWS, May 2025 and earlier May releases; inflation from the CPI-U, US city average, May of each year.

What mental health counselors do

A mental health counselor treats people dealing with anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, addiction and relationship problems, usually through talk therapy with individuals, couples, families or groups. Fully licensed counselors go by titles such as licensed professional counselor (LPC) or licensed mental health counselor (LMHC), depending on the state. The official occupation also includes substance abuse and addiction counselors, who help clients stop using alcohol or drugs and rebuild their lives.

Counselors work in private and group practices, which employ 21.7% in our data, outpatient clinics, community agencies, residential treatment centers, schools, hospitals, prisons and local government programs. About 5.4% are self-employed in private practice.

A typical day is a run of 45- to 60-minute sessions plus notes, treatment plans and insurance paperwork. Counselors assess new clients, screen for suicide risk, teach coping skills and coordinate with psychiatrists, social workers, nurses and probation officers. BLS describes the work as often stressful, with heavy caseloads and crises. Residential and inpatient jobs can include evenings, nights and weekends.

A typical day

Run intake interviews to learn a client's history, symptoms and goals, and arrive at a diagnosis
Write treatment plans and review progress against them with clients
Hold individual, couples, family or group therapy sessions
Screen for suicide and violence risk and step in during crises
Write progress notes and complete insurance, court or agency paperwork
Talk with psychiatrists, case managers, probation officers and family members about a client's care
Plan discharge and refer clients to support groups, housing or job services

Also called: licensed professional counselor, substance abuse counselor, addiction counselor, lmhc, behavior analyst, behavioral health counselor, case manager, clinician.

How to become a mental health counselor

Full guide

To become a licensed mental health counselor, you earn a bachelor's degree (4 years) and a 60-credit master's in clinical mental health counseling (2 to 3 years), then complete post-degree supervised clinical work (18 months or more in states like Texas) and pass a national exam such as the NCE or NCMHCE. Expect about 8 to 10 years in total.

Typical time: 8 to 10 years; Fastest: About 8 years
Minimum education: Master's degree in counseling (60 semester hours in CACREP-accredited programs) for licensure; some addiction counselor jobs accept a bachelor's degree or less
License: Required in all 50 states and DC for mental health counselors; addiction counselor rules vary by state, but private practice always requires a license
Typical training cost: $24.8K–$49.5K; See the guide for what it includes

Read the step-by-step guide to becoming a mental health counselor: each step with its time and cost, education options, exams, licensing and advancement.

Is it worth it? Training cost against pay

Compare careers

Training time: 8 to 10 years; Typical path in our guide
Training cost: $24.8K–$49.5K; Tuition and exam fees, before aid
Median pay: $59,350; $8,370 above the all-jobs median ($50,980)
Cost vs. one year's pay: 42–83%; Training cost as a share of a year at the median

Once qualified, the pay difference over the typical US job at the median ($8,370 a year before tax) would repay the training cost in about 3.0–5.9 years after training ends (8 to 10 years in our guide). This is a rough guide: it ignores taxes, financial aid, interest, earnings given up while training and how pay changes over a career. How we calculate ROI.

Job outlook for mental health counselors

BLS Employment Projections 2025–35

Projected growth: +18.4%; All occupations +3.5%
Jobs in 2025: 533,400; 631,400 projected for 2035
Openings each year: 50,500; New jobs plus replacements
Self-employed: 5.4%; Not in the pay figures above

BLS projects jobs for these counselors to grow from 533,400 in 2025 to 631,400 in 2035, an 18.4% increase, more than five times the 3.5% rate for all occupations. That means about 50,500 openings a year.

The drivers are more people seeking treatment, a rising number of young people and adults with mental health and behavioral disorders, and continued need for addiction treatment, especially for opioid use disorder. More courts and jurisdictions also send offenders with substance use disorders to counseling as part of their sentences.

Related careers and their pay

Related occupations from O*NET 31.0; median annual pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.

Mental Health Counselor salary FAQ

How much do mental health counselors make an hour?

The median hourly wage for mental health counselors was $28.53 in May 2025. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $18.72 an hour and the highest-paid 10% more than $46.92. Hourly figures are BLS estimates for all workers in the occupation, full-time and part-time.

Which state pays mental health counselors the most?

Alaska has the highest median pay for mental health counselors, $80,770 a year, followed by Oregon ($74,590) and New Mexico ($74,100). After adjusting for each state's price level, New Mexico comes out ahead at about $80,358 in national-average dollars.

Do mental health counselors make six figures?

Few do: based on the BLS percentiles, fewer than 10% of mental health counselors earn more than $100,000 a year. The median is $59,350, and the top 10% earn more than $97,590. Pay generally rises with experience, specialization and location.

What is the difference between an LPC and an LMHC?

They are mostly different names for the same kind of license. Each state picks its own title, and licensed professional counselor (LPC) and licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) are two of the most common. All require a master's in counseling, supervised clinical work after graduation and a national exam. The exact hour and exam rules come from each state's counseling board.

What is the difference between a counselor and a therapist?

Therapist is an informal word that covers several licensed professions, including counselors, marriage and family therapists, clinical social workers and psychologists. A licensed mental health counselor provides talk therapy for individuals, couples, families and groups. Psychologists hold doctorates and do more psychological testing, and psychiatrists are physicians who can prescribe medication.

Do substance abuse counselors need a master's degree?

Not always. BLS says the education needed runs anywhere between a high school diploma and a master's, depending on the state and job. Many states certify addiction counselors at several levels using IC&RC or similar standards, with more supervised hours required for less education. Counselors who want to work in private practice, though, must hold a state license, which requires a master's degree.

Sources

Data updated October 28, 2026 · Text checked against its sources October 28, 2026

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates, released April 30, 2026, SOC 21-1018
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035, released September 2026
O*NET 31.0 Database (21-1014.00, 21-1011.00), U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0; tasks rewritten by Careers and Salaries
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state and metro area, 2024
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, May values
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study and institution data, most recent cohorts, released 2026-10-15
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors, Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · checked October 28, 2026
Mental Health Counselors (21-1014.00), O*NET OnLine · checked October 28, 2026
Find Licenses, CareerOneStop, U.S. Department of Labor · checked October 28, 2026
For Students, Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) · checked October 28, 2026
2026-2027 Tuition and Fees, Missouri State University · checked October 28, 2026
NCMHCE, National Board for Certified Counselors · checked October 28, 2026
National Counselor Examination (NCE), National Board for Certified Counselors · checked October 28, 2026
Alcohol & Drug Counselor (ADC), International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC) · checked October 28, 2026
Counseling Compact, Counseling Compact Commission · checked October 28, 2026
Exam Registration for State Licensure, National Board for Certified Counselors · checked October 28, 2026
Supervision FAQs, Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council · checked October 28, 2026
2024 CACREP Standards, Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) · checked October 28, 2026

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