Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors pay in the U.S.
$71,430avg. a year
$34.34 an hour · 353,310 employed
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors in the U.S. earn an average of $71,430 a year and a median of $64,330. Pay is highest in California ($93,610) and lowest in South Dakota ($53,980).
$64,330Median pay
$34.34Average hourly
+15%Avg. pay since 2020
353,310Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
145,140 jobs
California
$93,610
$45.01 an hour
26,610 jobs
Washington
$87,680
$42.16 an hour
311,460 jobs
Massachusetts
$85,660
$41.18 an hour
41,690 jobs
District of Columbia
$82,700
$39.76 an hour
58,190 jobs
New Jersey
$81,430
$39.15 an hour
6540 jobs
Alaska
$79,910
$38.42 an hour
76,600 jobs
Maryland
$78,920
$37.94 an hour
823,380 jobs
New York
$77,210
$37.12 an hour
93,990 jobs
Oregon
$77,070
$37.05 an hour
103,370 jobs
Connecticut
$75,730
$36.41 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL
Under $61k$61k–$67k$67k–$72k$72k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| El Centro, CA | $130,820 | $62.89 |
| Napa, CA | $103,800 | $49.91 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | $103,720 | $49.87 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $102,220 | $49.14 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $101,010 | $48.56 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $100,610 | $48.37 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $100,190 | $48.17 |
| Hanford-Corcoran, CA | $100,040 | $48.10 |
Related jobs
- Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors$64,440
- Social and Human Service Assistants$47,690
- Child, Family, and School Social Workers$64,000
- Healthcare Social Workers$71,790
- Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers$68,030
- Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other$59,590
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $59,540 | $59,570 | 4,410 |
| Alaska | $79,910 | $82,900 | 540 |
| Arizona | $61,270 | $58,250 | 7,330 |
| Arkansas | $59,370 | $59,770 | 2,310 |
| California | $93,610 | $86,500 | 45,140 |
| Colorado | $69,470 | $64,780 | 6,530 |
| Connecticut | $75,730 | $73,910 | 3,370 |
| Delaware | $72,490 | $74,070 | 1,700 |
| District of Columbia | $82,700 | $80,470 | 1,690 |
| Florida | $58,380 | $53,140 | 22,800 |
| Georgia | $68,410 | $63,720 | 11,460 |
| Hawaii | $68,650 | $61,730 | 1,620 |
| Idaho | $62,800 | $60,320 | 1,990 |
| Illinois | $70,230 | $62,420 | 13,580 |
| Indiana | $61,000 | $59,260 | 5,610 |
| Iowa | $58,190 | $56,540 | 3,690 |
| Kansas | $58,560 | $56,590 | 3,100 |
| Kentucky | $65,740 | $64,350 | 5,030 |
| Louisiana | $63,910 | $61,870 | 4,820 |
| Maine | $61,230 | $58,630 | 1,780 |
| Maryland | $78,920 | $75,820 | 6,600 |
| Massachusetts | $85,660 | $79,930 | 11,460 |
| Michigan | $62,900 | $59,440 | 9,170 |
| Minnesota | $69,080 | $64,600 | 4,200 |
| Mississippi | $57,380 | $58,710 | 2,620 |
| Missouri | $59,160 | $58,040 | 8,890 |
| Montana | $63,130 | $57,900 | 890 |
| Nebraska | $68,570 | $62,500 | 2,190 |
| Nevada | $68,740 | $66,710 | 2,250 |
| New Hampshire | $71,400 | $71,080 | 1,650 |
| New Jersey | $81,430 | $77,910 | 8,190 |
| New Mexico | $75,480 | $77,880 | 1,780 |
| New York | $77,210 | $71,610 | 23,380 |
| North Carolina | $56,710 | $57,630 | 9,430 |
| North Dakota | $61,790 | $58,960 | 840 |
| Ohio | $67,200 | $61,760 | 13,250 |
| Oklahoma | $56,830 | $52,040 | 4,830 |
| Oregon | $77,070 | $66,690 | 3,990 |
| Pennsylvania | $67,110 | $60,880 | 13,570 |
| Rhode Island | $75,730 | $75,000 | 1,340 |
| South Carolina | $62,000 | $60,340 | 6,460 |
| South Dakota | $53,980 | $51,830 | 1,000 |
| Tennessee | $61,020 | $59,960 | 6,470 |
| Texas | $69,940 | $67,900 | 31,730 |
| Utah | $66,970 | $61,320 | 4,070 |
| Vermont | $68,260 | $64,570 | 1,120 |
| Virginia | $71,920 | $67,660 | 9,450 |
| Washington | $87,680 | $82,670 | 6,610 |
| West Virginia | $55,100 | $55,520 | 1,260 |
| Wisconsin | $66,440 | $62,690 | 5,330 |
| Wyoming | $67,580 | $63,430 | 770 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$83,390
19,890 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$89,980
17,110 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$74,160
9,790 jobsBoston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$87,320
8,170 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX$74,780
7,980 jobsWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD$82,980
7,260 jobs$72,190
7,050 jobsAtlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA$72,750
6,550 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors make?
The average is $71,430 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $64,330 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $34.34, and the median is $30.93 an hour.
Which state pays educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors the most?
California, with an average of $93,610 a year. The best-paying metro area is El Centro, CA at $130,820.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $45,020 a year, and the top 10% earn over $104,770.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 21-1012. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.