Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors pay in the U.S.
$64,440avg. a year
$30.98 an hour · 491,930 employed
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors in the U.S. earn an average of $64,440 a year and a median of $59,350. Pay is highest in Alaska ($86,500) and lowest in Louisiana ($45,030).
$59,350Median pay
$30.98Average hourly
+25%Avg. pay since 2020
491,930Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
11,290 jobs
Alaska
$86,500
$41.59 an hour
22,420 jobs
New Mexico
$76,370
$36.72 an hour
38,160 jobs
Oregon
$75,540
$36.32 an hour
414,250 jobs
Washington
$75,020
$36.07 an hour
514,210 jobs
New Jersey
$71,360
$34.31 an hour
62,170 jobs
Nebraska
$70,220
$33.76 an hour
72,110 jobs
Hawaii
$70,050
$33.68 an hour
814,920 jobs
Colorado
$69,860
$33.59 an hour
96,320 jobs
Utah
$69,370
$33.35 an hour
101,260 jobs
District of Columbia
$69,180
$33.26 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.
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors 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
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Under $59k$59k–$64k$64k–$69k$69k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Fairbanks-College, AK | $89,720 | $43.13 |
| Anchorage, AK | $87,320 | $41.98 |
| Albany, OR | $82,260 | $39.55 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $82,100 | $39.47 |
| Lincoln, NE | $80,510 | $38.71 |
| Ames, IA | $79,660 | $38.30 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $79,630 | $38.28 |
| Santa Fe, NM | $79,440 | $38.19 |
Related jobs
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors 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 | $54,200 | $47,310 | – |
| Alaska | $86,500 | $80,770 | 1,290 |
| Arizona | $68,120 | $65,300 | 9,990 |
| Arkansas | $58,480 | $51,580 | 2,570 |
| California | $69,080 | $59,250 | 75,610 |
| Colorado | $69,860 | $62,390 | 14,920 |
| Connecticut | $68,450 | $63,590 | 7,540 |
| Delaware | $57,330 | $56,020 | 1,700 |
| District of Columbia | $69,180 | $60,450 | 1,260 |
| Florida | $61,030 | $56,790 | 29,750 |
| Georgia | $61,310 | $58,960 | 9,600 |
| Hawaii | $70,050 | $60,090 | 2,110 |
| Idaho | $66,900 | $63,360 | 2,990 |
| Illinois | $68,530 | $60,730 | 20,250 |
| Indiana | $57,920 | $53,760 | 11,890 |
| Iowa | $66,790 | $60,880 | 3,530 |
| Kansas | $61,820 | $59,470 | 2,600 |
| Kentucky | $57,560 | $54,190 | 7,690 |
| Louisiana | $45,030 | $37,910 | 6,420 |
| Maine | $63,370 | $59,970 | 1,930 |
| Maryland | $63,720 | $59,530 | 9,730 |
| Massachusetts | $65,380 | $59,890 | 18,190 |
| Michigan | $65,430 | $61,690 | 10,100 |
| Minnesota | $59,730 | $58,780 | 7,110 |
| Mississippi | $52,130 | $46,990 | 2,090 |
| Missouri | $60,670 | $56,910 | 8,130 |
| Montana | $60,590 | $59,000 | 1,820 |
| Nebraska | $70,220 | $63,770 | 2,170 |
| Nevada | $64,350 | $57,210 | 1,810 |
| New Hampshire | $58,790 | $54,840 | 3,690 |
| New Jersey | $71,360 | $62,820 | 14,210 |
| New Mexico | $76,370 | $74,100 | 2,420 |
| New York | $64,040 | $59,450 | 26,770 |
| North Carolina | $59,160 | $55,490 | 10,300 |
| North Dakota | $67,940 | $68,630 | 1,290 |
| Ohio | $60,090 | $58,360 | 18,020 |
| Oklahoma | $61,990 | $59,350 | 5,150 |
| Oregon | $75,540 | $74,590 | 8,160 |
| Pennsylvania | $57,170 | $52,010 | 30,620 |
| Rhode Island | $68,600 | $65,120 | 2,170 |
| South Carolina | $55,880 | $52,370 | 6,300 |
| South Dakota | $54,760 | $53,650 | 1,710 |
| Tennessee | $53,720 | $49,580 | 9,040 |
| Texas | $65,180 | $62,630 | 21,400 |
| Utah | $69,370 | $63,890 | 6,320 |
| Vermont | $64,890 | $61,810 | 1,120 |
| Virginia | $65,430 | $59,880 | 17,940 |
| Washington | $75,020 | $68,910 | 14,250 |
| West Virginia | $53,820 | $49,430 | 2,100 |
| Wisconsin | $68,280 | $62,220 | 8,340 |
| Wyoming | $66,770 | $62,980 | 910 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
$63,450
26,960 jobsNew York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$68,560
26,200 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$70,180
15,580 jobsPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD$60,500
14,920 jobsBoston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$67,030
11,150 jobsMiami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL$60,290
10,240 jobsSan Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$82,100
9,520 jobsWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
$71,360
9,030 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors make?
The average is $64,440 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $59,350 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $30.98, and the median is $28.53 an hour.
Which state pays substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors the most?
Alaska, with an average of $86,500 a year. The best-paying metro area is Fairbanks-College, AK at $89,720.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $38,940 a year, and the top 10% earn over $97,590.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 21-1018. 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.