Mental health counselors

Detailed Occupation

Add Comparison

2021 Workforce

124k

Average Age

41.3

Average Salary

$48,254

Average Male Salary

$51,711

Average Female Salary

$47,187

About

Mental health counselors are most often employed by the Outpatient care centers industry. The average yearly wage for Mental health counselors was $48,254 in 2021.

The locations that employ the most Mental health counselors are Northwest Louisiana PUMA, LA, Springfield City PUMA, MA, and Minneapolis City (Southwest) PUMA, MN. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Mental health counselors are Northwest Louisiana PUMA, LA, Springfield City PUMA, MA, and Brandermill & Woodlake PUMA, VA.

Management, business, science, & arts occupations Community & Social Service Occupations Education, legal, community service, arts, & media occupations

Employment and salary information for the Mental health counselors workforce. Mental health counselors workforce in 2021 was 124,485 people, of which 76.4% were women and 23.6% were men. Mental health counselors are paid most in Roseville City PUMA, CA but are relatively concentrated in Northwest Louisiana PUMA, LA.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

29,346

Male Workforce

± 4.21k

95,139

Female Workforce

± 7.57k

The Mental health counselors workforce in 2021 was 124,485 people (76.4% women and 23.6% men). This implies an average annual growth of 36.2% between 2018 (91,411) and 2021 (124,485).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Mental health counselors.

During 2021, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were North Dakota ($75,705), Mississippi ($65,491), and Wyoming ($64,786).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$48,254

AVERAGE WAGE

#308 in the ranking (2021)

$59,596

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2021, Mental health counselors earned an average of $48,254, $11,342 less than the average national salary of $59,596

The graph shows the ranking of Mental health counselors in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2021.

Wage Distribution

Gender

0.308

WAGE GINI

In 2021, Mental health counselors had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.308, which is lower than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Mental health counselors (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

The graphic shows the distribution of average salaries by buckets for Mental health counselors compared to the entire workforce in the country.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Mental health counselors and on wages for those in the field. Outpatient care centers is the industry that employs the most Mental health counselors, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Mental health counselors, by average wage, is Executive offices & legislative bodies ($65,561).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

124k

2021 Workforce

± 8,659

12.2%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 9.03%

This graphic shows the share of Mental health counselors employed by various industries. Outpatient care centers employs the largest share of Mental health counselors at 68.5%, followed by Individual & family services with 22.7% and General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals with 8.82%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Mental health counselors in the US. The workforce of Mental health counselors in 2021 was 124,485 people, with 76.4% woman, and 23.6% men. The average age of male Mental health counselors in the workforce is 44.4 and of female Mental health counselors is 40.4, and the most common race/ethnicity for Mental health counselors is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Mental health counselors in 2021 was 124,485 people, with 76.4% woman, and 23.6% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 30 to 34 years (20,508 people), 25 to 29 years (19,302 people), and 35 to 39 years (18,070 people). Among them they concentrated 46.6% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2021, 14.1% of Mental health counselors workers were Hispanic and 85.9% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (75.1%), Puerto Rican (17.7)%, and All Other Spanish/Hispanic/Latino (7.16)%

You can review this information by gender using the selectors above.

Races

In 2021, 66.1% of the Mental health counselors workforce were White, of which 77.8% were women and 22.2% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Black (19.2%) and Two or More Races (7.1%).

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices for Mental health counselors from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Mental health counselors is Psychology but the most specialized major according to RCA in 2021 were Psychology.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

Type of Majors

Degree

The most common majors achieved by Mental health counselors in 2021 (counting all academic degrees) were Psychology (42,590 people), Public Administration and Social Service (9,669 people), and Education (7,843 people).

You can review this information for different academic grades by modifying the option selected in the selector above.

Education Levels

Metric

The main educational levels achieved by the Mental health counselors workers were Graduate Degree (81,344 people), Bachelors Degree (26,903 people), and Some college (6,536 people).

The graphic shows the Mental health counselors workforce by gender and educational level.