Counselors

Detailed Occupation

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2017 Workforce

741k

Average Age

41.8

Average Salary

$42,944

Average Male Salary

$44,386

Average Female Salary

$42,376

About

Counselors are most often employed by the Elementary & secondary schools industry. The average yearly wage for Counselors was $42,944 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Counselors by wage are Engine & other machine assemblers, Structural metal fabricators & fitters, and Wholesale & retail buyers, except farm products.

Counselors are part of the Community & Social Service Occupations, along with Substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors, Educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors, Marriage and family therapists, Mental health counselors, Rehabilitation counselors, and 11 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Counselors are Bowie City, Kettering, Largo, Mitchellville & Lanham PUMA, MD, Chittenden, Franklin & Grand Isle CountiesBurlington City PUMA, VT, and Jamaica, Hollis & St. Albans PUMA, NY. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Counselors are Campbell County & Lynchburg City PUMA, VA, Newark City (Southwest) PUMA, NJ, and Philadelphia City (Southwest) PUMA, PA.

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

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Counselors and on wages and locations for those in the field. Elementary & secondary schools is the industry that employs the most Counselors, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Counselors, by average wage, is Pharmaceutical & medicine manufacturing. Counselors are paid most in Ector CountyOdessa City PUMA, TX but are relatively concentrated in Campbell County & Lynchburg City PUMA, VA.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$42,944

AVERAGE SALARY

± $873

In 2017, Counselors earned an average of $42,944, $13,010 less than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Engine & other machine assemblers make somewhat more than Counselors while Structural metal fabricators & fitters make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Counselors as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.331

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Counselors had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.331, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Counselors (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Counselors.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Counselors

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Counselors.

Industries

Most Common

The most common industries employing Counselors, by number of employees, are Elementary & secondary schools, Individual & family services, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, Outpatient care centers, Residential care facilities, except skilled nursing facilities, Hospitals, Justice, public order, & safety activities , Vocational rehabilitation services, Administration of human resource programs, Civic, social, advocacy organizations, & grantmaking & giving services, and Other schools & instruction and educational support services.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Counselors, by average wage, are Pharmaceutical & medicine manufacturing, Legal services, and Administration of environmental quality & housing programs.

Industries by Share

741k

2017 Workforce

± 21,074

4.26%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 3.9%

The number of people employed as Counselors has been growing at a rate of 4.26%, from 710,343 people in 2016 to 740,591 people in 2017.

This graphic shows the share of Counselors employed by various industries. Elementary & secondary schools employs the largest share of Counselors at 22.1%, followed by Individual & family services with 15.5% and Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges with 15.3%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Counselors in the US. The average age of male Counselors in the workforce is 42.6 and of female Counselors is 41.4, and the most common race/ethnicity for Counselors is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

209k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 11,227

531k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 17,860

71.7% of Counselors are Female, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Counselors.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Counselors

White (Non-Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)

62.7% of Counselors are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 19.6% of Counselors, Black (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Counselors.

Age by Sex

42.6

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 0.771

41.4

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 0.447

The median age of Counselors is 41.8, and Male employees are generally 1.13 years older than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Counselors from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Counselors is Psychology but a relatively high number of Counselors hold a major in Psychology.

Majors

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

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Counselors from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Counselors need many skills, but most especially Social Perceptiveness. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Counselors need more than the average amount of Operations Analysis, Social Perceptiveness, and Service Orientation.