Mental health counselors

Detailed Occupation

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2024 Workforce

172k

Average Age

41.3

Estimated Job Growth

23.1%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$56,320

Average Male Salary

$60,813

Average Female Salary

$55,054

About

Mental health counselors are most often employed by the Outpatient care centers industry. The average yearly wage for Mental health counselors was $56,320 in 2024.

The locations that employ the most Mental health counselors are Coordinating & Development Corporation 4--Northwest Louisiana PUMA, LA, Atlanta Regional Commission (Central)--Fulton County (South)--South Fulton & Fairburn PUMA, GA, and Denton County (North & West)--Denton City (Outer) PUMA, TX. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Mental health counselors are Atlanta Regional Commission (Central)--Fulton County (South)--South Fulton & Fairburn PUMA, GA, Coordinating & Development Corporation 4--Northwest Louisiana PUMA, LA, and Essex County--Lynn & Nahant PUMA, MA.

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Employment and salary information for the Mental health counselors workforce. Mental health counselors workforce in 2024 was 171,782 people, of which 78% were women and 22% were men. Mental health counselors are paid most in Athens, Washington & Meigs Counties PUMA, OH but are relatively concentrated in Atlanta Regional Commission (Central)--Fulton County (South)--South Fulton & Fairburn PUMA, GA.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

37,765

Male Workforce

± 4.77k

134,017

Female Workforce

± 8.98k

The Mental health counselors workforce in 2024 was 171,782 people (78% women and 22% men). This implies an average annual growth of 87.5% between 2018 (91,596) and 2024 (171,782).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

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

During 2024, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were California ($67,530), New Hampshire ($67,242), and Alaska ($66,924).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$56,320

AVERAGE WAGE

#282 in the ranking (2018)

$69,878

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2024, Mental health counselors earned an average of $56,320, $13,558 less than the average national salary of $69,878

The graph shows the ranking of Mental health counselors in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2018.

Wage Distribution

Gender

0.318

WAGE GINI

In 2024, Mental health counselors had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.318, which is lower than the national average of 0.474. 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 Nursing Care Facilities ($81,640).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

172k

2024 Workforce

± 10,170

9.91%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 7.8%

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 70.1%, followed by Individual & family services with 19.4% and General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals with 6.8%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Mental health counselors in the US. The workforce of Mental health counselors in 2024 was 171,782 people, with 78% woman, and 22% men. The average age of male Mental health counselors in the workforce is 44.1 and of female Mental health counselors is 40.5, and the most common race/ethnicity for Mental health counselors is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Mental health counselors in 2024 was 171,782 people, with 78% woman, and 22% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 30 to 34 years (30,571 people), 25 to 29 years (26,525 people), and 35 to 39 years (24,260 people). Among them they concentrated 47.4% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2024, 15.3% of Mental health counselors workers were Hispanic and 84.7% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (49.2%), Puerto Rican (13.7)%, and Cuban (6.21)%

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

Races

In 2024, 62.6% of the Mental health counselors workforce were White, of which 78.5% were women and 21.5% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Black (17.5%) and Two or More Races (10.6%).

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 2024 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 2024 (counting all academic degrees) were Psychology (60,423 people), Public Administration and Social Service (14,959 people), and Health (11,270 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 (115,934 people), Bachelors Degree (36,591 people), and Some college (6,727 people).

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

Projections

Projections on job growth for Mental Health Counselors from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.07%, but Mental Health Counselors are expected to see a growth of 23.1% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow more than the national average.

Job Growth

23.1%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.07%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Mental health counselors. This profession is expected to grow more than than 3.07%, the average rate of national job growth.