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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2022

21-1018 Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors

This occupation includes the 2018 SOC occupations 21-1011 Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors and 21-1014 Mental Health Counselors.


National estimates for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors
Industry profile for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors
Geographic profile for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors

National estimates for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
344,970 0.8 % $ 27.03 $ 56,230 0.8 %

Percentile wage estimates for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 16.63 $ 19.14 $ 23.90 $ 30.96 $ 39.77
Annual Wage (2) $ 34,580 $ 39,810 $ 49,710 $ 64,400 $ 82,710


Industry profile for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Outpatient Care Centers 76,420 7.47 $ 26.07 $ 54,220
Individual and Family Services 59,400 2.10 $ 26.21 $ 54,510
Offices of Other Health Practitioners 49,110 4.60 $ 29.95 $ 62,300
Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities 38,140 6.34 $ 21.95 $ 45,650
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 21,520 0.40 $ 31.44 $ 65,390

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Outpatient Care Centers 76,420 7.47 $ 26.07 $ 54,220
Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals 16,550 7.14 $ 25.26 $ 52,540
Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities 38,140 6.34 $ 21.95 $ 45,650
Offices of Other Health Practitioners 49,110 4.60 $ 29.95 $ 62,300
Other Residential Care Facilities 6,780 4.55 $ 21.20 $ 44,090

Top paying industries for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Religious Organizations 490 0.26 $ 41.58 $ 86,480
Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations 110 0.03 $ 38.79 $ 80,680
Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities 340 0.03 $ 37.36 $ 77,710
Insurance Carriers 460 0.04 $ 36.63 $ 76,200
Junior Colleges 280 0.05 $ 32.83 $ 68,290


Geographic profile for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors, see the Create Customized Tables function.



Map of employment of substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors by state, May 2022


States with the highest employment level in Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 36,100 2.05 0.88 $ 30.99 $ 64,460
New York 22,810 2.50 1.07 $ 29.00 $ 60,320
Pennsylvania 20,680 3.56 1.53 $ 24.83 $ 51,650
Massachusetts 17,030 4.78 2.05 $ 28.74 $ 59,780
Texas 16,830 1.30 0.56 $ 24.90 $ 51,800


Map of location quotient of substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors by state, May 2022


States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Massachusetts 17,030 4.78 2.05 $ 28.74 $ 59,780
Colorado 13,030 4.71 2.02 $ 28.78 $ 59,860
Alaska 1,270 4.15 1.78 $ 33.06 $ 68,770
Montana 1,910 3.91 1.68 $ 23.41 $ 48,690
Washington 12,810 3.76 1.61 $ 27.92 $ 58,070


Map of annual mean wages of substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors by state, May 2022


Top paying states for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska 1,270 4.15 1.78 $ 33.06 $ 68,770
Hawaii 850 1.44 0.62 $ 32.02 $ 66,610
Utah 3,150 1.94 0.83 $ 31.34 $ 65,180
New Jersey 11,790 2.87 1.23 $ 31.29 $ 65,090
Nevada 1,220 0.86 0.37 $ 31.20 $ 64,890



Map of employment of substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 23,050 2.51 1.08 $ 31.21 $ 64,930
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 12,400 2.03 0.87 $ 30.16 $ 62,730
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 10,970 4.06 1.74 $ 29.28 $ 60,900
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 10,620 3.83 1.64 $ 27.29 $ 56,770
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 9,720 2.20 0.94 $ 27.06 $ 56,290
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 7,120 3.50 1.50 $ 29.06 $ 60,450
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO 6,720 4.33 1.86 $ 28.93 $ 60,180
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 6,010 1.99 0.85 $ 31.32 $ 65,150
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 5,770 2.60 1.11 $ 26.42 $ 54,950
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 5,180 2.17 0.93 $ 34.19 $ 71,110


Map of location quotient of substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New Bedford, MA 680 10.42 4.47 $ 23.90 $ 49,710
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA 640 8.98 3.85 $ 23.76 $ 49,420
Pueblo, CO 550 8.79 3.77 $ 27.21 $ 56,600
Leominster-Gardner, MA 380 7.41 3.18 $ 29.89 $ 62,180
Lynchburg, VA 670 6.96 2.98 $ 23.96 $ 49,830
Springfield, MA-CT 2,140 6.72 2.88 $ 27.71 $ 57,630
Altoona, PA 380 6.67 2.86 $ 19.76 $ 41,090
Worcester, MA-CT 1,870 6.60 2.83 $ 27.08 $ 56,320
Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA 1,600 6.39 2.74 $ 25.62 $ 53,290
Colorado Springs, CO 1,890 6.25 2.68 $ 27.70 $ 57,620


Map of annual mean wages of substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors by area, May 2022


Top paying metropolitan areas for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 1,520 1.35 0.58 $ 37.22 $ 77,420
Lewiston-Auburn, ME 70 1.40 0.60 $ 36.82 $ 76,590
Boulder, CO 950 4.97 2.13 $ 36.56 $ 76,050
Napa, CA 170 2.35 1.01 $ 35.56 $ 73,970
Reno, NV 260 1.04 0.44 $ 34.97 $ 72,740
Carson City, NV 40 1.18 0.50 $ 34.78 $ 72,340
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 5,180 2.17 0.93 $ 34.19 $ 71,110
Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI 130 1.83 0.79 $ 34.09 $ 70,900
Hot Springs, AR 100 2.73 1.17 $ 33.77 $ 70,250
Fort Smith, AR-OK 250 2.34 1.00 $ 33.64 $ 69,970

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area 910 6.10 2.62 $ 23.41 $ 48,690
East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 890 9.06 3.88 $ 20.25 $ 42,120
North Northeastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area (noncontiguous) 700 2.18 0.94 $ 22.81 $ 47,450
Balance of Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area 690 2.62 1.12 $ 28.91 $ 60,140
Western Washington nonmetropolitan area 670 5.37 2.30 $ 26.57 $ 55,260

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 890 9.06 3.88 $ 20.25 $ 42,120
Connecticut nonmetropolitan area 240 7.15 3.07 $ 25.08 $ 52,160
Northern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area 910 6.10 2.62 $ 23.41 $ 48,690
Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area 360 5.81 2.49 $ 30.78 $ 64,030
Eastern and Southern Colorado nonmetropolitan area 390 5.78 2.48 $ 25.53 $ 53,110

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska nonmetropolitan area 320 3.12 1.34 $ 35.08 $ 72,960
West Arkansas nonmetropolitan area 180 2.11 0.90 $ 31.54 $ 65,610
Central Utah nonmetropolitan area 160 2.86 1.23 $ 31.36 $ 65,230
Nevada nonmetropolitan area 120 1.19 0.51 $ 30.95 $ 64,370
Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area 360 5.81 2.49 $ 30.78 $ 64,030


About May 2022 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2022 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: April 25, 2023