Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2017

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

Counsel and advise individuals, families, or groups to prevent or treat substance abuse problems, behavioral disorders, or a broad range of mental health issues in order to promote optimum mental and emotional health.

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National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1)	Employment RSE (3)	Mean hourly wage	Mean annual wage (2)	Wage RSE (3)
241,930	1.0 %	$22.38	$46,560	0.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile	10%	25%	50% (Median)	75%	90%
Hourly Wage	$13.13	$16.33	$20.82	$26.85	$34.06
Annual Wage (2)	$27,310	$33,960	$43,300	$55,850	$70,840

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Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Outpatient Care Centers	55,160	6.27	$21.85	$45,450
Individual and Family Services	42,920	1.86	$21.99	$45,750
Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities	34,870	5.56	$19.20	$39,940
Offices of Other Health Practitioners	17,960	2.05	$24.36	$50,680
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation)	17,770	0.33	$26.20	$54,490

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Outpatient Care Centers	55,160	6.27	$21.85	$45,450
Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities	34,870	5.56	$19.20	$39,940
Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals	12,910	5.39	$21.91	$45,570
Other Residential Care Facilities	6,310	3.87	$19.12	$39,770
Offices of Other Health Practitioners	17,960	2.05	$24.36	$50,680

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities	80	0.01	$34.29	$71,310
Scientific Research and Development Services	240	0.04	$34.08	$70,890
Junior Colleges	130	0.02	$30.57	$63,580
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools	2,870	0.10	$26.79	$55,730
Insurance Carriers	370	0.03	$26.73	$55,600

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Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
California	26,240	1.57	0.93	$23.00	$47,840
Pennsylvania	20,930	3.62	2.13	$21.28	$44,270
New York	13,590	1.48	0.87	$22.90	$47,640
Massachusetts	12,790	3.63	2.14	$22.27	$46,310
Virginia	11,190	2.95	1.74	$23.55	$48,990

States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Vermont	1,160	3.81	2.25	$22.81	$47,450
Massachusetts	12,790	3.63	2.14	$22.27	$46,310
Pennsylvania	20,930	3.62	2.13	$21.28	$44,270
Virginia	11,190	2.95	1.74	$23.55	$48,990
Montana	1,350	2.93	1.73	$21.34	$44,380

Top paying States for this occupation:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Utah	2,340	1.66	0.98	$32.29	$67,160
Alaska	840	2.64	1.56	$29.82	$62,030
Oregon	4,810	2.63	1.55	$27.60	$57,420
New Jersey	8,060	2.01	1.19	$27.50	$57,200
Wyoming	460	1.73	1.02	$27.33	$56,850

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Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Jersey City-White Plains, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division	9,490	1.42	0.84	$25.99	$54,070
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division	7,550	1.70	1.00	$23.81	$49,530
Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, IL Metropolitan Division	5,800	1.58	0.93	$21.29	$44,290
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	4,500	2.33	1.37	$23.47	$48,820
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division	4,330	1.72	1.01	$26.38	$54,860
Philadelphia, PA Metropolitan Division	4,250	4.70	2.77	$20.91	$43,480
Pittsburgh, PA	4,240	3.74	2.20	$19.79	$41,170
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA NECTA Division	3,830	2.08	1.23	$23.67	$49,230
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO	3,610	2.50	1.47	$23.04	$47,930
Montgomery County-Bucks County-Chester County, PA Metropolitan Division	3,240	3.13	1.85	$23.36	$48,600

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Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Worcester, MA-CT	2,370	8.41	4.96	$20.20	$42,020
Taunton-Middleborough-Norton, MA NECTA Division	440	7.44	4.39	$24.44	$50,830
New Bedford, MA	490	7.42	4.37	$19.53	$40,620
Waterbury, CT	390	5.69	3.35	$26.88	$55,920
Pueblo, CO	340	5.62	3.31	$23.55	$48,990
Peabody-Salem-Beverly, MA NECTA Division	520	5.46	3.22	$23.72	$49,340
Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton, MA NECTA Division	440	5.44	3.20	$25.74	$53,540
Grants Pass, OR	130	5.40	3.18	$20.29	$42,210
Grand Junction, CO	320	5.30	3.12	$20.40	$42,420
Lebanon, PA	250	5.18	3.05	$23.04	$47,930