Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
21-1012 Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors
Advise and assist students and provide educational and vocational guidance services.
National estimates for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors
Industry profile for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors
Geographic profile for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors
National estimates for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 296,370 |
0.8 % |
$ 30.33 |
$ 63,090 |
0.4 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 18.05 |
$ 22.78 |
$ 29.09 |
$ 37.12 |
$ 47.21 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 37,550 |
$ 47,390 |
$ 60,510 |
$ 77,210 |
$ 98,190 |
Industry profile for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
148,950 |
1.84 |
$ 34.04 |
$ 70,790 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools |
76,250 |
2.56 |
$ 26.24 |
$ 54,570 |
| Junior Colleges |
23,150 |
3.73 |
$ 30.85 |
$ 64,160 |
| Educational Support Services |
8,670 |
4.45 |
$ 28.06 |
$ 58,360 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
7,680 |
2.87 |
$ 20.42 |
$ 42,480 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Educational Support Services |
8,670 |
4.45 |
$ 28.06 |
$ 58,360 |
| Junior Colleges |
23,150 |
3.73 |
$ 30.85 |
$ 64,160 |
| Technical and Trade Schools |
4,000 |
3.06 |
$ 24.48 |
$ 50,930 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
7,680 |
2.87 |
$ 20.42 |
$ 42,480 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools |
76,250 |
2.56 |
$ 26.24 |
$ 54,570 |
Top paying industries for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors:
Geographic profile for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
29,670 |
1.79 |
0.85 |
$ 39.22 |
$ 81,590 |
| Texas |
27,780 |
2.27 |
1.08 |
$ 28.64 |
$ 59,560 |
| New York |
23,610 |
2.72 |
1.29 |
$ 33.72 |
$ 70,150 |
| Florida |
15,830 |
1.84 |
0.87 |
$ 27.22 |
$ 56,610 |
| Illinois |
14,430 |
2.57 |
1.22 |
$ 27.83 |
$ 57,880 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New Hampshire |
3,080 |
4.84 |
2.30 |
$ 25.73 |
$ 53,510 |
| Hawaii |
2,160 |
3.94 |
1.87 |
$ 32.96 |
$ 68,560 |
| Vermont |
970 |
3.40 |
1.62 |
$ 27.63 |
$ 57,470 |
| Louisiana |
5,810 |
3.24 |
1.54 |
$ 28.12 |
$ 58,480 |
| Utah |
4,970 |
3.19 |
1.52 |
$ 25.82 |
$ 53,710 |
Top paying states for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
29,670 |
1.79 |
0.85 |
$ 39.22 |
$ 81,590 |
| New Jersey |
6,700 |
1.74 |
0.83 |
$ 36.56 |
$ 76,040 |
| Massachusetts |
8,590 |
2.53 |
1.20 |
$ 36.38 |
$ 75,660 |
| Washington |
5,640 |
1.76 |
0.84 |
$ 36.14 |
$ 75,160 |
| Maryland |
6,170 |
2.42 |
1.15 |
$ 34.97 |
$ 72,730 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors:
| 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 |
19,780 |
2.28 |
1.08 |
$ 36.69 |
$ 76,310 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
11,290 |
2.67 |
1.27 |
$ 28.92 |
$ 60,150 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
9,630 |
1.68 |
0.80 |
$ 38.60 |
$ 80,280 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
6,800 |
1.90 |
0.90 |
$ 29.70 |
$ 61,780 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
6,500 |
2.22 |
1.05 |
$ 38.43 |
$ 79,930 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
6,410 |
2.48 |
1.18 |
$ 30.91 |
$ 64,290 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
6,340 |
2.45 |
1.17 |
$ 36.54 |
$ 75,990 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
6,260 |
2.16 |
1.03 |
$ 30.19 |
$ 62,790 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ |
6,070 |
2.87 |
1.36 |
$ 26.86 |
$ 55,860 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
4,880 |
1.84 |
0.87 |
$ 33.86 |
$ 70,420 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Ames, IA |
310 |
6.97 |
3.31 |
$ 24.45 |
$ 50,860 |
| College Station-Bryan, TX |
710 |
6.24 |
2.97 |
$ 21.09 |
$ 43,880 |
| Athens-Clarke County, GA |
520 |
6.06 |
2.88 |
$ 24.40 |
$ 50,750 |
| Provo-Orem, UT |
1,630 |
5.99 |
2.85 |
$ 24.87 |
$ 51,720 |
| Champaign-Urbana, IL |
560 |
5.72 |
2.72 |
$ 25.62 |
$ 53,290 |
| Corvallis, OR |
200 |
5.55 |
2.64 |
$ 28.76 |
$ 59,810 |
| Auburn-Opelika, AL |
330 |
5.52 |
2.63 |
$ 26.10 |
$ 54,290 |
| Lawrence, KS |
250 |
5.37 |
2.55 |
$ 22.91 |
$ 47,650 |
| Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN |
480 |
5.30 |
2.52 |
$ 25.96 |
$ 54,000 |
| Columbia, MO |
490 |
5.30 |
2.52 |
$ 26.63 |
$ 55,390 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA |
2,580 |
1.69 |
0.80 |
$ 44.01 |
$ 91,540 |
| Napa, CA |
130 |
1.89 |
0.90 |
$ 43.52 |
$ 90,530 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
1,680 |
1.57 |
0.75 |
$ 42.24 |
$ 87,860 |
| Hanford-Corcoran, CA |
50 |
1.24 |
0.59 |
$ 41.68 |
$ 86,680 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale, WA |
100 |
1.21 |
0.58 |
$ 41.24 |
$ 85,770 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA |
580 |
1.94 |
0.92 |
$ 41.23 |
$ 85,760 |
| Visalia-Porterville, CA |
220 |
1.49 |
0.71 |
$ 41.08 |
$ 85,450 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
4,040 |
1.80 |
0.86 |
$ 40.92 |
$ 85,120 |
| Bakersfield, CA |
530 |
1.71 |
0.81 |
$ 40.69 |
$ 84,630 |
| Vallejo-Fairfield, CA |
210 |
1.63 |
0.77 |
$ 40.30 |
$ 83,830 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors:
About May 2021 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.
(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.
(8) Estimate not released.
(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 2021 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022
United States Department of Labor
