Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
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) |
| 310,880 |
1.0 % |
$ 25.72 |
$ 53,490 |
0.5 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 14.84 |
$ 18.52 |
$ 23.33 |
$ 29.64 |
$ 37.49 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 30,870 |
$ 38,520 |
$ 48,520 |
$ 61,660 |
$ 77,980 |
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 |
72,820 |
7.38 |
$ 24.99 |
$ 51,980 |
| Individual and Family Services |
51,580 |
1.94 |
$ 25.08 |
$ 52,170 |
| Offices of Other Health Practitioners |
38,250 |
3.93 |
$ 27.66 |
$ 57,520 |
| Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities |
35,410 |
5.78 |
$ 21.71 |
$ 45,150 |
| Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
21,920 |
0.41 |
$ 30.57 |
$ 63,580 |
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 |
72,820 |
7.38 |
$ 24.99 |
$ 51,980 |
| Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals |
15,270 |
6.38 |
$ 23.60 |
$ 49,100 |
| Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities |
35,410 |
5.78 |
$ 21.71 |
$ 45,150 |
| Other Residential Care Facilities |
7,660 |
5.08 |
$ 18.73 |
$ 38,950 |
| Offices of Other Health Practitioners |
38,250 |
3.93 |
$ 27.66 |
$ 57,520 |
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) |
| Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 37.77 |
$ 78,570 |
| Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities |
230 |
0.02 |
$ 36.48 |
$ 75,880 |
| Insurance Carriers |
510 |
0.04 |
$ 36.24 |
$ 75,390 |
| Junior Colleges |
270 |
0.04 |
$ 32.93 |
$ 68,490 |
| Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) |
330 |
0.02 |
$ 32.78 |
$ 68,180 |
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.
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 |
34,820 |
2.11 |
0.95 |
$ 28.74 |
$ 59,790 |
| New York |
20,010 |
2.31 |
1.05 |
$ 26.95 |
$ 56,050 |
| Pennsylvania |
18,240 |
3.27 |
1.48 |
$ 23.79 |
$ 49,480 |
| Massachusetts |
17,020 |
5.01 |
2.27 |
$ 26.52 |
$ 55,160 |
| Texas |
16,970 |
1.39 |
0.63 |
$ 23.81 |
$ 49,510 |
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 |
17,020 |
5.01 |
2.27 |
$ 26.52 |
$ 55,160 |
| Vermont |
1,210 |
4.26 |
1.93 |
$ 23.51 |
$ 48,890 |
| Washington |
12,390 |
3.86 |
1.75 |
$ 27.16 |
$ 56,500 |
| Colorado |
10,100 |
3.85 |
1.75 |
$ 27.84 |
$ 57,900 |
| Montana |
1,770 |
3.76 |
1.70 |
$ 21.87 |
$ 45,490 |
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) |
| Utah |
3,450 |
2.22 |
1.01 |
$ 31.82 |
$ 66,190 |
| Alaska |
1,000 |
3.37 |
1.53 |
$ 31.29 |
$ 65,090 |
| District of Columbia |
820 |
1.24 |
0.56 |
$ 31.21 |
$ 64,920 |
| Rhode Island |
570 |
1.25 |
0.57 |
$ 31.08 |
$ 64,640 |
| New Jersey |
10,710 |
2.78 |
1.26 |
$ 30.50 |
$ 63,430 |
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 |
19,650 |
2.26 |
1.03 |
$ 29.52 |
$ 61,390 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
13,010 |
2.28 |
1.03 |
$ 28.66 |
$ 59,610 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
10,630 |
4.11 |
1.86 |
$ 26.72 |
$ 55,570 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
9,480 |
3.57 |
1.62 |
$ 25.85 |
$ 53,770 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
7,810 |
1.84 |
0.84 |
$ 26.18 |
$ 54,460 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
6,570 |
3.42 |
1.55 |
$ 28.20 |
$ 58,650 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
5,080 |
1.73 |
0.79 |
$ 30.06 |
$ 62,510 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI |
4,930 |
2.71 |
1.23 |
$ 26.13 |
$ 54,350 |
| Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO |
4,760 |
3.25 |
1.47 |
$ 29.57 |
$ 61,510 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
4,620 |
2.06 |
0.93 |
$ 31.43 |
$ 65,370 |
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 |
10.93 |
4.95 |
$ 23.72 |
$ 49,340 |
| Pueblo, CO |
610 |
10.05 |
4.55 |
$ 25.42 |
$ 52,870 |
| Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA |
560 |
8.27 |
3.75 |
$ 22.91 |
$ 47,650 |
| Leominster-Gardner, MA |
390 |
8.04 |
3.65 |
$ 27.49 |
$ 57,170 |
| Worcester, MA-CT |
2,030 |
7.57 |
3.43 |
$ 26.20 |
$ 54,500 |
| Springfield, MA-CT |
2,220 |
7.23 |
3.28 |
$ 25.85 |
$ 53,760 |
| Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA |
1,680 |
7.16 |
3.24 |
$ 25.64 |
$ 53,330 |
| Trenton, NJ |
1,450 |
6.37 |
2.89 |
$ 28.83 |
$ 59,970 |
| Gettysburg, PA |
200 |
6.11 |
2.77 |
$ 21.37 |
$ 44,450 |
| Longview, WA |
220 |
5.74 |
2.60 |
$ 27.73 |
$ 57,680 |
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 |
1,360 |
1.27 |
0.58 |
$ 35.85 |
$ 74,560 |
| Carson City, NV |
40 |
1.44 |
0.65 |
$ 35.19 |
$ 73,200 |
| Reno, NV |
220 |
0.95 |
0.43 |
$ 34.47 |
$ 71,690 |
| St. George, UT |
200 |
2.67 |
1.21 |
$ 33.96 |
$ 70,630 |
| Salt Lake City, UT |
1,600 |
2.15 |
0.97 |
$ 32.87 |
$ 68,370 |
| Lewiston-Auburn, ME |
40 |
0.86 |
0.39 |
$ 32.87 |
$ 68,370 |
| Albuquerque, NM |
800 |
2.20 |
1.00 |
$ 31.77 |
$ 66,090 |
| Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI |
150 |
2.32 |
1.05 |
$ 31.67 |
$ 65,860 |
| Napa, CA |
190 |
2.71 |
1.23 |
$ 31.66 |
$ 65,860 |
| Casper, WY |
100 |
2.62 |
1.19 |
$ 31.61 |
$ 65,740 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors:
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.
(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
