Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2018

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)
267,730	1.1 %	$23.04	$47,920	0.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile	10%	25%	50% (Median)	75%	90%
Hourly Wage	$13.58	$16.80	$21.46	$27.68	$35.09
Annual Wage (2)	$28,240	$34,950	$44,630	$57,580	$72,990

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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	62,310	6.76	$22.24	$46,260
Individual and Family Services	47,560	1.96	$22.98	$47,790
Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities	36,050	5.64	$19.59	$40,750
Offices of Other Health Practitioners	22,140	2.43	$24.89	$51,760
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation)	20,370	0.37	$27.00	$56,160

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	62,310	6.76	$22.24	$46,260
Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals	14,070	5.83	$22.46	$46,720
Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities	36,050	5.64	$19.59	$40,750
Other Residential Care Facilities	6,870	4.21	$19.64	$40,840
Offices of Other Health Practitioners	22,140	2.43	$24.89	$51,760

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Junior Colleges	180	0.02	$30.65	$63,760
Insurance Carriers	720	0.06	$29.14	$60,610
Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities	130	0.01	$28.87	$60,060
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools	3,150	0.10	$27.05	$56,270
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation)	20,370	0.37	$27.00	$56,160

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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	31,270	1.84	0.99	$24.50	$50,950
Pennsylvania	20,860	3.57	1.93	$21.99	$45,740
Massachusetts	15,880	4.45	2.40	$23.02	$47,880
New York	14,610	1.56	0.84	$24.70	$51,380
Virginia	12,620	3.29	1.78	$23.97	$49,860

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	1,640	5.36	2.90	$22.57	$46,950
Massachusetts	15,880	4.45	2.40	$23.02	$47,880
Pennsylvania	20,860	3.57	1.93	$21.99	$45,740
Virginia	12,620	3.29	1.78	$23.97	$49,860
Colorado	7,770	2.97	1.60	$23.31	$48,490

Top paying States for this occupation:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Utah	2,540	1.74	0.94	$31.89	$66,330
Alaska	910	2.90	1.57	$30.25	$62,920
District of Columbia	650	0.92	0.50	$28.78	$59,850
Oregon	4,880	2.58	1.40	$28.55	$59,390
New Jersey	8,600	2.12	1.15	$28.08	$58,410

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-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA	14,990	1.58	0.85	$27.11	$56,400
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	12,630	2.06	1.12	$24.35	$50,650
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	9,250	3.25	1.75	$22.95	$47,740
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH	9,140	3.31	1.79	$23.64	$49,180
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI	8,790	1.89	1.02	$21.79	$45,320
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	5,050	2.58	1.40	$23.78	$49,460
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	4,580	1.77	0.96	$21.13	$43,950
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	4,480	2.26	1.22	$22.86	$47,550
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	4,300	1.37	0.74	$26.95	$56,050
Pittsburgh, PA	3,850	3.36	1.82	$21.68	$45,090