An official website of the United States government
One in five U.S. adults lived with a mental illness in 2020, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. That includes nearly one-third of young adults ages 18–25. About 1 in 18 adults was affected by serious mental illness. In 1990, Congress established the first week in October as Mental Illness Awareness Week to provide education and increase awareness about mental illness. In honor of Mental Illness Awareness Week, we look at employment and wages for psychologists, counselors, and other workers who provide mental health services.
With May 2021 employment of nearly 400,000, social and human service assistants was the largest occupation providing mental health services. Although these workers assist providers in delivering a wide variety of social and human services, those services may include family therapy, behavioral disorder counseling, and other services related to mental health. Child, family, and school social workers (340,050); substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors (310,880); and educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors (296,370) were also among the largest occupations associated with mental health services.
Occupation | Employment |
---|---|
Social and human service assistants |
398,380 |
Child, family, and school social workers |
340,050 |
Substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors |
310,880 |
Educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors |
296,370 |
Healthcare social workers |
173,860 |
Mental health and substance abuse social workers |
113,810 |
Psychiatric technicians |
93,410 |
Rehabilitation counselors |
90,310 |
Community health workers |
61,010 |
Clinical and counseling psychologists |
58,100 |
School psychologists |
57,110 |
Marriage and family therapists |
54,800 |
Social workers, all other |
49,730 |
Psychiatric aides |
39,140 |
Counselors, all other |
29,480 |
Psychiatrists |
25,520 |
Psychologists, all other |
13,800 |
Psychiatrists, with an annual mean wage of $249,760, was the highest paying mental health services occupation. After psychiatrists, the highest paying mental health services occupations were several types of psychologists: clinical and counseling psychologists ($99,640); psychologists, all other ($98,010); and school psychologists ($82,770). The lowest paying mental health services occupations were psychiatric aides ($34,640) and psychiatric technicians ($38,000), both with annual mean wages below the U.S. average of $58,260 for all occupations.
Occupation | Annual mean wage |
---|---|
Psychiatrists |
$249,760 |
Clinical and counseling psychologists |
99,640 |
Psychologists, all other |
98,010 |
School psychologists |
82,770 |
Educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors |
63,090 |
Social workers, all other |
63,010 |
Healthcare social workers |
62,310 |
Marriage and family therapists |
59,660 |
Mental health and substance abuse social workers |
57,800 |
Child, family, and school social workers |
54,880 |
Substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors |
53,490 |
Counselors, all other |
49,730 |
Community health workers |
47,780 |
Rehabilitation counselors |
44,740 |
Social and human service assistants |
40,460 |
Psychiatric technicians |
38,000 |
Psychiatric aides |
34,640 |
These data are from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program. Interested in a career providing mental health services? See the Occupational Outlook Handbook for more information about these and other careers.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, A look at employment and wages of mental health workers for Mental Illness Awareness Week at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2022/a-look-at-employment-and-wages-of-mental-health-workers-for-mental-illness-awareness-week.htm (visited October 31, 2024).