Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020

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

This occupation includes the 2018 and 2010 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)
293,620 1.2 % $ 24.78 $ 51,550 0.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 14.71 $ 17.77 $ 22.91 $ 29.69 $ 37.84
Annual Wage (2) $ 30,590 $ 36,950 $ 47,660 $ 61,760 $ 78,700


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 63,110 6.57 $ 23.93 $ 49,770
Individual and Family Services 52,580 2.06 $ 25.02 $ 52,050
Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities 34,070 5.39 $ 21.18 $ 44,050
Offices of Other Health Practitioners 30,160 3.34 $ 25.90 $ 53,870
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 23,170 0.43 $ 28.07 $ 58,390

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 63,110 6.57 $ 23.93 $ 49,770
Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals 13,780 5.70 $ 23.52 $ 48,920
Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities 34,070 5.39 $ 21.18 $ 44,050
Other Residential Care Facilities 8,540 5.34 $ 20.27 $ 42,150
Offices of Other Health Practitioners 30,160 3.34 $ 25.90 $ 53,870

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 40 0.01 $ 34.10 $ 70,940
Insurance Carriers 850 0.07 $ 31.80 $ 66,140
Child Day Care Services 280 0.04 $ 31.55 $ 65,620
Junior Colleges 310 0.05 $ 31.32 $ 65,150
Elementary and Secondary Schools 11,130 0.14 $ 28.21 $ 58,670


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 34,430 2.10 0.99 $ 27.34 $ 56,860
Pennsylvania 19,220 3.49 1.65 $ 23.29 $ 48,450
New York 16,340 1.88 0.89 $ 27.50 $ 57,210
Florida 15,370 1.82 0.86 $ 22.10 $ 45,960
Massachusetts 14,670 4.38 2.07 $ 24.32 $ 50,590




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)
Vermont 1,580 5.61 2.66 $ 21.12 $ 43,920
Massachusetts 14,670 4.38 2.07 $ 24.32 $ 50,590
Montana 1,700 3.74 1.77 $ 19.64 $ 40,860
Colorado 9,470 3.67 1.74 $ 25.85 $ 53,760
Virginia 13,400 3.62 1.72 $ 25.85 $ 53,780




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)
Nevada 1,030 0.82 0.39 $ 32.96 $ 68,560
Utah 3,350 2.25 1.06 $ 29.93 $ 62,250
Alaska 990 3.35 1.59 $ 29.80 $ 61,980
New Jersey 9,780 2.59 1.23 $ 29.48 $ 61,310
Oregon 5,860 3.24 1.54 $ 28.75 $ 59,800





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 17,840 2.02 0.96 $ 29.48 $ 61,320
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 13,370 2.30 1.09 $ 26.73 $ 55,600
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 9,110 3.50 1.66 $ 24.33 $ 50,600
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 8,650 1.98 0.94 $ 23.16 $ 48,170
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 8,380 3.11 1.47 $ 24.82 $ 51,630
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 6,960 2.77 1.31 $ 23.10 $ 48,060
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 6,040 2.00 0.95 $ 28.76 $ 59,820
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 5,510 2.82 1.33 $ 26.34 $ 54,790
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 4,920 2.66 1.26 $ 26.40 $ 54,910
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO 4,640 3.18 1.51 $ 26.45 $ 55,010




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 780 13.05 6.18 $ 22.62 $ 47,050
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA 550 8.37 3.97 $ 21.56 $ 44,850
Pueblo, CO 480 8.01 3.79 $ 25.63 $ 53,320
Worcester, MA-CT 1,970 7.39 3.50 $ 23.70 $ 49,290
Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA 1,640 7.06 3.34 $ 23.76 $ 49,430
Gettysburg, PA 200 6.58 3.12 $ 21.15 $ 43,990
Grants Pass, OR 160 6.33 3.00 $ 25.78 $ 53,630
Altoona, PA 340 6.20 2.94 $ 22.06 $ 45,880
Pittsfield, MA 220 6.17 2.92 $ 19.87 $ 41,330
Monroe, LA 440 6.11 2.89 $ 19.00 $ 39,510




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)
Enid, OK 50 2.22 1.05 $ 47.30 $ 98,370
Reno, NV 350 1.55 0.74 $ 41.67 $ 86,670
Lewiston, ID-WA 60 2.14 1.01 $ 34.42 $ 71,590
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 1,270 1.15 0.54 $ 33.35 $ 69,370
Kennewick-Richland, WA 330 2.92 1.38 $ 33.13 $ 68,910
Grand Forks, ND-MN 50 1.06 0.50 $ 33.12 $ 68,890
Portsmouth, NH-ME 60 0.71 0.34 $ 32.91 $ 68,460
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA (8) (8) (8) $ 32.75 $ 68,110
Yuma, AZ 70 1.12 0.53 $ 32.26 $ 67,110
North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL 240 0.83 0.39 $ 31.68 $ 65,890

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area 780 4.35 2.06 $ 23.36 $ 48,580
Southern Vermont nonmetropolitan area 760 7.76 3.68 $ 20.28 $ 42,170
Western Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area 740 5.30 2.51 $ 23.05 $ 47,950
Northern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area 720 4.88 2.31 $ 22.40 $ 46,590
Southeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area 680 4.12 1.95 $ 18.33 $ 38,140

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southern Vermont nonmetropolitan area 760 7.76 3.68 $ 20.28 $ 42,170
Southwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area 620 6.51 3.08 $ 25.38 $ 52,780
Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area 350 6.15 2.91 $ 25.25 $ 52,530
Southside Virginia nonmetropolitan area 540 5.46 2.59 $ 23.63 $ 49,160
Northern Vermont nonmetropolitan area 350 5.34 2.53 $ 22.14 $ 46,050

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Eastern Utah nonmetropolitan area 80 1.04 0.49 $ 37.15 $ 77,280
Central Utah nonmetropolitan area 190 3.90 1.85 $ 34.76 $ 72,300
East Arkansas nonmetropolitan area 240 3.69 1.75 $ 32.56 $ 67,720
Alaska nonmetropolitan area 380 3.77 1.79 $ 31.55 $ 65,620
Southeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area 270 1.27 0.60 $ 29.98 $ 62,360


About May 2020 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 2020 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 31, 2021