School counselor earnings by seniority

90th percentile

Top-level school counselor earnings begin at:

$47.79 per hour

$99,390 per year

75th percentile

Senior-level school counselor earnings begin at:

$37.78 per hour

$78,580 per year

50th percentile

Mid-level school counselor earnings begin at:

$30.94 per hour

$64,350 per year

25th percentile

Junior-level school counselor earnings begin at:

$23.60 per hour

$49,080 per year

10th percentile

Starting level school counselor earnings begin at:

$19.64 per hour

$40,840 per year

Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.

School counselor salary by state

State Name Average Salary
California $86,500
Alaska $82,900
Washington $82,670
District of Columbia $80,470
Massachusetts $79,930
New Jersey $77,910
New Mexico $77,880
Maryland $75,820
Rhode Island $75,000
Delaware $74,070
Connecticut $73,910
New York $71,610
New Hampshire $71,080
Texas $67,900
Virginia $67,660
Nevada $66,710
Oregon $66,690
Colorado $64,780
Minnesota $64,600
Vermont $64,570
Kentucky $64,350
Georgia $63,720
Wyoming $63,430
Wisconsin $62,690
Nebraska $62,500
Illinois $62,420
Louisiana $61,870
Ohio $61,760
Hawaii $61,730
Utah $61,320
Pennsylvania $60,880
South Carolina $60,340
Idaho $60,320
Tennessee $59,960
Arkansas $59,770
Alabama $59,570
Michigan $59,440
Indiana $59,260
Guam $59,090
North Dakota $58,960
Mississippi $58,710
Maine $58,630
Arizona $58,250
Missouri $58,040
Montana $57,900
North Carolina $57,630
Kansas $56,590
Iowa $56,540
West Virginia $55,520
Florida $53,140
Oklahoma $52,040
South Dakota $51,830
Virgin Islands, U.S. $50,600
Puerto Rico $33,250

How much does a School Counselor earn?

School counselors who work in high schools typically earn more, as do counselors with a master’s degree or higher. School counselors with a master’s degree will have the greatest job opportunities and security, and can increase an annual salary by $10,000. Hiring will vary by geographic location, depending on state and local government budgets.

Here is a range of school counselor salaries reported by varying sources:

Bureau of Labor Statistics - $53,610
Salary.com - $45,094 to $51,315
Glassdoor.com - $50,000

About 124,200 counselors work in elementary and secondary schools, their biggest employers. Second for jobs are colleges, universities, and professional schools, where 45,770 work. The highest mean wages are with the federal government, which provides about 850 positions. Second for income are business, professional, labor and political organizations, for 270 jobs.

How do school counselor salaries compare to similar careers?

School counselors earn about the same as related careers in Kentucky. On average, they make less than physical education teachers but more than kindergarten teachers.

Career Median Salary
Physical education teacher salary $65K
Music teacher salary $64K
Health educator salary $65K
Professor salary $61K
Librarian salary $65K
School counselor salary $64K
Counselor salary $62K
High school teacher salary $62K
Elementary school teacher salary $61K
Kindergarten teacher salary $60K

Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)