Best states for an academic counselor

Q: What is the best state for academic counselors?

The best state to be an academic counselor is Massachusetts based on academic counselor salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for academic counselors?

The highest paying state for academic counselors is West Virginia based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for academic counselors?

The worst state for academic counselors is West Virginia, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Rank 1 - 10
11 - 20
21 - 30
31 - 40
41 - 51

It seems like academic counselors are becoming more and more common across America. But working conditions and demand for academic counselors aren't the same everywhere in the U.S. As academic counselors are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for academic counselors. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as an academic counselor, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.

To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for academic counselors. Massachusetts is the best state for academic counselors, where the median salary is $57,610.Massachusetts is the best state, and Arlington is the city with the highest pay for academic counselors.

10 best states for academic counselors in 2026

1. Massachusetts
Total academic counselor jobs: 1,500
Average annual salary: $57,610
Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $77,000
Location Quotient:
2.36
Academic counselor jobs in Massachusetts
2. California
Total academic counselor jobs: 2,606
Average annual salary: $57,697
Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $79,000
Location Quotient:
1.29
Academic counselor jobs in California
3. Connecticut
Total academic counselor jobs: 366
Average annual salary: $54,147
Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $73,000
Location Quotient:
1.6
Academic counselor jobs in Connecticut
4. New Jersey
Total academic counselor jobs: 591
Average annual salary: $55,851
Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $76,000
Location Quotient:
1.08
Academic counselor jobs in New Jersey
5. Alaska
Total academic counselor jobs: 74
Average annual salary: $49,922
Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $56,000
Location Quotient:
1.28
Academic counselor jobs in Alaska
6. Virginia
Total academic counselor jobs: 459
Average annual salary: $59,119
Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $81,000
Location Quotient:
0.71
Academic counselor jobs in Virginia
7. New York
Total academic counselor jobs: 1,123
Average annual salary: $50,738
Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $69,000
Location Quotient:
1.27
Academic counselor jobs in New York
8. Rhode Island
Total academic counselor jobs: 68
Average annual salary: $53,461
Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $72,000
Location Quotient:
0.81
Academic counselor jobs in Rhode Island
9. Maryland
Total academic counselor jobs: 479
Average annual salary: $52,238
Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $71,000
Location Quotient:
1.09
Academic counselor jobs in Maryland
10. Pennsylvania
Total academic counselor jobs: 852
Average annual salary: $46,327
Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $63,000
Location Quotient:
1.06
Academic counselor jobs in Pennsylvania

Academic counselor jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be an academic counselor

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for an academic counselor

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	Massachusetts	$57,610	$42,000	6,859,819	1,500
2	California	$57,697	$42,000	39,536,653	2,606
3	Connecticut	$54,147	$39,000	3,588,184	366
4	New Jersey	$55,851	$40,000	9,005,644	591
5	Alaska	$49,922	$44,000	739,795	74
6	Virginia	$59,119	$43,000	8,470,020	459
7	New York	$50,738	$37,000	19,849,399	1,123
8	Rhode Island	$53,461	$39,000	1,059,639	68
9	Maryland	$52,238	$37,000	6,052,177	479
10	Pennsylvania	$46,327	$33,000	12,805,537	852
11	Delaware	$47,893	$34,000	961,939	94
12	Minnesota	$49,063	$37,000	5,576,606	346
13	Vermont	$47,965	$36,000	623,657	45
14	New Hampshire	$46,035	$34,000	1,342,795	108
15	Georgia	$45,544	$34,000	10,429,379	738
16	Colorado	$46,503	$35,000	5,607,154	485
17	Washington	$45,859	$35,000	7,405,743	611
18	Nevada	$45,422	$33,000	2,998,039	123
19	District of Columbia	$49,943	$36,000	693,972	127
20	New Mexico	$44,688	$33,000	2,088,070	123
21	Louisiana	$43,249	$32,000	4,684,333	262
22	Wyoming	$43,038	$33,000	579,315	39
23	Michigan	$42,805	$31,000	9,962,311	519
24	Nebraska	$45,105	$34,000	1,920,076	94
25	Maine	$41,686	$31,000	1,335,907	124
26	Illinois	$43,620	$32,000	12,802,023	919
27	Texas	$44,411	$33,000	28,304,596	991
28	Tennessee	$41,618	$31,000	6,715,984	277
29	Arizona	$40,827	$30,000	7,016,270	493
30	Utah	$41,890	$32,000	3,101,833	177
31	North Dakota	$40,913	$32,000	755,393	56
32	Hawaii	$41,638	$32,000	1,427,538	73
33	Florida	$40,443	$30,000	20,984,400	1,224
34	Oregon	$41,592	$31,000	4,142,776	265
35	Mississippi	$41,564	$31,000	2,984,100	80
36	Kansas	$40,868	$31,000	2,913,123	117
37	Missouri	$41,357	$31,000	6,113,532	224
38	Iowa	$38,069	$29,000	3,145,711	229
39	Ohio	$39,838	$29,000	11,658,609	426
40	Arkansas	$39,237	$29,000	3,004,279	117
41	Montana	$32,848	$26,000	1,050,493	99
42	North Carolina	$39,757	$29,000	10,273,419	402
43	Wisconsin	$39,029	$29,000	5,795,483	246
44	Idaho	$33,513	$25,000	1,716,943	122
45	South Carolina	$36,266	$27,000	5,024,369	245
46	Oklahoma	$34,384	$26,000	3,930,864	172
47	Alabama	$37,695	$28,000	4,874,747	158
48	Indiana	$33,558	$25,000	6,666,818	357
49	Kentucky	$34,493	$25,000	4,454,189	176
50	South Dakota	$31,349	$24,000	869,666	54
51	West Virginia	$30,771	$22,000	1,815,857	66

Highest paying states for academic counselors

Rank	State	Avg. Academic Counselor Salary
1	Massachusetts	$57,610
2	California	$57,697
3	Connecticut	$54,147
4	New Jersey	$55,851
5	Alaska	$49,922
6	Virginia	$59,119
7	New York	$50,738
8	Rhode Island	$53,461
9	Maryland	$52,238
10	Pennsylvania	$46,327
11	Delaware	$47,893
12	Minnesota	$49,063
13	Vermont	$47,965
14	New Hampshire	$46,035
15	Georgia	$45,544
16	Colorado	$46,503
17	Washington	$45,859
18	Nevada	$45,422
19	District of Columbia	$49,943
20	New Mexico	$44,688
21	Louisiana	$43,249
22	Wyoming	$43,038
23	Michigan	$42,805
24	Nebraska	$45,105
25	Maine	$41,686
26	Illinois	$43,620
27	Texas	$44,411
28	Tennessee	$41,618
29	Arizona	$40,827
30	Utah	$41,890
31	North Dakota	$40,913
32	Hawaii	$41,638
33	Florida	$40,443
34	Oregon	$41,592
35	Mississippi	$41,564
36	Kansas	$40,868
37	Missouri	$41,357
38	Iowa	$38,069
39	Ohio	$39,838
40	Arkansas	$39,237
41	Montana	$32,848
42	North Carolina	$39,757
43	Wisconsin	$39,029
44	Idaho	$33,513
45	South Carolina	$36,266
46	Oklahoma	$34,384
47	Alabama	$37,695
48	Indiana	$33,558
49	Kentucky	$34,493
50	South Dakota	$31,349
51	West Virginia	$30,771

Academic counselor best states FAQs

What is the best state for academic counselors?

What is the highest paying state for academic counselors?

What is the worst state for academic counselors?

Have more questions? See all answers to common community and social services questions.

Search for academic counselor jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse community and social services jobs

Total academic counselor jobs:	1,500
Average annual salary:	$57,610
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$42,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$77,000
Location Quotient:	2.36

Best states for an academic counselor

10 best states for academic counselors in 2026

1. Massachusetts

2. California

3. Connecticut

4. New Jersey

5. Alaska

6. Virginia

7. New York

8. Rhode Island

9. Maryland

10. Pennsylvania