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Best states for an Academic Counselor

  • 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 2025

  1. Massachusetts #1 best state for academic counselors

    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
  2. California #2 best state for academic counselors

    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
  3. Connecticut #3 best state for academic counselors

    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
  4. New Jersey #4 best state for academic counselors

    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
  5. Alaska #5 best state for academic counselors

    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
  6. Virginia #6 best state for academic counselors

    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
  7. New York #7 best state for academic counselors

    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
  8. Rhode Island #8 best state for academic counselors

    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
  9. Maryland #9 best state for academic counselors

    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
  10. Pennsylvania #10 best state for academic counselors

    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 JobsNear Ashburn, VA

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

RankStateAverage SalaryLowest 10% EarnPopulationJob Count
1Massachusetts$57,610$42,0006,859,8191,500
2California$57,697$42,00039,536,6532,606
3Connecticut$54,147$39,0003,588,184366
4New Jersey$55,851$40,0009,005,644591
5Alaska$49,922$44,000739,79574
6Virginia$59,119$43,0008,470,020459
7New York$50,738$37,00019,849,3991,123
8Rhode Island$53,461$39,0001,059,63968
9Maryland$52,238$37,0006,052,177479
10Pennsylvania$46,327$33,00012,805,537852
11Delaware$47,893$34,000961,93994
12Minnesota$49,063$37,0005,576,606346
13Vermont$47,965$36,000623,65745
14New Hampshire$46,035$34,0001,342,795108
15Georgia$45,544$34,00010,429,379738
16Colorado$46,503$35,0005,607,154485
17Washington$45,859$35,0007,405,743611
18Nevada$45,422$33,0002,998,039123
19District of Columbia$49,943$36,000693,972127
20New Mexico$44,688$33,0002,088,070123
21Louisiana$43,249$32,0004,684,333262
22Wyoming$43,038$33,000579,31539
23Michigan$42,805$31,0009,962,311519
24Nebraska$45,105$34,0001,920,07694
25Maine$41,686$31,0001,335,907124
26Illinois$43,620$32,00012,802,023919
27Texas$44,411$33,00028,304,596991
28Tennessee$41,618$31,0006,715,984277
29Arizona$40,827$30,0007,016,270493
30Utah$41,890$32,0003,101,833177
31North Dakota$40,913$32,000755,39356
32Hawaii$41,638$32,0001,427,53873
33Florida$40,443$30,00020,984,4001,224
34Oregon$41,592$31,0004,142,776265
35Mississippi$41,564$31,0002,984,10080
36Kansas$40,868$31,0002,913,123117
37Missouri$41,357$31,0006,113,532224
38Iowa$38,069$29,0003,145,711229
39Ohio$39,838$29,00011,658,609426
40Arkansas$39,237$29,0003,004,279117
41Montana$32,848$26,0001,050,49399
42North Carolina$39,757$29,00010,273,419402
43Wisconsin$39,029$29,0005,795,483246
44Idaho$33,513$25,0001,716,943122
45South Carolina$36,266$27,0005,024,369245
46Oklahoma$34,384$26,0003,930,864172
47Alabama$37,695$28,0004,874,747158
48Indiana$33,558$25,0006,666,818357
49Kentucky$34,493$25,0004,454,189176
50South Dakota$31,349$24,000869,66654
51West Virginia$30,771$22,0001,815,85766

Highest paying states for academic counselors

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

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