1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
What is a Children's Counselor?
The average children's counselor salary is $38,024. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an psychology major. It usually takes 1-2 years of experience to become a children's counselor. Children's counselors with a First Aid, CPR and AED Instructor certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 11% and produce 81,200 job opportunities across the U.S.
What Does a Children's Counselor Do
There are certain skills that many children's counselors have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed communication skills, emotional skills and organizational skills.
How To Become a Children's Counselor
If you're interested in becoming a children's counselor, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 61.1% of children's counselors have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 16.7% of children's counselors have master's degrees. Even though most children's counselors have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Children's Counselor Career Paths
As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a children's counselor can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as case manager, progress to a title such as clinical supervisor and then eventually end up with the title clinical director.
Children's Counselor
Clinical Director
9 Years
Clinical Services Director
11 Years
Patient Care Manager
5 Years
Assistant Principal
10 Years
Service Program Manager
9 Years
Clinical Case Manager
6 Years
Show More
Average Salary for a Children's Counselor
Children's Counselors in America make an average salary of $38,024 per year or $18 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $66,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $21,000 per year.
Average Children's Counselor Salary
$38,024Â Yearly$18.28 hourly
What Am I Worth?
Roles and Types of Children's Counselor
There are several types of children's counselor, including:
Counselor
Role:
While there are several different types of counselors, in general they spend their time helping people overcome and understand specific problems. Although, not every counselor is going to have a couch, as depicted by TV, most do work in private office settings.
The scope of the types of counselors seems to be never-ending. From school counselors to family and marriage counselors, and even mental health counselors, people who go into this field have a range of what area they want to focus on.
The scope of the types of counselors seems to be never-ending. From school counselors to family and marriage counselors, and even mental health counselors, people who go into this field have a range of what area they want to focus on.
- Average Salary: $36,225
- Degree: Bachelor's Degree
Residential Counselor
Role:
Residential counselors work in social care facilities such as homeless shelters, rehabilitation centers, retirement homes, and the like. Their main responsibility is to maintain the structure of the environment or program and oversee the residents' daily activities.
Residential counselors are typically expected to have a degree in psychology, social work, or a related field. They keep an eye on the mental and emotional state of the people under their care and make sure everyone lives by the rules of the facility. They give a hand with transportation and come up with fun and engaging activities for the residents to do while spending quality time together.
As a residential counselor, your responsibilities do not revolve around generating profit, and this is reflected in the median annual salary of the position, which is $29,592. This is a bit less than half of what the average yearly living expenses amount to across the U.S. Caring for each other apparently is not the most lucrative business. It is, however, very rewarding on a personal level.
Residential counselors are typically expected to have a degree in psychology, social work, or a related field. They keep an eye on the mental and emotional state of the people under their care and make sure everyone lives by the rules of the facility. They give a hand with transportation and come up with fun and engaging activities for the residents to do while spending quality time together.
As a residential counselor, your responsibilities do not revolve around generating profit, and this is reflected in the median annual salary of the position, which is $29,592. This is a bit less than half of what the average yearly living expenses amount to across the U.S. Caring for each other apparently is not the most lucrative business. It is, however, very rewarding on a personal level.
- Average Salary: $34,117
- Degree: Bachelor's Degree
Youth Counselor
Role:
Becoming a youth counselor may be one of the hardest things you ever do in life. But not because the educational road to get there is long and strenuous. Rather, it's the day-to-day stuff that may get you down.
As a youth counselor, you'll spend a lot of your day interacting with children and teenagers. More times than not, these kids have been put through the emotional ringer. You'll have cases that deal with childhood depression, ADHD, and even abuse.
While it's a tough career, the work you're doing is so important. Watching those kids' mental health improve and being a support for them is especially rewarding.
As a youth counselor, you'll spend a lot of your day interacting with children and teenagers. More times than not, these kids have been put through the emotional ringer. You'll have cases that deal with childhood depression, ADHD, and even abuse.
While it's a tough career, the work you're doing is so important. Watching those kids' mental health improve and being a support for them is especially rewarding.
- Average Salary: $36,754
- Degree: Bachelor's Degree
States With The Most Children's Counselor Jobs
Mouse over a state to see the number of active children's counselor jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where children's counselors earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Average Salary: Job Openings:
Number Of Children's Counselor Jobs By State
| Rank | State | Number of Jobs | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 1,229 | $47,748 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | 1,163 | $37,743 |
| 3 | Florida | 759 | $39,080 |
| 4 | New York | 683 | $48,079 |
| 5 | Illinois | 612 | $37,054 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | 578 | $41,216 |
| 7 | Texas | 544 | $48,182 |
| 8 | Georgia | 389 | $26,917 |
| 9 | New Jersey | 376 | $68,485 |
| 10 | Washington | 349 | $31,329 |
| 11 | Michigan | 324 | $31,663 |
| 12 | Arizona | 319 | $33,625 |
| 13 | Colorado | 294 | $29,632 |
| 14 | Minnesota | 289 | $42,117 |
| 15 | Maryland | 288 | $62,923 |
| 16 | Virginia | 282 | $56,976 |
| 17 | North Carolina | 257 | $47,832 |
| 18 | Ohio | 246 | $37,063 |
| 19 | Connecticut | 235 | $38,608 |
| 20 | Tennessee | 188 | $33,102 |
| 21 | Indiana | 187 | $28,625 |
| 22 | South Carolina | 157 | $37,822 |
| 23 | Wisconsin | 157 | $33,796 |
| 24 | Oregon | 149 | $29,986 |
| 25 | Louisiana | 145 | $32,723 |
| 26 | Iowa | 139 | $32,939 |
| 27 | Missouri | 133 | $28,745 |
| 28 | Alabama | 105 | $30,875 |
| 29 | Kentucky | 104 | $28,634 |
| 30 | Kansas | 74 | $34,958 |
| 31 | Arkansas | 69 | $27,655 |
| 32 | Idaho | 68 | $31,841 |
| 33 | Oklahoma | 68 | $25,658 |
| 34 | Nevada | 67 | $42,253 |
| 35 | Montana | 67 | $28,778 |
| 36 | Utah | 67 | $27,527 |
| 37 | New Mexico | 65 | $37,644 |
| 38 | Delaware | 59 | $43,127 |
| 39 | New Hampshire | 56 | $38,396 |
| 40 | Nebraska | 56 | $29,021 |
| 41 | Alaska | 53 | $25,439 |
| 42 | Hawaii | 49 | $46,102 |
| 43 | Maine | 49 | $34,589 |
| 44 | Rhode Island | 40 | $33,273 |
| 45 | Mississippi | 38 | $25,862 |
| 46 | West Virginia | 37 | $44,344 |
| 47 | North Dakota | 36 | $37,398 |
| 48 | Wyoming | 29 | $29,606 |
| 49 | South Dakota | 29 | $31,178 |
| 50 | Vermont | 26 | $32,896 |
Top Colleges for Children's Counselors
2. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
3. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
4. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-State Tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
5. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,464
Enrollment
9,639
6. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,182
Enrollment
16,205
7. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-State Tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
8. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
9. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-State Tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
10. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-State Tuition
$11,207
Enrollment
30,905
Top Skills For a Children's Counselor
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 21.9% of children's counselors listed child care on their resume, but soft skills such as communication skills and emotional skills are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Children's Counselor Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Children's Counselor templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Children's Counselor resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Children's Counselor Demographics
Children's Counselor Gender Distribution
Female
66%
Male
34%
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among children's counselors, 65.9% of them are women, while 34.1% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among children's counselors is White, which makes up 63.1% of all children's counselors.
- The most common foreign language among children's counselors is Spanish at 70.6%.
Online Courses For Children's Counselor That You May Like
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Approximately 2 to 3 out of 1000 children in the United States are born with a significant hearing loss. Early identification and intervention of hearing loss is crucial to children’s lifelong learning outcomes. It is well documented that later identification of hearing loss can lead to significant delays in children’s speech, language, literacy, social and emotional development. This course addresses gaps currently existing in the health education curriculum for pediatric hearing loss and...
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Drawing on the contributions of several academic disciplines including law, psychology, sociology, history, educational and health sciences, economy and anthropology, an interdisciplinary approach guides the student into a selection of critical issues concerning children’s rights. Participants will gain insight relative to the development of this specific human rights category, as well as to the evolution of the challenges faced by children over time and society’s efforts to respond. Successful...
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Full Time
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Internship
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Best States For a Children's Counselor
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a children's counselor. The best states for people in this position are New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, and Texas. Children's counselors make the most in New Jersey with an average salary of $68,485. Whereas in Maryland and Virginia, they would average $62,923 and $56,976, respectively. While children's counselors would only make an average of $48,182 in Texas, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. District of Columbia
Total Children's Counselor Jobs: 90
Highest 10% Earn:
$106,000
Location Quotient:
1.29
$63,243
Avg. Salary
2. New Jersey
Total Children's Counselor Jobs: 376
Highest 10% Earn:
$110,000
Location Quotient:
1.14
$68,485
Avg. Salary
3. Maryland
Total Children's Counselor Jobs: 288
Highest 10% Earn:
$105,000
Location Quotient:
1.09
$62,923
Avg. Salary
How Do Children's Counselor Rate Their Jobs?
Top Children's Counselor Employers
Most Common Employers For Children's Counselor
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Incest Recovery Svc Family Pl | $45,348 | $21.80 | 3 |
| 2 | Children's Home & Aid | $44,956 | $21.61 | 4 |
| 3 | Zeiders Enterprises | $44,260 | $21.28 | 5 |
| 4 | Center for Family Guidance, PC | $41,746 | $20.07 | 8 |
| 5 | S.C. Department of Commerce | $40,192 | $19.32 | 4 |
| 6 | Sanctuary for Families | $40,121 | $19.29 | 5 |
| 7 | San José Unified School District | $39,733 | $19.10 | 4 |
| 8 | Eating Recovery Center | $38,795 | $18.65 | 5 |
| 9 | Youth Villages | $37,269 | $17.92 | 9 |
| 10 | The Women's Center | $36,614 | $17.60 | 5 |