Best states for a clinical counselor

Q: What is the best state for clinical counselors?

The best state to be a clinical counselor is Maine based on clinical counselor salaries and job opportunities.

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

The highest paying state for clinical counselors is South Carolina based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for clinical counselors?

The worst state for clinical counselors is North Carolina, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Quoted expert

Christine Suniti Bhat

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Job opportunities vary from state to state, and community and social services careers are no different. Because we know how difficult it can be to know which states are the best when it comes to clinical counselor jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for clinical counselors.Our research found that Maine is the best state for clinical counselors, while Maryland and Maine are ranked highest in terms of median salary. Maine has a median salary of $62,352 and Maryland has the highest median salary among all 50 states for clinical counselors.

Maine is the best state for jobs for clinical counselors, and North Carolina is the worst. The most common pay in Maine is $62,352, while the median pay in North Carolina is $43,141.We found that the South is best for clinical counselors, and the Northeast is the worst. Bethesda, MD is the best city in the country for clinical counselor jobs, where as Maine is the best state in the country.

10 best states for clinical counselors in 2026

1. Maine
Total clinical counselor jobs: 368
Average annual salary: $62,352
Lowest 10 percent earn: $49,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $77,000
Location Quotient:
1.82
Clinical counselor jobs in Maine
2. Arizona
Total clinical counselor jobs: 1,192
Average annual salary: $62,204
Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $81,000
Location Quotient:
1.33
Clinical counselor jobs in Arizona
3. Washington
Total clinical counselor jobs: 1,592
Average annual salary: $61,869
Lowest 10 percent earn: $49,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $76,000
Location Quotient:
1.43
Clinical counselor jobs in Washington
4. Maryland
Total clinical counselor jobs: 1,043
Average annual salary: $63,702
Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $83,000
Location Quotient:
1.08
Clinical counselor jobs in Maryland
5. New York
Total clinical counselor jobs: 2,467
Average annual salary: $60,111
Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $77,000
Location Quotient:
1.26
Clinical counselor jobs in New York
6. Rhode Island
Total clinical counselor jobs: 220
Average annual salary: $58,715
Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $74,000
Location Quotient:
1.18
Clinical counselor jobs in Rhode Island
7. Massachusetts
Total clinical counselor jobs: 1,881
Average annual salary: $58,074
Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $73,000
Location Quotient:
1.34
Clinical counselor jobs in Massachusetts
8. Michigan
Total clinical counselor jobs: 1,033
Average annual salary: $59,391
Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $76,000
Location Quotient:
0.87
Clinical counselor jobs in Michigan
9. District of Columbia
Total clinical counselor jobs: 319
Average annual salary: $61,471
Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $80,000
Location Quotient:
1.24
Clinical counselor jobs in District of Columbia
10. Oregon
Total clinical counselor jobs: 786
Average annual salary: $57,122
Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $71,000
Location Quotient:
1.24
Clinical counselor jobs in Oregon

Clinical counselor jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a clinical counselor

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

Detailed list of the best states for a clinical counselor

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	Maine	$62,352	$49,000	1,335,907	368
2	Arizona	$62,204	$47,000	7,016,270	1,192
3	Washington	$61,869	$49,000	7,405,743	1,592
4	Maryland	$63,702	$48,000	6,052,177	1,043
5	New York	$60,111	$46,000	19,849,399	2,467
6	Rhode Island	$58,715	$45,000	1,059,639	220
7	Massachusetts	$58,074	$45,000	6,859,819	1,881
8	Michigan	$59,391	$46,000	9,962,311	1,033
9	District of Columbia	$61,471	$46,000	693,972	319
10	Oregon	$57,122	$45,000	4,142,776	786
11	North Dakota	$55,587	$45,000	755,393	143
12	South Dakota	$55,341	$43,000	869,666	155
13	Missouri	$59,550	$46,000	6,113,532	706
14	Illinois	$55,482	$43,000	12,802,023	1,900
15	Pennsylvania	$53,320	$40,000	12,805,537	2,125
16	Vermont	$54,692	$43,000	623,657	116
17	Colorado	$54,110	$42,000	5,607,154	959
18	Kansas	$56,180	$43,000	2,913,123	361
19	Minnesota	$52,787	$41,000	5,576,606	1,059
20	West Virginia	$53,155	$40,000	1,815,857	196
21	Indiana	$52,658	$40,000	6,666,818	894
22	Ohio	$53,721	$41,000	11,658,609	1,201
23	Connecticut	$51,397	$39,000	3,588,184	772
24	Kentucky	$53,349	$41,000	4,454,189	395
25	California	$54,636	$42,000	39,536,653	3,935
26	Florida	$48,648	$38,000	20,984,400	2,978
27	Virginia	$52,725	$40,000	8,470,020	1,201
28	Nebraska	$50,426	$39,000	1,920,076	293
29	Alabama	$51,273	$40,000	4,874,747	357
30	New Hampshire	$52,462	$41,000	1,342,795	132
31	Hawaii	$48,613	$40,000	1,427,538	169
32	Alaska	$46,846	$41,000	739,795	164
33	New Jersey	$49,563	$38,000	9,005,644	1,430
34	Iowa	$48,236	$37,000	3,145,711	481
35	Delaware	$49,528	$37,000	961,939	181
36	Montana	$45,893	$36,000	1,050,493	215
37	Nevada	$49,039	$37,000	2,998,039	268
38	Tennessee	$45,160	$35,000	6,715,984	791
39	Georgia	$46,935	$36,000	10,429,379	1,550
40	Idaho	$46,668	$36,000	1,716,943	234
41	Wisconsin	$45,311	$35,000	5,795,483	776
42	New Mexico	$44,938	$34,000	2,088,070	318
43	Utah	$46,173	$35,000	3,101,833	408
44	Wyoming	$45,203	$35,000	579,315	76
45	Arkansas	$43,392	$33,000	3,004,279	346
46	Mississippi	$44,635	$35,000	2,984,100	210
47	Louisiana	$42,964	$33,000	4,684,333	490
48	Texas	$43,796	$34,000	28,304,596	2,649
49	Oklahoma	$43,753	$34,000	3,930,864	375
50	South Carolina	$42,603	$33,000	5,024,369	589
51	North Carolina	$43,141	$33,000	10,273,419	1,153

Highest paying states for clinical counselors

Rank	State	Avg. Clinical Counselor Salary
1	Maine	$62,352
2	Arizona	$62,204
3	Washington	$61,869
4	Maryland	$63,702
5	New York	$60,111
6	Rhode Island	$58,715
7	Massachusetts	$58,074
8	Michigan	$59,391
9	District of Columbia	$61,471
10	Oregon	$57,122
11	North Dakota	$55,587
12	South Dakota	$55,341
13	Missouri	$59,550
14	Illinois	$55,482
15	Pennsylvania	$53,320
16	Vermont	$54,692
17	Colorado	$54,110
18	Kansas	$56,180
19	Minnesota	$52,787
20	West Virginia	$53,155
21	Indiana	$52,658
22	Ohio	$53,721
23	Connecticut	$51,397
24	Kentucky	$53,349
25	California	$54,636
26	Florida	$48,648
27	Virginia	$52,725
28	Nebraska	$50,426
29	Alabama	$51,273
30	New Hampshire	$52,462
31	Hawaii	$48,613
32	Alaska	$46,846
33	New Jersey	$49,563
34	Iowa	$48,236
35	Delaware	$49,528
36	Montana	$45,893
37	Nevada	$49,039
38	Tennessee	$45,160
39	Georgia	$46,935
40	Idaho	$46,668
41	Wisconsin	$45,311
42	New Mexico	$44,938
43	Utah	$46,173
44	Wyoming	$45,203
45	Arkansas	$43,392
46	Mississippi	$44,635
47	Louisiana	$42,964
48	Texas	$43,796
49	Oklahoma	$43,753
50	South Carolina	$42,603
51	North Carolina	$43,141

Expert opinions on the best states for clinical counselors

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for clinical counselors to find work opportunities?
Christine Suniti Bhat
Counseling and Higher Education, Ohio University
Regions and states experiencing a growth in population would be the places for graduates to find work opportunities in the field upon graduation. In the past year, for example, I noticed that there were several job openings in Nashville, Tennessee. In prior years, there seemed to be many opportunities for our graduates in North Carolina.

If students are not restricted geographically, there will continue to be opportunities for them in the country as well as internationally. Further, graduates of school counseling programs should be aware of related jobs that they may be well-suited for, including positions such as Academic Advisor, Academic Counselor, Admissions Counselor, and Career Counselor at universities.

Clinical counselor best states FAQs

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Search for clinical counselor jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse community and social services jobs

Total clinical counselor jobs:	368
Average annual salary:	$62,352
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$49,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$77,000
Location Quotient:	1.82

Best states for a clinical counselor

10 best states for clinical counselors in 2026

1. Maine

2. Arizona

3. Washington

4. Maryland

5. New York

6. Rhode Island

7. Massachusetts

8. Michigan

9. District of Columbia

10. Oregon