Best states for a counselor internship

Q: What is the best state for counselor interns?

The best state to be a counselor internship is Washington based on counselor internship salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for counselor interns?

The highest paying state for counselor interns is Arkansas based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for counselor interns?

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

Quoted expert

Christine Suniti Bhat

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Are you wondering which place in the United States is the best state for counselor interns? Knowing how challenging it is to figure out where to start your career or where to move to advance your career, we decided to bring you a list of best states for counselor internship jobs.We wanted to look at the best states for counselor interns -- where there are plenty of counselor internship jobs to go around and counselor interns get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.

To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for counselor interns. Washington is the best state for counselor interns, where the median salary is $51,908.We found that the South is best for counselor interns, and the Northeast is the worst. Chicago, IL is the best city in the country for counselor internship jobs, where as Washington is the best state in the country.

10 best states for counselor interns in 2025

1. Washington
Total counselor internship jobs: 898
Average annual salary: $51,908
Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $69,000
Location Quotient:
1.3
Counselor internship jobs in Washington
2. Illinois
Total counselor internship jobs: 1,108
Average annual salary: $49,266
Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $70,000
Location Quotient:
0.98
Counselor internship jobs in Illinois
3. New Mexico
Total counselor internship jobs: 173
Average annual salary: $46,470
Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $65,000
Location Quotient:
0.93
Counselor internship jobs in New Mexico
4. North Dakota
Total counselor internship jobs: 68
Average annual salary: $47,120
Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $64,000
Location Quotient:
0.77
Counselor internship jobs in North Dakota
5. California
Total counselor internship jobs: 3,165
Average annual salary: $47,725
Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $68,000
Location Quotient:
1.14
Counselor internship jobs in California
6. Maine
Total counselor internship jobs: 193
Average annual salary: $43,172
Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $62,000
Location Quotient:
1.53
Counselor internship jobs in Maine
7. Tennessee
Total counselor internship jobs: 407
Average annual salary: $46,276
Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $66,000
Location Quotient:
0.73
Counselor internship jobs in Tennessee
8. Alaska
Total counselor internship jobs: 111
Average annual salary: $46,255
Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $53,000
Location Quotient:
1.4
Counselor internship jobs in Alaska
9. West Virginia
Total counselor internship jobs: 77
Average annual salary: $47,948
Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $70,000
Location Quotient:
0.53
Counselor internship jobs in West Virginia
10. Pennsylvania
Total counselor internship jobs: 1,410
Average annual salary: $42,143
Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $63,000
Location Quotient:
1.28
Counselor internship jobs in Pennsylvania

Counselor internship jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a counselor internship

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

Detailed list of the best states for a counselor internship

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	Washington	$51,908	$38,000	7,405,743	898
2	Illinois	$49,266	$34,000	12,802,023	1,108
3	New Mexico	$46,470	$32,000	2,088,070	173
4	North Dakota	$47,120	$34,000	755,393	68
5	California	$47,725	$33,000	39,536,653	3,165
6	Maine	$43,172	$29,000	1,335,907	193
7	Tennessee	$46,276	$32,000	6,715,984	407
8	Alaska	$46,255	$40,000	739,795	111
9	West Virginia	$47,948	$32,000	1,815,857	77
10	Pennsylvania	$42,143	$28,000	12,805,537	1,410
11	New York	$44,404	$29,000	19,849,399	1,600
12	Rhode Island	$45,409	$30,000	1,059,639	92
13	Georgia	$45,119	$30,000	10,429,379	793
14	Oregon	$43,795	$32,000	4,142,776	429
15	Nebraska	$43,705	$31,000	1,920,076	191
16	Ohio	$44,451	$30,000	11,658,609	684
17	Massachusetts	$42,446	$28,000	6,859,819	2,621
18	Utah	$44,804	$32,000	3,101,833	219
19	Colorado	$43,426	$31,000	5,607,154	561
20	Louisiana	$42,604	$29,000	4,684,333	269
21	Kansas	$44,685	$31,000	2,913,123	175
22	Connecticut	$42,281	$28,000	3,588,184	397
23	Wisconsin	$44,072	$30,000	5,795,483	346
24	Vermont	$42,967	$29,000	623,657	57
25	Virginia	$43,898	$29,000	8,470,020	666
26	Hawaii	$44,124	$34,000	1,427,538	97
27	Nevada	$41,814	$29,000	2,998,039	159
28	South Carolina	$39,693	$27,000	5,024,369	420
29	District of Columbia	$44,310	$29,000	693,972	141
30	Iowa	$40,807	$28,000	3,145,711	277
31	New Hampshire	$40,973	$28,000	1,342,795	127
32	Montana	$38,219	$28,000	1,050,493	133
33	New Jersey	$39,705	$26,000	9,005,644	867
34	Minnesota	$38,550	$27,000	5,576,606	638
35	Texas	$40,127	$27,000	28,304,596	1,419
36	Wyoming	$37,241	$27,000	579,315	54
37	Maryland	$39,929	$26,000	6,052,177	662
38	Arizona	$37,431	$26,000	7,016,270	612
39	Alabama	$40,315	$27,000	4,874,747	202
40	Idaho	$37,616	$27,000	1,716,943	149
41	Michigan	$36,631	$25,000	9,962,311	688
42	Delaware	$37,983	$25,000	961,939	110
43	South Dakota	$37,262	$26,000	869,666	65
44	Florida	$36,557	$24,000	20,984,400	1,375
45	Missouri	$37,494	$26,000	6,113,532	401
46	Kentucky	$36,742	$25,000	4,454,189	213
47	Indiana	$35,785	$24,000	6,666,818	488
48	Arkansas	$34,159	$23,000	3,004,279	237
49	Mississippi	$35,390	$24,000	2,984,100	134
50	Oklahoma	$34,695	$24,000	3,930,864	199
51	North Carolina	$34,620	$23,000	10,273,419	509

Highest paying states for counselor interns

Rank	State	Avg. Counselor Internship Salary
1	Washington	$51,908
2	Illinois	$49,266
3	New Mexico	$46,470
4	North Dakota	$47,120
5	California	$47,725
6	Maine	$43,172
7	Tennessee	$46,276
8	Alaska	$46,255
9	West Virginia	$47,948
10	Pennsylvania	$42,143
11	New York	$44,404
12	Rhode Island	$45,409
13	Georgia	$45,119
14	Oregon	$43,795
15	Nebraska	$43,705
16	Ohio	$44,451
17	Massachusetts	$42,446
18	Utah	$44,804
19	Colorado	$43,426
20	Louisiana	$42,604
21	Kansas	$44,685
22	Connecticut	$42,281
23	Wisconsin	$44,072
24	Vermont	$42,967
25	Virginia	$43,898
26	Hawaii	$44,124
27	Nevada	$41,814
28	South Carolina	$39,693
29	District of Columbia	$44,310
30	Iowa	$40,807
31	New Hampshire	$40,973
32	Montana	$38,219
33	New Jersey	$39,705
34	Minnesota	$38,550
35	Texas	$40,127
36	Wyoming	$37,241
37	Maryland	$39,929
38	Arizona	$37,431
39	Alabama	$40,315
40	Idaho	$37,616
41	Michigan	$36,631
42	Delaware	$37,983
43	South Dakota	$37,262
44	Florida	$36,557
45	Missouri	$37,494
46	Kentucky	$36,742
47	Indiana	$35,785
48	Arkansas	$34,159
49	Mississippi	$35,390
50	Oklahoma	$34,695
51	North Carolina	$34,620

Expert opinions on the best states for counselor interns

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for counselor internships 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.

Counselor internship best states FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

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Total counselor internship jobs:	898
Average annual salary:	$51,908
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$38,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$69,000
Location Quotient:	1.3

Best states for a counselor internship

10 best states for counselor interns in 2025

1. Washington

2. Illinois

3. New Mexico

4. North Dakota

5. California

6. Maine

7. Tennessee

8. Alaska

9. West Virginia

10. Pennsylvania