Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between counselors and consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a consultant has an average salary of $78,912, which is higher than the $36,225 average annual salary of a counselor.
The top three skills for a counselor include patients, crisis intervention and substance abuse. The most important skills for a consultant are customer service, strong analytical, and project management.
| Counselor | Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $36,225 | $78,912 |
| Hourly rate | $17.42 | $37.94 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 77,536 | 171,733 |
| Job satisfaction | 2 | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
Often, counselors are known to be the go-to person in times we are in need of emotional and psychological support. They help people to manage and overcome the issues which affect their mental health and well-being. Counselors face different kind of situations which may involve trauma, addiction, disabilities, abuse, suicide, anger management, career, and even personal relationships. They provide care, counseling, rehabilitation, and support services. Every counseling requires collaborative effort both from the counselor and client to become effective.
Consultants are individuals who were tapped by a company or an organization to work on a specific activity, depending on their field of expertise. They act as guides for the organization in undertaking projects that are related to their field. Consultants would usually assist organizations in planning, often giving advice when the need arises. They would, at times, take the lead in activities that involve data gathering and interpretation of data gathering results so that they can provide solid recommendations on actions that the organization may undertake. They may also guide the organization in implementing any changes brought about by their consultancy and in evaluating the effectiveness of the changes.
Counselors and consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Counselor | Consultant | |
| Average salary | $36,225 | $78,912 |
| Salary range | Between $19,000 And $67,000 | Between $58,000 And $107,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | - | L.E.K. Consulting |
| Best paying industry | Education | Technology |
There are a few differences between a counselor and a consultant in terms of educational background:
| Counselor | Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between counselors' and consultants' demographics:
| Counselor | Consultant | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 38.5% Female, 61.5% | Male, 58.4% Female, 41.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 15.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 3.5% White, 63.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 13.8% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 12% |