Best states for an international student counselor

Q: What is the best state for international student counselors?

The best state to be an international student counselor is District of Columbia based on international student counselor salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for international student counselors?

The highest paying state for international student counselors is South Dakota based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for international student counselors?

The worst state for international student counselors is South Dakota, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Quoted expert

Mariah Stopplecamp

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International student counselor opportunities vary in different parts of the country. In order to help you determine the best states for international student counselors, we ranked all fifty states from best to worst for international student counselors.Turns out, the median salary for the highest 10% of international student counselors in America is $69,000.

The median salary for international student counselors in District of Columbia is $64,481. Compare that to the median salary in South Dakota of $28,206, which ranked worst for international student counselors, and you can see how your location is important for your career.If you are currently seeking employment as an international student counselor, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.

10 best states for international student counselors in 2025

1. District of Columbia
Total international student counselor jobs: 128
Average annual salary: $64,481
Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $101,000
Location Quotient:
1.41
International student counselor jobs in District of Columbia
2. Connecticut
Total international student counselor jobs: 275
Average annual salary: $54,030
Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $83,000
Location Quotient:
1.53
International student counselor jobs in Connecticut
3. Pennsylvania
Total international student counselor jobs: 923
Average annual salary: $51,541
Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $80,000
Location Quotient:
1.47
International student counselor jobs in Pennsylvania
4. New York
Total international student counselor jobs: 1,170
Average annual salary: $51,412
Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $79,000
Location Quotient:
1.69
International student counselor jobs in New York
5. Delaware
Total international student counselor jobs: 103
Average annual salary: $50,274
Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $79,000
Location Quotient:
1.52
International student counselor jobs in Delaware
6. Virginia
Total international student counselor jobs: 460
Average annual salary: $54,986
Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $87,000
Location Quotient:
0.9
International student counselor jobs in Virginia
7. Maryland
Total international student counselor jobs: 340
Average annual salary: $54,047
Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $85,000
Location Quotient:
0.99
International student counselor jobs in Maryland
8. Massachusetts
Total international student counselor jobs: 418
Average annual salary: $57,383
Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $87,000
Location Quotient:
0.84
International student counselor jobs in Massachusetts
9. Rhode Island
Total international student counselor jobs: 64
Average annual salary: $50,712
Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $77,000
Location Quotient:
0.97
International student counselor jobs in Rhode Island
10. New Jersey
Total international student counselor jobs: 482
Average annual salary: $49,697
Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $77,000
Location Quotient:
1.12
International student counselor jobs in New Jersey

International student counselor jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be an international student counselor

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

Detailed list of the best states for an international student counselor

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	District of Columbia	$64,481	$40,000	693,972	128
2	Connecticut	$54,030	$34,000	3,588,184	275
3	Pennsylvania	$51,541	$32,000	12,805,537	923
4	New York	$51,412	$33,000	19,849,399	1,170
5	Delaware	$50,274	$31,000	961,939	103
6	Virginia	$54,986	$34,000	8,470,020	460
7	Maryland	$54,047	$34,000	6,052,177	340
8	Massachusetts	$57,383	$37,000	6,859,819	418
9	Rhode Island	$50,712	$33,000	1,059,639	64
10	New Jersey	$49,697	$31,000	9,005,644	482
11	Vermont	$45,034	$30,000	623,657	46
12	California	$51,508	$34,000	39,536,653	1,537
13	Ohio	$51,100	$32,000	11,658,609	378
14	Iowa	$41,531	$28,000	3,145,711	249
15	Illinois	$44,302	$29,000	12,802,023	699
16	Nevada	$43,856	$29,000	2,998,039	112
17	Indiana	$45,318	$29,000	6,666,818	294
18	Washington	$42,353	$30,000	7,405,743	451
19	Wisconsin	$45,435	$29,000	5,795,483	215
20	Kansas	$43,793	$31,000	2,913,123	129
21	New Mexico	$41,971	$29,000	2,088,070	100
22	Arkansas	$40,063	$28,000	3,004,279	145
23	New Hampshire	$43,140	$28,000	1,342,795	84
24	Arizona	$39,469	$27,000	7,016,270	437
25	Minnesota	$43,253	$29,000	5,576,606	307
26	West Virginia	$43,373	$27,000	1,815,857	48
27	Alaska	$40,751	$32,000	739,795	48
28	Louisiana	$39,477	$26,000	4,684,333	176
29	Oregon	$39,914	$28,000	4,142,776	238
30	Tennessee	$37,673	$25,000	6,715,984	339
31	North Dakota	$36,962	$26,000	755,393	56
32	Wyoming	$35,081	$26,000	579,315	50
33	North Carolina	$41,128	$26,000	10,273,419	364
34	Texas	$40,460	$27,000	28,304,596	866
35	Nebraska	$37,968	$26,000	1,920,076	108
36	Florida	$36,591	$24,000	20,984,400	940
37	Hawaii	$33,478	$26,000	1,427,538	57
38	Kentucky	$36,428	$24,000	4,454,189	168
39	Mississippi	$37,823	$25,000	2,984,100	80
40	Georgia	$36,993	$24,000	10,429,379	481
41	Montana	$30,912	$23,000	1,050,493	94
42	South Carolina	$35,540	$23,000	5,024,369	238
43	Maine	$35,576	$24,000	1,335,907	69
44	Michigan	$36,279	$23,000	9,962,311	340
45	Missouri	$36,408	$25,000	6,113,532	260
46	Colorado	$32,843	$24,000	5,607,154	323
47	Alabama	$34,667	$23,000	4,874,747	199
48	Utah	$35,313	$25,000	3,101,833	122
49	Idaho	$30,400	$22,000	1,716,943	81
50	Oklahoma	$30,439	$21,000	3,930,864	120
51	South Dakota	$28,206	$20,000	869,666	42

Highest paying states for international student counselors

Rank	State	Avg. International Student Counselor Salary
1	District of Columbia	$64,481
2	Connecticut	$54,030
3	Pennsylvania	$51,541
4	New York	$51,412
5	Delaware	$50,274
6	Virginia	$54,986
7	Maryland	$54,047
8	Massachusetts	$57,383
9	Rhode Island	$50,712
10	New Jersey	$49,697
11	Vermont	$45,034
12	California	$51,508
13	Ohio	$51,100
14	Iowa	$41,531
15	Illinois	$44,302
16	Nevada	$43,856
17	Indiana	$45,318
18	Washington	$42,353
19	Wisconsin	$45,435
20	Kansas	$43,793
21	New Mexico	$41,971
22	Arkansas	$40,063
23	New Hampshire	$43,140
24	Arizona	$39,469
25	Minnesota	$43,253
26	West Virginia	$43,373
27	Alaska	$40,751
28	Louisiana	$39,477
29	Oregon	$39,914
30	Tennessee	$37,673
31	North Dakota	$36,962
32	Wyoming	$35,081
33	North Carolina	$41,128
34	Texas	$40,460
35	Nebraska	$37,968
36	Florida	$36,591
37	Hawaii	$33,478
38	Kentucky	$36,428
39	Mississippi	$37,823
40	Georgia	$36,993
41	Montana	$30,912
42	South Carolina	$35,540
43	Maine	$35,576
44	Michigan	$36,279
45	Missouri	$36,408
46	Colorado	$32,843
47	Alabama	$34,667
48	Utah	$35,313
49	Idaho	$30,400
50	Oklahoma	$30,439
51	South Dakota	$28,206

Expert opinions on the best states for international student counselors

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for international student counselors to find work opportunities?
Mariah Stopplecamp
Coordinator, Montana State University
Right now, we see companies in larger metropolitan areas being the hubs of employment for recent grads. These are the companies that are large enough to survive the fiscal challenges that COVID has provided. These larger metro areas are working remotely, currently, and are providing recent grads the flexibility to stay located where they are.

International student counselor best states FAQs

What is the best state for international student counselors?

What is the highest paying state for international student counselors?

What is the worst state for international student counselors?

Have more questions? See all answers to common community and social services questions.

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Best states for International Student Counselors

Updated January 8, 2025

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Total international student counselor jobs:	128
Average annual salary:	$64,481
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$40,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$101,000
Location Quotient:	1.41

Best states for an international student counselor

10 best states for international student counselors in 2025

1. District of Columbia

2. Connecticut

3. Pennsylvania

4. New York

5. Delaware

6. Virginia

7. Maryland

8. Massachusetts

9. Rhode Island

10. New Jersey