Best states for a juvenile counselor

Q: What is the best state for juvenile counselors?

The best state to be a juvenile counselor is Hawaii based on juvenile counselor salaries and job opportunities.

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

The highest paying state for juvenile counselors is Maine based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for juvenile counselors?

The worst state for juvenile counselors is Iowa, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Quoted expert

Lorrie Greenhouse Gardella

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Are you wondering which place in the United States is the best state for juvenile counselors? 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 juvenile counselor jobs.This way, if you are newly entering the job market, or you are looking to change jobs, you know which places are the best for juvenile counselor jobs.

Hawaii is the best state for jobs for juvenile counselors, and Iowa is the worst. The most common pay in Hawaii is $61,540, while the median pay in Iowa is $32,706.We found that the Midwest is best for juvenile counselors, and the West is the worst. Urban Honolulu, HI is the best city in the country for juvenile counselor jobs, where as Hawaii is the best state in the country.

10 best states for juvenile counselors in 2026

1. Hawaii
Total juvenile counselor jobs: 82
Average annual salary: $61,540
Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $84,000
Location Quotient:
1.07
Juvenile counselor jobs in Hawaii
2. Alaska
Total juvenile counselor jobs: 127
Average annual salary: $52,145
Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $63,000
Location Quotient:
1.66
Juvenile counselor jobs in Alaska
3. Arizona
Total juvenile counselor jobs: 654
Average annual salary: $47,516
Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $68,000
Location Quotient:
1.22
Juvenile counselor jobs in Arizona
4. Oregon
Total juvenile counselor jobs: 384
Average annual salary: $49,664
Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $69,000
Location Quotient:
1.01
Juvenile counselor jobs in Oregon
5. New York
Total juvenile counselor jobs: 1,469
Average annual salary: $46,694
Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $72,000
Location Quotient:
1.25
Juvenile counselor jobs in New York
6. Connecticut
Total juvenile counselor jobs: 425
Average annual salary: $45,163
Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $69,000
Location Quotient:
1.4
Juvenile counselor jobs in Connecticut
7. Nevada
Total juvenile counselor jobs: 147
Average annual salary: $48,856
Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $70,000
Location Quotient:
0.77
Juvenile counselor jobs in Nevada
8. California
Total juvenile counselor jobs: 3,271
Average annual salary: $47,133
Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $69,000
Location Quotient:
1.22
Juvenile counselor jobs in California
9. Delaware
Total juvenile counselor jobs: 106
Average annual salary: $45,849
Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $70,000
Location Quotient:
0.92
Juvenile counselor jobs in Delaware
10. Mississippi
Total juvenile counselor jobs: 150
Average annual salary: $45,570
Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $64,000
Location Quotient:
0.77
Juvenile counselor jobs in Mississippi

Juvenile counselor jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a juvenile counselor

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

Detailed list of the best states for a juvenile counselor

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	Hawaii	$61,540	$44,000	1,427,538	82
2	Alaska	$52,145	$42,000	739,795	127
3	Arizona	$47,516	$32,000	7,016,270	654
4	Oregon	$49,664	$35,000	4,142,776	384
5	New York	$46,694	$30,000	19,849,399	1,469
6	Connecticut	$45,163	$29,000	3,588,184	425
7	Nevada	$48,856	$33,000	2,998,039	147
8	California	$47,133	$31,000	39,536,653	3,271
9	Delaware	$45,849	$29,000	961,939	106
10	Mississippi	$45,570	$31,000	2,984,100	150
11	New Mexico	$44,051	$30,000	2,088,070	167
12	Pennsylvania	$42,176	$27,000	12,805,537	1,304
13	Washington	$42,705	$31,000	7,405,743	920
14	District of Columbia	$45,650	$30,000	693,972	160
15	Maryland	$43,644	$28,000	6,052,177	845
16	Oklahoma	$41,309	$29,000	3,930,864	240
17	West Virginia	$42,716	$29,000	1,815,857	80
18	New Jersey	$43,449	$27,000	9,005,644	778
19	Kentucky	$43,423	$30,000	4,454,189	220
20	Illinois	$41,350	$29,000	12,802,023	1,046
21	Indiana	$41,517	$29,000	6,666,818	460
22	Arkansas	$39,911	$28,000	3,004,279	225
23	Rhode Island	$40,412	$26,000	1,059,639	121
24	Wisconsin	$40,807	$29,000	5,795,483	361
25	Florida	$40,235	$26,000	20,984,400	1,522
26	Idaho	$40,410	$29,000	1,716,943	120
27	Texas	$41,986	$28,000	28,304,596	1,312
28	Virginia	$42,498	$28,000	8,470,020	629
29	Alabama	$40,943	$28,000	4,874,747	203
30	Colorado	$38,204	$28,000	5,607,154	580
31	Massachusetts	$37,518	$25,000	6,859,819	2,072
32	Tennessee	$37,718	$27,000	6,715,984	386
33	Wyoming	$37,154	$27,000	579,315	48
34	North Carolina	$39,747	$27,000	10,273,419	475
35	Kansas	$38,572	$28,000	2,913,123	151
36	Utah	$38,318	$27,000	3,101,833	207
37	Ohio	$37,654	$26,000	11,658,609	655
38	North Dakota	$35,912	$27,000	755,393	73
39	Louisiana	$37,199	$25,000	4,684,333	247
40	South Carolina	$35,953	$25,000	5,024,369	360
41	Michigan	$34,615	$24,000	9,962,311	676
42	Vermont	$36,235	$26,000	623,657	58
43	Montana	$33,867	$25,000	1,050,493	110
44	Minnesota	$34,489	$25,000	5,576,606	569
45	Maine	$29,899	$22,000	1,335,907	201
46	New Hampshire	$34,979	$24,000	1,342,795	136
47	South Dakota	$34,544	$25,000	869,666	69
48	Georgia	$33,568	$23,000	10,429,379	832
49	Missouri	$35,037	$25,000	6,113,532	355
50	Nebraska	$32,239	$23,000	1,920,076	184
51	Iowa	$32,706	$24,000	3,145,711	264

Highest paying states for juvenile counselors

Rank	State	Avg. Juvenile Counselor Salary
1	Hawaii	$61,540
2	Alaska	$52,145
3	Arizona	$47,516
4	Oregon	$49,664
5	New York	$46,694
6	Connecticut	$45,163
7	Nevada	$48,856
8	California	$47,133
9	Delaware	$45,849
10	Mississippi	$45,570
11	New Mexico	$44,051
12	Pennsylvania	$42,176
13	Washington	$42,705
14	District of Columbia	$45,650
15	Maryland	$43,644
16	Oklahoma	$41,309
17	West Virginia	$42,716
18	New Jersey	$43,449
19	Kentucky	$43,423
20	Illinois	$41,350
21	Indiana	$41,517
22	Arkansas	$39,911
23	Rhode Island	$40,412
24	Wisconsin	$40,807
25	Florida	$40,235
26	Idaho	$40,410
27	Texas	$41,986
28	Virginia	$42,498
29	Alabama	$40,943
30	Colorado	$38,204
31	Massachusetts	$37,518
32	Tennessee	$37,718
33	Wyoming	$37,154
34	North Carolina	$39,747
35	Kansas	$38,572
36	Utah	$38,318
37	Ohio	$37,654
38	North Dakota	$35,912
39	Louisiana	$37,199
40	South Carolina	$35,953
41	Michigan	$34,615
42	Vermont	$36,235
43	Montana	$33,867
44	Minnesota	$34,489
45	Maine	$29,899
46	New Hampshire	$34,979
47	South Dakota	$34,544
48	Georgia	$33,568
49	Missouri	$35,037
50	Nebraska	$32,239
51	Iowa	$32,706

Expert opinions on the best states for juvenile counselors

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for juvenile counselors to find work opportunities?
Lorrie Greenhouse Gardella
Professor, MSW Program Coordinator, Southern Connecticut State University
Social workers are needed everywhere -- from rural settings to small towns, to large cities. Social work is one of the fastest-growing professions in the U.S.

Juvenile counselor best states FAQs

What is the best state for juvenile counselors?

What is the highest paying state for juvenile counselors?

What is the worst state for juvenile counselors?

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

Search for juvenile counselor jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse community and social services jobs

Total juvenile counselor jobs:	82
Average annual salary:	$61,540
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$44,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$84,000
Location Quotient:	1.07

Best states for a juvenile counselor

10 best states for juvenile counselors in 2026

1. Hawaii

2. Alaska

3. Arizona

4. Oregon

5. New York

6. Connecticut

7. Nevada

8. California

9. Delaware

10. Mississippi