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Licensed professional counselor salary
Average licensed professional counselor salary
$94,675
Understanding Licensed Professional Counselor Salaries
The average salary for a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) is approximately $94,675 per year, translating to about $46 per hour. Salaries can fluctuate based on various factors, including geographic location, years of experience, and specialty areas. For instance, LPCs working in metropolitan areas often earn higher wages compared to those in rural settings.
In states like California, New York, and Texas, LPCs tend to command some of the highest salaries in the profession. Additionally, those with advanced certifications or specialized training in areas such as addiction counseling or family therapy may see even greater earning potential.
Furthermore, salary estimates can vary significantly with experience. Entry-level LPCs may start around $50,000, while those with several years of experience can exceed $100,000. It’s also essential to consider the benefits package, which often includes health insurance, retirement plans, and supervision opportunities, all adding value to the overall compensation.
Exploring Career Advancement
To maximize your earning potential as an LPC, pursuing additional certifications or advanced degrees can be beneficial. Continuous professional development and networking within the field can also lead to better job opportunities and higher salaries.
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Where can a Licensed Professional Counselor earn more?
Licensed professional counselor salary estimates from across the web
Average licensed professional counselor salary by state
The average licensed professional counselor salary in New York, Washington, and Oregon are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average licensed professional counselor salary states are South Carolina, Mississippi, and Texas.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for licensed professional counselors
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maine | $110,234 | $53.00 |
| 2 | Washington | $111,914 | $53.80 |
| 3 | Arizona | $109,438 | $52.61 |
| 4 | Oregon | $110,925 | $53.33 |
| 5 | Michigan | $105,906 | $50.92 |
| 6 | Rhode Island | $102,621 | $49.34 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $101,722 | $48.90 |
| 8 | Missouri | $102,840 | $49.44 |
| 9 | North Dakota | $98,606 | $47.41 |
| 10 | New York | $113,909 | $54.76 |
| 11 | California | $103,828 | $49.92 |
| 12 | Minnesota | $93,004 | $44.71 |
| 13 | Kansas | $95,284 | $45.81 |
| 14 | District of Columbia | $109,557 | $52.67 |
| 15 | Nebraska | $93,132 | $44.77 |
| 16 | West Virginia | $96,430 | $46.36 |
| 17 | Ohio | $97,726 | $46.98 |
| 18 | South Dakota | $97,468 | $46.86 |
| 19 | Indiana | $94,280 | $45.33 |
| 20 | Pennsylvania | $89,836 | $43.19 |
| 21 | Vermont | $96,931 | $46.60 |
| 22 | Kentucky | $95,736 | $46.03 |
| 23 | Iowa | $85,313 | $41.02 |
| 24 | Delaware | $87,147 | $41.90 |
| 25 | Alaska | $86,786 | $41.72 |
| 26 | New Jersey | $93,336 | $44.87 |
| 27 | Virginia | $96,838 | $46.56 |
| 28 | Nevada | $87,552 | $42.09 |
| 29 | Alabama | $86,301 | $41.49 |
| 30 | Illinois | $87,992 | $42.30 |
| 31 | New Hampshire | $92,112 | $44.28 |
| 32 | Connecticut | $90,147 | $43.34 |
| 33 | Montana | $81,441 | $39.15 |
| 34 | Tennessee | $87,054 | $41.85 |
| 35 | New Mexico | $77,669 | $37.34 |
| 36 | Idaho | $81,673 | $39.27 |
| 37 | Hawaii | $82,901 | $39.86 |
| 38 | Wisconsin | $80,261 | $38.59 |
| 39 | Colorado | $81,067 | $38.97 |
| 40 | Wyoming | $77,805 | $37.41 |
| 41 | North Carolina | $79,078 | $38.02 |
| 42 | Utah | $79,388 | $38.17 |
| 43 | Maryland | $85,070 | $40.90 |
| 44 | Florida | $79,030 | $38.00 |
| 45 | Arkansas | $72,532 | $34.87 |
| 46 | Texas | $74,048 | $35.60 |
| 47 | Georgia | $76,847 | $36.95 |
| 48 | South Carolina | $75,711 | $36.40 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $74,271 | $35.71 |
| 50 | Louisiana | $71,920 | $34.58 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $72,576 | $34.89 |
Highest paying cities for licensed professional counselors
The highest-paying cities for licensed professional counselors are New York, NY, Seattle, WA, and Albany, OR.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York, NY | $114,019 | $54.82 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $112,312 | $54.00 |
| 3 | Albany, OR | $111,071 | $53.40 |
| 4 | Portland, ME | $110,508 | $53.13 |
| 5 | Phoenix, AZ | $109,803 | $52.79 |
| 6 | San Francisco, CA | $108,485 | $52.16 |
| 7 | Saint Louis, MO | $104,068 | $50.03 |
| 8 | Warwick, RI | $102,693 | $49.37 |
| 9 | Boston, MA | $101,584 | $48.84 |
| 10 | Columbus, OH | $97,241 | $46.75 |
| 11 | Harrisonburg, VA | $96,640 | $46.46 |
| 12 | Charleston, WV | $95,601 | $45.96 |
| 13 | Newark, NJ | $93,356 | $44.88 |
| 14 | Lincoln, NE | $92,887 | $44.66 |
| 15 | Nashua, NH | $92,428 | $44.44 |
| 16 | Philadelphia, PA | $89,986 | $43.26 |
| 17 | Huntsville, AL | $88,491 | $42.54 |
| 18 | Chicago, IL | $88,141 | $42.38 |
| 19 | Wilmington, DE | $87,324 | $41.98 |
| 20 | Baltimore, MD | $85,193 | $40.96 |
Licensed Professional Counselors are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Licensed professional counselor salary details
A licensed professional counselor's salary ranges from $73,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $122,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a licensed professional counselor's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $122,000 | $10,167 | $59 |
| 75th Percentile | $108,000 | $9,000 | $52 |
| Average | $94,675 | $7,890 | $46 |
| 25th Percentile | $82,000 | $6,833 | $39 |
| 10th Percentile | $73,000 | $6,083 | $35 |
Highest paying licensed professional counselor jobs
The highest paying types of licensed professional counselors are lead counselor, clinician, and primary therapist.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinician | $60,150 | $5,012 | $28.92 | 105,023 |
| Primary Therapist | $59,826 | $4,985 | $28.76 | 85,127 |
| Mental Health Therapist | $50,259 | $4,188 | $24.16 | 114,386 |
| Marriage And Family Therapist | $57,856 | $4,821 | $27.82 | 114,361 |
| Mental Health Clinician | $54,359 | $4,530 | $26.13 | 91,347 |
| Counselor Internship | $45,500 | $3,792 | $21.88 | 132,694 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for licensed professional counselors, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Donald B. Katz Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology, Brandeis University
Top companies hiring licensed professional counselors now:
Which companies pay licensed professional counselors the most?
Licensed professional counselor salaries at Bloomberg and Dolby Laboratories are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average licensed professional counselor salary at companies like Berkshire Hathaway and Guarantee Real Estate are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bloomberg | $106,340 | $51.13 |
| 2 | Dolby Laboratories | $100,939 | $48.53 |
| 3 | Berkshire Hathaway | $100,245 | $48.19 |
| 4 | Guarantee Real Estate | $99,931 | $48.04 |
| 5 | Roberts Brothers | $99,899 | $48.03 |
| 6 | Cressy & Everett Real Estate | $99,844 | $48.00 |
| 7 | Your Castle Real Estate | $99,833 | $48.00 |
| 8 | RE/MAX Northwest | $99,802 | $47.98 |
| 9 | Lyon Real Estate | $99,784 | $47.97 |
| 10 | United Real Estate | $99,747 | $47.96 |
| 11 | HUNT Real Estate ERA | $99,736 | $47.95 |
| 12 | Randall Realtors | $99,707 | $47.94 |
| 13 | Coldwell Banker Real Estate Group | $99,701 | $47.93 |
| 14 | Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices Alliance Real Estate | $99,677 | $47.92 |
| 15 | PMZ Real Estate | $99,673 | $47.92 |
| 16 | Comey & Shepherd | $99,662 | $47.91 |
| 17 | Carpenter Realtors | $99,657 | $47.91 |
| 18 | Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors | $99,656 | $47.91 |
| 19 | Semonin Realtors | $99,650 | $47.91 |
| 20 | Intero Real Estate Services | $99,648 | $47.91 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Licensed professional counselor salary trends
The average licensed professional counselor salary has risen by $16,235 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average licensed professional counselor earned $78,440 annually, but today, they earn $94,675 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for licensed professional counselors over the last decade.
Compare licensed professional counselor salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average licensed professional counselor salary over time
Compare licensed professional counselor salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Licensed professional counselor salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $94,700 | $45.52 | +3.0% |
| 2024 | $91,800 | $44.14 | +2.4% |
| 2023 | $89,600 | $43.08 | +2.4% |
| 2022 | $87,400 | $42.03 | +1.9% |
| 2021 | $85,700 | $41.22 | +2.2% |
Recently added licensed professional counselor salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thriveworks | Limited Professional Counselor | Kalamazoo, MI | 06/30/2025 | $45,000 |
| Thriveworks | Licensed Graduate Professional Counselor-Hybrid | Silver Spring, MD | 06/30/2025 | $55,000 |
| Lifestance Health | Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (Lpcc) | Georgetown, KY | 06/30/2025 | $85,000 |
| Albany Area Primary Health Care | Hybrid/Remote-Licensed Professional Counselor | Albany, GA | 06/29/2025 | $55,000 |
| NSI Healthcare | Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor Lcpc | Killeen, TX | 06/29/2025 | $70,000 |
| Get It-Professional Services | Licensed Counselor--Remote | Danbury, CT | 06/29/2025 | $79,306 |
| Get It-Professional Services | Licensed Clinical Professional-Remote | Los Angeles, CA | 06/29/2025 | $75,000 |
| Get It-Healthcare | Licensed Professional Counselor-Remote | Philadelphia, PA | 06/29/2025 | $104,350 |
| Get It-Finance | Licensed Professional Counselor-Hybrid-Remote-WFH | Fort Gaines, GA | 06/29/2025 | $55,000 |
| Community Health and Dental Care, Inc. | Licensed Professional Counselor | Pottstown, PA | 06/29/2025 | $65,000 |
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