Best states for a school counselor

Q: What is the best state for school counselors?

The best state to be a school counselor is New Hampshire based on school counselor salaries and job opportunities.

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

The highest paying state for school counselors is Wyoming based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for school counselors?

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

Quoted expert

Christine Suniti Bhat

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It seems like school counselors are becoming more and more common across America. But working conditions and demand for school counselors aren't the same everywhere in the U.S. Although there are abundant school counselor jobs in the United States, a large number of them are in the Midwest. New Hampshire is the best state in the country for school counselor jobs.

In order to get you the best states for school counselors, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.We found that the Midwest is best for school counselors, and the Northeast is the worst. San Francisco, CA is the best city in the country for school counselor jobs, where as New Hampshire is the best state in the country.

10 best states for school counselors in 2025

1. New Hampshire
Total school counselor jobs: 159
Average annual salary: $57,263
Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $80,000
Location Quotient:
1.34
School counselor jobs in New Hampshire
2. Massachusetts
Total school counselor jobs: 1,287
Average annual salary: $55,794
Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $78,000
Location Quotient:
2.07
School counselor jobs in Massachusetts
3. California
Total school counselor jobs: 1,966
Average annual salary: $60,650
Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $84,000
Location Quotient:
0.99
School counselor jobs in California
4. New Jersey
Total school counselor jobs: 658
Average annual salary: $53,340
Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $74,000
Location Quotient:
1.23
School counselor jobs in New Jersey
5. Delaware
Total school counselor jobs: 109
Average annual salary: $51,799
Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $72,000
Location Quotient:
1.28
School counselor jobs in Delaware
6. New Mexico
Total school counselor jobs: 126
Average annual salary: $53,361
Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $73,000
Location Quotient:
0.95
School counselor jobs in New Mexico
7. Arkansas
Total school counselor jobs: 124
Average annual salary: $53,942
Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $74,000
Location Quotient:
0.7
School counselor jobs in Arkansas
8. North Dakota
Total school counselor jobs: 45
Average annual salary: $53,853
Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $72,000
Location Quotient:
0.72
School counselor jobs in North Dakota
9. New York
Total school counselor jobs: 1,102
Average annual salary: $52,397
Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $73,000
Location Quotient:
1.27
School counselor jobs in New York
10. Mississippi
Total school counselor jobs: 88
Average annual salary: $54,799
Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $75,000
Location Quotient:
0.61
School counselor jobs in Mississippi

School counselor jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a school counselor

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

Detailed list of the best states for a school counselor

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	New Hampshire	$57,263	$40,000	1,342,795	159
2	Massachusetts	$55,794	$39,000	6,859,819	1,287
3	California	$60,650	$43,000	39,536,653	1,966
4	New Jersey	$53,340	$37,000	9,005,644	658
5	Delaware	$51,799	$36,000	961,939	109
6	New Mexico	$53,361	$38,000	2,088,070	126
7	Arkansas	$53,942	$39,000	3,004,279	124
8	North Dakota	$53,853	$40,000	755,393	45
9	New York	$52,397	$37,000	19,849,399	1,102
10	Mississippi	$54,799	$39,000	2,984,100	88
11	West Virginia	$54,174	$39,000	1,815,857	53
12	Connecticut	$50,419	$35,000	3,588,184	479
13	Pennsylvania	$48,638	$34,000	12,805,537	944
14	Washington	$51,991	$38,000	7,405,743	491
15	Texas	$52,282	$37,000	28,304,596	954
16	Maryland	$52,376	$37,000	6,052,177	473
17	Maine	$47,805	$34,000	1,335,907	93
18	Utah	$50,969	$37,000	3,101,833	86
19	Vermont	$48,233	$34,000	623,657	51
20	Minnesota	$47,045	$34,000	5,576,606	469
21	Arizona	$45,822	$33,000	7,016,270	578
22	Tennessee	$46,994	$34,000	6,715,984	281
23	Kansas	$46,489	$34,000	2,913,123	168
24	Virginia	$51,535	$36,000	8,470,020	418
25	District of Columbia	$49,670	$35,000	693,972	127
26	Illinois	$45,652	$33,000	12,802,023	1,264
27	Oregon	$46,243	$33,000	4,142,776	361
28	Alaska	$43,306	$36,000	739,795	78
29	Nevada	$45,496	$32,000	2,998,039	126
30	Oklahoma	$44,568	$32,000	3,930,864	184
31	Iowa	$44,510	$32,000	3,145,711	201
32	Georgia	$45,753	$32,000	10,429,379	512
33	Ohio	$43,055	$31,000	11,658,609	474
34	Rhode Island	$40,490	$28,000	1,059,639	98
35	Montana	$38,517	$28,000	1,050,493	142
36	Michigan	$38,909	$28,000	9,962,311	586
37	North Carolina	$43,966	$31,000	10,273,419	419
38	Colorado	$40,536	$29,000	5,607,154	447
39	Missouri	$39,889	$29,000	6,113,532	406
40	Nebraska	$41,932	$30,000	1,920,076	101
41	South Dakota	$41,810	$31,000	869,666	34
42	Kentucky	$41,821	$30,000	4,454,189	145
43	Hawaii	$42,913	$35,000	1,427,538	40
44	Florida	$39,365	$28,000	20,984,400	995
45	Alabama	$40,549	$29,000	4,874,747	149
46	Idaho	$37,090	$27,000	1,716,943	112
47	Wyoming	$33,089	$24,000	579,315	48
48	South Carolina	$37,298	$26,000	5,024,369	247
49	Louisiana	$33,830	$24,000	4,684,333	225
50	Wisconsin	$38,585	$28,000	5,795,483	239
51	Indiana	$34,582	$25,000	6,666,818	361

Highest paying states for school counselors

Rank	State	Avg. School Counselor Salary
1	New Hampshire	$57,263
2	Massachusetts	$55,794
3	California	$60,650
4	New Jersey	$53,340
5	Delaware	$51,799
6	New Mexico	$53,361
7	Arkansas	$53,942
8	North Dakota	$53,853
9	New York	$52,397
10	Mississippi	$54,799
11	West Virginia	$54,174
12	Connecticut	$50,419
13	Pennsylvania	$48,638
14	Washington	$51,991
15	Texas	$52,282
16	Maryland	$52,376
17	Maine	$47,805
18	Utah	$50,969
19	Vermont	$48,233
20	Minnesota	$47,045
21	Arizona	$45,822
22	Tennessee	$46,994
23	Kansas	$46,489
24	Virginia	$51,535
25	District of Columbia	$49,670
26	Illinois	$45,652
27	Oregon	$46,243
28	Alaska	$43,306
29	Nevada	$45,496
30	Oklahoma	$44,568
31	Iowa	$44,510
32	Georgia	$45,753
33	Ohio	$43,055
34	Rhode Island	$40,490
35	Montana	$38,517
36	Michigan	$38,909
37	North Carolina	$43,966
38	Colorado	$40,536
39	Missouri	$39,889
40	Nebraska	$41,932
41	South Dakota	$41,810
42	Kentucky	$41,821
43	Hawaii	$42,913
44	Florida	$39,365
45	Alabama	$40,549
46	Idaho	$37,090
47	Wyoming	$33,089
48	South Carolina	$37,298
49	Louisiana	$33,830
50	Wisconsin	$38,585
51	Indiana	$34,582

Expert opinions on the best states for school counselors

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for school counselors 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.

School counselor best states FAQs

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Search for school counselor jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse community and social services jobs

Total school counselor jobs:	159
Average annual salary:	$57,263
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$40,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$80,000
Location Quotient:	1.34

Best states for a school counselor

10 best states for school counselors in 2025

1. New Hampshire

2. Massachusetts

3. California

4. New Jersey

5. Delaware

6. New Mexico

7. Arkansas

8. North Dakota

9. New York

10. Mississippi