School Counselor Salary

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How Much Does a School Counselor Earn In The United States?

School Counselor Salaries

Updated December 31, 2020

Average Yearly Salary

$46,000

$35,000

$46,000

$60,000

School counselors in the United States make an average salary of $46,120 per year or $22.17 per hour. In terms of salary range, an entry level school counselor salary is roughly $35,000 a year, while the top 10% makes $60,000. If you like following the crowd, education and non profits companies tend to attract the most workers in this field. But if you're in it for the money, then you'll want to seek out education, non profits, and health care companies, as employees in each industry have reported the highest salaries. As most things go, location can be critical. Hawaii, California, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Vermont provide the highest school counselor salaries.

Best Paying Cities

1. Santa Rosa, CA

Average Salary: $62,407

School Counselor Jobs: 2

2. Philadelphia, PA

Average Salary: $50,946

School Counselor Jobs: 1

3. Jersey City, NJ

Average Salary: $50,656

4. New York, NY

Average Salary: $49,919

School Counselor Jobs: 3

5. Chicago, IL

Average Salary: $46,446

School Counselor Jobs: 4

6. Cleveland, OH

Average Salary: $44,522

7. Washington, DC

Average Salary: $43,136

School Counselor Jobs: 4

8. Minneapolis, MN

Average Salary: $42,661

9. El Paso, TX

Average Salary: $42,323

10. Baltimore, MD

Average Salary: $42,161

11. Annandale, VA

Average Salary: $41,713

12. Albuquerque, NM

Average Salary: $40,921

School Counselor Jobs: 11

13. Grand Rapids, MI

Average Salary: $38,864

14. Maricopa, AZ

Average Salary: $36,714

School Counselor Jobs: 1

15. Durham, NC

Average Salary: $35,332

16. Kansas City, MO

Average Salary: $34,373

17. New Orleans, LA

Average Salary: $33,917

School Counselor Jobs: 1

18. Pueblo, CO

Average Salary: $31,000

19. Miami, FL

Average Salary: $30,195

20. Jonesboro, AR

Average Salary: $29,850

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Where School Counselors Earn The Most

The darker areas on the map show where school counselors earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary

How Much Do School Counselors Earn In Different Cities?

If both location and money are important to you, then you might want to check out moving to Hawaii, California and New Hampshire, as these three states offer the highest salaries throughout the U.S. for school counselors. Quite opposite of that list is the lowest paying states, which are Arkansas, Tennessee, and Indiana.

City

Average Salary

Santa Rosa, CA

$62k$62,407

Philadelphia, PA

$51k$50,946

Jersey City, NJ

$51k$50,656

New York, NY

$50k$49,919

Chicago, IL

$46k$46,446

Cleveland, OH

$45k$44,522

Washington, DC

$43k$43,136

Minneapolis, MN

$43k$42,661

El Paso, TX

$42k$42,323

Baltimore, MD

$42k$42,161

$24k

$75k

High Paying School Counselor Jobs

Which Companies Pay School Counselors The Most?

To earn a high income as a school counselor, working for Leidos or New York Public Library might be your best bet, as they are the highest paying companies in this field. In addition, companies like Santa Rosa High School and State of Colorado report highly competitive salaries for school counselors.

Company

Average Salary

Leidos

$67k$66,780

New York Public Library

$56k$56,294

Santa Rosa High School

$56k$55,714

State of Colorado

$54k$53,538

SC Department of Commerce

$53k$53,276

Willingboro High School

$53k$53,218

City of Roseville

$53k$52,616

Santa Fe Public Schools

$52k$52,332

Bilingual Therapies

$52k$52,167

Henry County School District

$52k$52,114

$47k

$71k

The largest raises come from changing jobs.

See what's out there.

How would you rate the starting salaries for graduates in this field, as well as the salary prospects down the line as they advance in their careers?

Barbara Faye Streets Ph.D., L.P., CAC/BP

Board Certified Diplomate/Fellow, in African Centered/ Black Psychology, Associate Professor,, SUNY Oswego

The OOH (Occupational Outlook Handbook) provides median salary estimates for hundreds of occupations. Licensure, advanced training, continuing education, and years in the field typically correspond with a salary increase. It is advisable to negotiate, in the interview process, for a salary increase upon completion of credentialing, at each level in your prospective field. For a sample of median salaries in the field, see https://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-socialservice/home.htm.