Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Best states for a school guidance counselor
Quoted expert
Dr. Janice Byrd Ph.D.
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
It seems like school guidance counselors are becoming more and more common across America. But working conditions and demand for school guidance counselors aren't the same everywhere in the U.S. Although there are abundant school guidance counselor jobs in the United States, a large number of them are in the Midwest. Massachusetts is the best state in the country for school guidance counselor jobs.
In order to get you the best states for school guidance 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 guidance counselors, and the Northeast is the worst. San Francisco, CA is the best city in the country for school guidance counselor jobs, where as Massachusetts is the best state in the country.
10 best states for school guidance counselors in 2025
1. Massachusetts
Total school guidance counselor jobs: 2,398 Average annual salary: $56,111 Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $78,000 Location Quotient: 2.12
2. California
Total school guidance counselor jobs: 4,082 Average annual salary: $66,208 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $92,000 Location Quotient: 1.13
3. Connecticut
Total school guidance counselor jobs: 707 Average annual salary: $53,375 Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $74,000 Location Quotient: 1.73
4. Washington
Total school guidance counselor jobs: 1,084 Average annual salary: $54,495 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Location Quotient: 1.2
5. New Jersey
Total school guidance counselor jobs: 1,200 Average annual salary: $53,232 Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $74,000 Location Quotient: 1.22
6. Nevada
Total school guidance counselor jobs: 236 Average annual salary: $51,781 Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $72,000 Location Quotient: 0.91
7. New York
Total school guidance counselor jobs: 2,127 Average annual salary: $51,273 Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $72,000 Location Quotient: 1.34
8. District of Columbia
Total school guidance counselor jobs: 181 Average annual salary: $61,044 Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $85,000 Location Quotient: 0.87
9. Pennsylvania
Total school guidance counselor jobs: 1,887 Average annual salary: $48,433 Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $68,000 Location Quotient: 1.31
10. Rhode Island
Total school guidance counselor jobs: 174 Average annual salary: $49,940 Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Location Quotient: 1.16
School guidance counselor jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a school guidance counselor
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a school guidance counselor
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | $56,111 | $40,000 | 6,859,819 | 2,398 |
| 2 | California | $66,208 | $47,000 | 39,536,653 | 4,082 |
| 3 | Connecticut | $53,375 | $38,000 | 3,588,184 | 707 |
| 4 | Washington | $54,495 | $39,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,084 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $53,232 | $37,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,200 |
| 6 | Nevada | $51,781 | $36,000 | 2,998,039 | 236 |
| 7 | New York | $51,273 | $36,000 | 19,849,399 | 2,127 |
| 8 | District of Columbia | $61,044 | $43,000 | 693,972 | 181 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | $48,433 | $34,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,887 |
| 10 | Rhode Island | $49,940 | $35,000 | 1,059,639 | 174 |
| 11 | Arizona | $49,186 | $35,000 | 7,016,270 | 891 |
| 12 | New Mexico | $49,323 | $35,000 | 2,088,070 | 269 |
| 13 | Oregon | $49,578 | $35,000 | 4,142,776 | 670 |
| 14 | Ohio | $49,972 | $36,000 | 11,658,609 | 905 |
| 15 | Texas | $50,886 | $36,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,813 |
| 16 | Maryland | $51,511 | $36,000 | 6,052,177 | 855 |
| 17 | Kansas | $50,188 | $36,000 | 2,913,123 | 266 |
| 18 | South Carolina | $48,695 | $35,000 | 5,024,369 | 463 |
| 19 | Delaware | $48,449 | $34,000 | 961,939 | 150 |
| 20 | Illinois | $45,354 | $33,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,772 |
| 21 | Arkansas | $45,237 | $32,000 | 3,004,279 | 276 |
| 22 | Michigan | $44,229 | $31,000 | 9,962,311 | 915 |
| 23 | Alaska | $43,756 | $36,000 | 739,795 | 171 |
| 24 | Wisconsin | $45,975 | $33,000 | 5,795,483 | 459 |
| 25 | Louisiana | $43,993 | $31,000 | 4,684,333 | 355 |
| 26 | Vermont | $44,670 | $32,000 | 623,657 | 82 |
| 27 | Iowa | $44,066 | $32,000 | 3,145,711 | 320 |
| 28 | Minnesota | $42,916 | $31,000 | 5,576,606 | 891 |
| 29 | Tennessee | $43,177 | $31,000 | 6,715,984 | 500 |
| 30 | Mississippi | $43,219 | $31,000 | 2,984,100 | 188 |
| 31 | New Hampshire | $42,336 | $30,000 | 1,342,795 | 233 |
| 32 | Hawaii | $43,533 | $37,000 | 1,427,538 | 106 |
| 33 | Colorado | $42,960 | $31,000 | 5,607,154 | 772 |
| 34 | Virginia | $46,561 | $33,000 | 8,470,020 | 766 |
| 35 | Utah | $43,790 | $31,000 | 3,101,833 | 264 |
| 36 | Nebraska | $42,341 | $31,000 | 1,920,076 | 216 |
| 37 | Wyoming | $41,561 | $30,000 | 579,315 | 65 |
| 38 | Indiana | $41,111 | $29,000 | 6,666,818 | 701 |
| 39 | Montana | $38,217 | $28,000 | 1,050,493 | 207 |
| 40 | West Virginia | $42,049 | $30,000 | 1,815,857 | 96 |
| 41 | Maine | $35,129 | $25,000 | 1,335,907 | 293 |
| 42 | North Dakota | $40,280 | $29,000 | 755,393 | 83 |
| 43 | Georgia | $41,002 | $29,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,055 |
| 44 | North Carolina | $41,197 | $29,000 | 10,273,419 | 727 |
| 45 | Florida | $38,869 | $28,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,624 |
| 46 | Missouri | $37,093 | $27,000 | 6,113,532 | 666 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $38,209 | $27,000 | 3,930,864 | 317 |
| 48 | Idaho | $34,402 | $24,000 | 1,716,943 | 202 |
| 49 | Alabama | $39,237 | $28,000 | 4,874,747 | 236 |
| 50 | Kentucky | $38,115 | $27,000 | 4,454,189 | 255 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $30,998 | $22,000 | 869,666 | 74 |
Highest paying states for school guidance counselors
| Rank | State | Avg. School Guidance Counselor Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | $56,111 |
| 2 | California | $66,208 |
| 3 | Connecticut | $53,375 |
| 4 | Washington | $54,495 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $53,232 |
| 6 | Nevada | $51,781 |
| 7 | New York | $51,273 |
| 8 | District of Columbia | $61,044 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | $48,433 |
| 10 | Rhode Island | $49,940 |
| 11 | Arizona | $49,186 |
| 12 | New Mexico | $49,323 |
| 13 | Oregon | $49,578 |
| 14 | Ohio | $49,972 |
| 15 | Texas | $50,886 |
| 16 | Maryland | $51,511 |
| 17 | Kansas | $50,188 |
| 18 | South Carolina | $48,695 |
| 19 | Delaware | $48,449 |
| 20 | Illinois | $45,354 |
| 21 | Arkansas | $45,237 |
| 22 | Michigan | $44,229 |
| 23 | Alaska | $43,756 |
| 24 | Wisconsin | $45,975 |
| 25 | Louisiana | $43,993 |
| 26 | Vermont | $44,670 |
| 27 | Iowa | $44,066 |
| 28 | Minnesota | $42,916 |
| 29 | Tennessee | $43,177 |
| 30 | Mississippi | $43,219 |
| 31 | New Hampshire | $42,336 |
| 32 | Hawaii | $43,533 |
| 33 | Colorado | $42,960 |
| 34 | Virginia | $46,561 |
| 35 | Utah | $43,790 |
| 36 | Nebraska | $42,341 |
| 37 | Wyoming | $41,561 |
| 38 | Indiana | $41,111 |
| 39 | Montana | $38,217 |
| 40 | West Virginia | $42,049 |
| 41 | Maine | $35,129 |
| 42 | North Dakota | $40,280 |
| 43 | Georgia | $41,002 |
| 44 | North Carolina | $41,197 |
| 45 | Florida | $38,869 |
| 46 | Missouri | $37,093 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $38,209 |
| 48 | Idaho | $34,402 |
| 49 | Alabama | $39,237 |
| 50 | Kentucky | $38,115 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $30,998 |
Expert opinions on the best states for school guidance counselors
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for school guidance counselors to find work opportunities?
Dr. Janice Byrd Ph.D.
Professor, Kent State University
COVID-19 and racial violence are global phenomena that cause many mental health challenges for students globally. Schools are scrambling to identify solutions to address the social/emotional needs of their students. Some are investing in curriculum related to Social Emotional Learning, Trauma-Informed Schools, or seeking anti-racism experts to join their staff in conversations.
This emphasis is also illustrated in funding opportunities that have been advertised for schools and school-based researchers to consider innovative ways to address the increased stress our students are under, given the ongoing issues mentioned. While COVID-19 will hopefully, one day, decrease, the impact will be present for decades. As for racial violence against Black and Brown people, this oppression has/continues to harm communities across generations.
I implore schools to lean on school counselors as trained leaders to guide responses to these crises and support students. Due to budget constraints at the moment, we may see a decrease in job postings, but once the economy begins to heal, we will need more school counselors - not less. School counseling graduates awaiting employment should extend their knowledge about instructional based technology that may aid in their facilitation of counseling tasks, examine their bias/stereotypical thinking so they do not harm their BIPOC students, and create toolkits of information that may inform how they foster the development of anti-racist cultures in K-12 settings.
We all must remember that students do not perform well academically if they are not mentally/emotionally healthy or do not feel safe. Because COVID, the mental health challenges that have arisen due to the pandemic, and race-based violence, which causes mental health challenges for many, are global pandemics, school counselors face similar barriers to finding jobs across the nation. In time, given proper professional advocacy by school counselors, we will be acknowledged as leaders in the plight to heal students, schools, and communities.
School guidance counselor best states FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common community and social services questions.
Search for school guidance counselor jobs
Updated January 8, 2025