Best states for a student success counselor

Q: What is the best state for student success counselors?

The best state to be a student success counselor is District of Columbia based on student success counselor salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for student success counselors?

The highest paying state for student success counselors is South Dakota based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for student success counselors?

The worst state for student success counselors is South Dakota, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Quoted expert

Mariah Stopplecamp

Rank 1 - 10
11 - 20
21 - 30
31 - 40
41 - 51

We decided to bring you a list of the best states for jobs for student success counselors in the United States. Student success counselor positions are available in every state, but not all states are the same. Some states do not offer the same wages, benefits, time off, etc for student success counselors.As student success counselors are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for student success counselors. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as a student success counselor, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.

The median salary for student success counselors in District of Columbia is $59,342. Compare that to the median salary in South Dakota of $26,672, which ranked worst for student success counselors, and you can see how your location is important for your career.If you are currently seeking employment as a student success counselor, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.

10 best states for student success counselors in 2025

1. District of Columbia
Total student success counselor jobs: 180
Average annual salary: $59,342
Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $88,000
Location Quotient:
1.69
Student success counselor jobs in District of Columbia
2. New York
Total student success counselor jobs: 1,219
Average annual salary: $54,911
Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $80,000
Location Quotient:
1.5
Student success counselor jobs in New York
3. Connecticut
Total student success counselor jobs: 306
Average annual salary: $51,156
Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $74,000
Location Quotient:
1.46
Student success counselor jobs in Connecticut
4. Pennsylvania
Total student success counselor jobs: 951
Average annual salary: $48,331
Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $71,000
Location Quotient:
1.29
Student success counselor jobs in Pennsylvania
5. Massachusetts
Total student success counselor jobs: 526
Average annual salary: $58,099
Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $82,000
Location Quotient:
0.9
Student success counselor jobs in Massachusetts
6. Delaware
Total student success counselor jobs: 120
Average annual salary: $46,835
Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $69,000
Location Quotient:
1.51
Student success counselor jobs in Delaware
7. New Jersey
Total student success counselor jobs: 569
Average annual salary: $51,134
Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $75,000
Location Quotient:
1.13
Student success counselor jobs in New Jersey
8. California
Total student success counselor jobs: 2,198
Average annual salary: $52,359
Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $74,000
Location Quotient:
1.19
Student success counselor jobs in California
9. Rhode Island
Total student success counselor jobs: 89
Average annual salary: $47,747
Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $68,000
Location Quotient:
1.15
Student success counselor jobs in Rhode Island
10. Washington
Total student success counselor jobs: 530
Average annual salary: $47,319
Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $63,000
Location Quotient:
1.14
Student success counselor jobs in Washington

Student success counselor jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a student success counselor

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

Detailed list of the best states for a student success counselor

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	District of Columbia	$59,342	$39,000	693,972	180
2	New York	$54,911	$37,000	19,849,399	1,219
3	Connecticut	$51,156	$35,000	3,588,184	306
4	Pennsylvania	$48,331	$32,000	12,805,537	951
5	Massachusetts	$58,099	$40,000	6,859,819	526
6	Delaware	$46,835	$31,000	961,939	120
7	New Jersey	$51,134	$34,000	9,005,644	569
8	California	$52,359	$37,000	39,536,653	2,198
9	Rhode Island	$47,747	$33,000	1,059,639	89
10	Washington	$47,319	$35,000	7,405,743	530
11	Maryland	$50,021	$33,000	6,052,177	374
12	Vermont	$43,553	$31,000	623,657	63
13	Virginia	$45,423	$30,000	8,470,020	598
14	Ohio	$47,216	$32,000	11,658,609	432
15	Illinois	$41,798	$29,000	12,802,023	794
16	South Carolina	$41,995	$30,000	5,024,369	238
17	Wisconsin	$42,569	$29,000	5,795,483	265
18	New Hampshire	$40,923	$29,000	1,342,795	103
19	Nevada	$41,453	$29,000	2,998,039	116
20	Oregon	$39,621	$28,000	4,142,776	356
21	Michigan	$42,144	$28,000	9,962,311	345
22	Minnesota	$40,957	$29,000	5,576,606	364
23	Kansas	$41,318	$30,000	2,913,123	136
24	Iowa	$38,770	$28,000	3,145,711	212
25	Alaska	$39,731	$30,000	739,795	52
26	New Mexico	$38,990	$29,000	2,088,070	110
27	Arizona	$36,483	$26,000	7,016,270	528
28	West Virginia	$39,855	$27,000	1,815,857	52
29	Arkansas	$36,484	$27,000	3,004,279	167
30	Colorado	$37,632	$28,000	5,607,154	428
31	North Dakota	$35,334	$26,000	755,393	66
32	Tennessee	$35,858	$26,000	6,715,984	345
33	Texas	$37,971	$27,000	28,304,596	1,078
34	Wyoming	$33,624	$25,000	579,315	57
35	Indiana	$37,522	$26,000	6,666,818	294
36	North Carolina	$37,444	$26,000	10,273,419	469
37	Florida	$36,087	$25,000	20,984,400	1,075
38	Nebraska	$35,756	$26,000	1,920,076	120
39	Louisiana	$36,525	$26,000	4,684,333	165
40	Utah	$34,295	$25,000	3,101,833	235
41	Montana	$30,847	$23,000	1,050,493	97
42	Maine	$34,756	$25,000	1,335,907	68
43	Georgia	$34,223	$25,000	10,429,379	575
44	Kentucky	$33,482	$23,000	4,454,189	180
45	Mississippi	$34,961	$25,000	2,984,100	80
46	Hawaii	$32,335	$24,000	1,427,538	53
47	Alabama	$32,117	$23,000	4,874,747	214
48	Missouri	$31,056	$22,000	6,113,532	272
49	Idaho	$27,094	$20,000	1,716,943	86
50	Oklahoma	$30,523	$22,000	3,930,864	122
51	South Dakota	$26,672	$19,000	869,666	46

Highest paying states for student success counselors

Rank	State	Avg. Student Success Counselor Salary
1	District of Columbia	$59,342
2	New York	$54,911
3	Connecticut	$51,156
4	Pennsylvania	$48,331
5	Massachusetts	$58,099
6	Delaware	$46,835
7	New Jersey	$51,134
8	California	$52,359
9	Rhode Island	$47,747
10	Washington	$47,319
11	Maryland	$50,021
12	Vermont	$43,553
13	Virginia	$45,423
14	Ohio	$47,216
15	Illinois	$41,798
16	South Carolina	$41,995
17	Wisconsin	$42,569
18	New Hampshire	$40,923
19	Nevada	$41,453
20	Oregon	$39,621
21	Michigan	$42,144
22	Minnesota	$40,957
23	Kansas	$41,318
24	Iowa	$38,770
25	Alaska	$39,731
26	New Mexico	$38,990
27	Arizona	$36,483
28	West Virginia	$39,855
29	Arkansas	$36,484
30	Colorado	$37,632
31	North Dakota	$35,334
32	Tennessee	$35,858
33	Texas	$37,971
34	Wyoming	$33,624
35	Indiana	$37,522
36	North Carolina	$37,444
37	Florida	$36,087
38	Nebraska	$35,756
39	Louisiana	$36,525
40	Utah	$34,295
41	Montana	$30,847
42	Maine	$34,756
43	Georgia	$34,223
44	Kentucky	$33,482
45	Mississippi	$34,961
46	Hawaii	$32,335
47	Alabama	$32,117
48	Missouri	$31,056
49	Idaho	$27,094
50	Oklahoma	$30,523
51	South Dakota	$26,672

Expert opinions on the best states for student success counselors

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for student success counselors to find work opportunities?
Mariah Stopplecamp
Coordinator, Montana State University
Right now, we see companies in larger metropolitan areas being the hubs of employment for recent grads. These are the companies that are large enough to survive the fiscal challenges that COVID has provided. These larger metro areas are working remotely, currently, and are providing recent grads the flexibility to stay located where they are.

Student success counselor best states FAQs

What is the best state for student success counselors?

What is the highest paying state for student success counselors?

What is the worst state for student success counselors?

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

Search for student success counselor jobs

Zippia Careers
Community and Social Services Industry
Student Success Counselor
Best states for Student Success Counselors

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse community and social services jobs

Total student success counselor jobs:	180
Average annual salary:	$59,342
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$39,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$88,000
Location Quotient:	1.69

Best states for a student success counselor

10 best states for student success counselors in 2025

1. District of Columbia

2. New York

3. Connecticut

4. Pennsylvania

5. Massachusetts

6. Delaware

7. New Jersey

8. California

9. Rhode Island

10. Washington