How much does an Employment Counselor make in the United States?
As of October 01, 2026, the average salary for an Employment Counselor in the United States is $78,890 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $38.
However, an Employment Counselor's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:
Top Earners (90th percentile): $86,401
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $72,948 to $82,822
Key Factors That Influence Employment Counselor Salaries
An Employment Counselor's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors.
Below, we'll explore how geographic location, education
and company size
can directly affect your earning potential.
How Do Employment Counselor Salaries Vary from State to State?
Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Employment Counselors. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
District of Columbia: $87,347.
California: $87,016.
Massachusetts: $85,856.
District of Columbia$87,347
California$87,016
Massachusetts$85,856
Washington$85,541
New Jersey$85,509
Alaska$85,399
Connecticut$84,310
New York$83,868
Hawaii$82,456
Rhode Island$81,793
Maryland$81,344
Minnesota$80,728
Colorado$80,492
Illinois$80,413
Oregon$80,113
Delaware$79,892
New Hampshire$79,753
Virginia$79,443
Pennsylvania$78,535
Nevada$78,078
North Dakota$77,928
Michigan$77,691
Wisconsin$77,604
Vermont$77,431
Texas$76,950
Maine$76,918
Arizona$76,871
Ohio$76,815
Georgia$76,090
Indiana$75,727
Wyoming$75,656
Utah$75,545
Iowa$75,498
Kansas$75,119
Louisiana$75,009
North Carolina$74,969
Missouri$74,954
Florida$74,646
Montana$74,480
Nebraska$74,323
Kentucky$74,236
South Carolina$73,920
Tennessee$73,723
Idaho$73,644
New Mexico$73,068
Oklahoma$72,942
Alabama$72,477
South Dakota$71,696
Arkansas$71,269
West Virginia$71,041
Mississippi$70,354
Top Paying Cities for Employment Counselors
Salaries can also vary between different cities.
Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay.
Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:
San Jose: $99,504
San Francisco: $98,415
Oakland: $96,341
San Jose, CA$99,504
San Francisco, CA$98,415
Oakland, CA$96,341
New York, NY$90,834
Paramus, NJ$89,729
Queens Village, NY$89,725
Passaic, NJ$89,650
Bergenfield, NJ$89,643
Stamford, CT$89,469
Huntington, NY$89,437
Newark, NJ$88,854
Bridgeport, CT$88,688
Vallejo, CA$88,531
New Brunswick, NJ$88,499
Petaluma, CA$88,452
Middlesex, NJ$88,302
Somerset, NJ$88,247
Santa Cruz, CA$88,144
Boston, MA$87,663
Monterey, CA$87,386
Seattle, WA$87,205
Santa Rosa, CA$87,190
Los Angeles, CA$87,166
Juneau, AK$86,961
Washington, DC$86,874
Orange, CA$86,593
Santa Ana, CA$86,385
Long Beach, CA$86,306
Anaheim, CA$86,290
Anchorage, AK$86,251
Santa Maria, CA$86,014
Everett, WA$85,998
Danbury, CT$85,721
Bremerton, WA$85,612
Tacoma, WA$85,328
New Suffolk, NY$85,326
Sacramento, CA$85,304
Santa Barbara, CA$85,217
Trenton, NJ$85,131
San Diego, CA$85,131
Brockton, MA$85,044
Fairbanks, AK$84,850
Lompoc, CA$84,649
Lowell, MA$84,585
Ventura, CA$84,570
Nashua, NH$84,555
Stockton, CA$84,547
Modesto, CA$83,971
Poughkeepsie, NY$83,797
Olympia, WA$83,647
Kennewick, WA$83,647
New Haven, CT$83,616
Lawrence, MA$83,332
Hartford, CT$83,253
Riverside, CA$83,237
New Bedford, MA$83,158
Richland, WA$83,158
Bakersfield, CA$83,048
San Bernardino, CA$83,016
New Britain, CT$83,008
Atlantic City, NJ$83,008
New London, CT$82,977
Norwich, CT$82,953
Portsmouth, NH$82,937
Boulder, CO$82,770
Portland, OR$82,661
Worcester, MA$82,653
Minneapolis, MN$82,409
Philadelphia, PA$82,298
Honolulu, HI$82,038
Saint Paul, MN$82,000
Vineland, NJ$81,983
Providence, RI$81,754
Chicago, IL$81,525
Bellingham, WA$81,431
Springfield, MA$81,367
Baltimore, MD$81,344
Chico, CA$81,147
Pittsfield, MA$80,934
Manchester, NH$80,784
Spokane, WA$80,437
Denver, CO$80,429
Albany, NY$80,058
Troy, NY$80,026
Nassau, NY$79,942
Schenectady, NY$79,861
Wilmington, DE$79,798
Burlington, VT$79,687
Salem, OR$79,656
Portland, ME$79,411
Yakima, WA$79,332
Rochester, MN$79,088
Reno, NV$79,048
Fresno, CA$79,048
Milwaukee, WI$78,977
Detroit, MI$78,898
Ann Arbor, MI$78,885
Allentown, PA$78,875
Colorado Springs, CO$78,740
Syracuse, NY$78,701
Carson City, NV$78,701
Houston, TX$78,591
Eugene, OR$78,551
Gary, IN$78,456
Springfield, OR$78,393
Bismarck, ND$78,378
Galveston, TX$78,322
Medford, OR$78,204
Fort Collins, CO$78,172
Concord, NH$78,133
Austin, TX$78,109
Mesa, AZ$77,944
Reading, PA$77,936
Phoenix, AZ$77,928
Dallas, TX$77,904
Saint Cloud, MN$77,828
Madison, WI$77,723
Utica, NY$77,510
Rochester, NY$77,383
Des Moines, IA$77,376
Raleigh, NC$77,368
Atlanta, GA$77,249
Battle Creek, MI$77,226
Salt Lake City, UT$77,202
Lancaster, PA$77,084
Harrisburg, PA$76,973
Kansas City, MO$76,894
Champaign, IL$76,879
Kansas City, KS$76,879
Fort Worth, TX$76,871
Columbus, OH$76,857
Boca Raton, FL$76,839
Pittsburgh, PA$76,808
Richmond, VA$76,776
Indianapolis, IN$76,760
Cleveland, OH$76,752
Las Vegas, NV$76,658
Cincinnati, OH$76,658
Petersburg, VA$76,539
Huntsville, AL$76,421
Lansing, MI$76,368
Lebanon, PA$76,358
Pueblo, CO$76,350
Appleton, WI$76,326
Buffalo, NY$76,295
Dayton, OH$76,271
Racine, WI$76,255
Charlotte, NC$76,247
Saint Louis, MO$76,224
York, PA$76,176
Elkhart, IN$76,176
Gastonia, NC$76,161
Billings, MT$76,143
Beaumont, TX$76,121
Lorain, OH$76,105
Benton Harbor, MI$76,090
Toledo, OH$76,074
Binghamton, NY$76,034
Rock Hill, SC$76,027
Rockford, IL$75,987
Springfield, IL$75,956
Elyria, OH$75,948
Fargo, ND$75,948
Flagstaff, AZ$75,892
Fort Lauderdale, FL$75,845
Duluth, MN$75,798
Miami, FL$75,798
Cheyenne, WY$75,743
Grand Forks, ND$75,743
Bangor, ME$75,569
Cedar Rapids, IA$75,482
Durham, NC$75,449
Louisville, KY$75,443
Grand Rapids, MI$75,427
Hialeah, FL$75,419
Casper, WY$75,309
Scranton, PA$75,214
New Orleans, LA$75,190
Virginia Beach, VA$75,182
Akron, OH$75,143
Peoria, IL$75,040
Sarasota, FL$75,025
Nashville, TN$74,969
Omaha, NE$74,969
Green Bay, WI$74,969
Baton Rouge, LA$74,930
Charleston, SC$74,914
Jamestown, NY$74,875
Davenport, IA$74,875
Tucson, AZ$74,835
Saint Petersburg, FL$74,788
Tampa, FL$74,772
Evansville, IN$74,725
Port Arthur, TX$74,725
Bradenton, FL$74,693
Santa Fe, NM$74,551
Orlando, FL$74,409
Clearwater, FL$74,386
Canton, OH$74,220
La Crosse, WI$74,220
Albuquerque, NM$74,173
Newport News, VA$74,165
High Point, NC$74,141
Ogden, UT$74,110
Corpus Christi, TX$74,046
Norfolk, VA$73,999
Laramie, WY$73,999
Rock Island, IL$73,952
Saginaw, MI$73,936
Jacksonville, FL$73,928
Salisbury, NC$73,912
Boise, ID$73,897
Moline, IL$73,857
Fort Myers, FL$73,833
Memphis, TN$73,818
Tulsa, OK$73,778
Waterloo, IA$73,731
Spartanburg, SC$73,652
Lincoln, NE$73,613
Fort Wayne, IN$73,597
Provo, UT$73,589
Cedar Falls, IA$73,494
San Antonio, TX$73,463
Greensboro, NC$73,431
South Bend, IN$73,423
Savannah, GA$73,336
Muskegon, MI$73,305
Birmingham, AL$73,297
Winston Salem, NC$73,258
Lake Charles, LA$73,068
Anderson, IN$73,052
Lexington, KY$73,029
Augusta, GA$73,005
Greenville, SC$73,005
Lima, OH$72,942
Wichita, KS$72,934
Tuscaloosa, AL$72,934
Columbia, SC$72,863
Springfield, OH$72,847
Asheville, NC$72,721
Bloomington, IN$72,666
Knoxville, TN$72,382
Shreveport, LA$72,374
Wilmington, NC$72,271
Roanoke, VA$72,271
Topeka, KS$72,129
Frankfort, KY$72,121
Oklahoma City, OK$72,066
Chillicothe, OH$72,035
Longview, TX$72,027
Melbourne, FL$72,019
Sioux Falls, SD$71,893
Mobile, AL$71,885
Terre Haute, IN$71,853
Altoona, PA$71,806
Amarillo, TX$71,751
Killeen, TX$71,727
Fayetteville, AR$71,664
Chattanooga, TN$71,640
Sioux City, IA$71,569
Idaho Falls, ID$71,554
Lynchburg, VA$71,490
Gainesville, FL$71,388
Portsmouth, OH$71,348
Little Rock, AR$71,333
Lafayette, LA$71,301
Youngstown, OH$71,301
Daytona Beach, FL$71,254
Clarksville, TN$71,246
Pensacola, FL$71,238
Temple, TX$71,232
Hopkinsville, KY$71,001
Erie, PA$70,985
Florence, SC$70,954
Charleston, WV$70,828
Great Falls, MT$70,788
Macon, GA$70,678
Tallahassee, FL$70,670
Fayetteville, NC$70,654
Waco, TX$70,638
Helena, MT$70,583
Pine Bluff, AR$70,553
Vincennes, IN$70,457
Lubbock, TX$70,425
Alamogordo, NM$70,378
Twin Falls, ID$70,307
Rapid City, SD$70,283
Jackson, MS$70,141
Huntington, WV$70,136
Greenville, MS$70,133
Parkersburg, WV$70,053
Montgomery, AL$70,039
Wichita Falls, TX$69,960
Springfield, MO$69,960
Biloxi, MS$69,920
Monroe, LA$69,842
Johnstown, PA$69,786
Sumter, SC$69,755
Columbus, GA$69,747
Pascagoula, MS$69,597
Abilene, TX$69,597
Kingsport, TN$69,392
Albany, GA$69,392
Gulfport, MS$69,368
Alexandria, LA$69,108
Fort Smith, AR$68,911
El Paso, TX$68,698
Las Cruces, NM$68,343
Harlingen, TX$68,142
Pocatello, ID$68,130
Florence, AL$68,027
Brownsville, TX$68,011
Mcallen, TX$67,846
Dothan, AL$67,735
Columbus, MS$67,267
Altus, OK$66,899
Lawton, OK$66,749
Pierre, SD$66,465
What Skills Can Increase an Employment Counselor's Salary?
Demanded Skills for the Role:
Written Communication (Mentioned in 8.19% Job Postings): Communicating information through written media to educate, inform and influence the target audience.
Group Counseling (Mentioned in 3.28% Job Postings): A form of psychotherapy that involves four to ten clients and two experienced group therapists. They meet every week for ninety minutes. During that time, they discuss the issues that are concerning them and offer each other support and feedback.
Service Delivery (Mentioned in 1.35% Job Postings): Creating and implementing innovative strategic plans and solutions to address customer concerns and needs and meet service delivery expectations.
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay.
Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on an Employment Counselor's salary.
Coordination: Can increase your salary by up to 22%.
Leadership Development: Can increase your salary by up to 17%.
Leadership: Can increase your salary by up to 12%.
Employment Counselor Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors
For Employment Counselor roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential
by as much as 35% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries).
Data shows that the Construction and Aerospace & Defense
sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 15% above the average.
In contrast, Employment Counselor positions in Hospitality & Leisure or Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit typically offer lower base pay,
as these industries often view Employment Counselor as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.
The top paying industries for an Employment Counselor
Industry Sector
Average Annual Salary
Average Hourly Rate
Pay vs.Avg
Construction
$90,724
$44.0
15%
Aerospace & Defense
$88,357
$42.0
12%
Telecom
$87,568
$42.0
11%
Energy & Utilities
$86,779
$42.0
10%
Business Services
$85,202
$41.0
8%
How Education impacts an Employment Counselor's Salary?
Your level of education can impact your salary potential.
While many Employment Counselors enter the field with a Bachelor's Degree degree,
higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.
According to our 100% employer-reported salary data,
the median salary for an Employment Counselor with a Bachelor's Degree is between
$74,785
and $79,276).
Employment Counselor Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay
Understanding how an Employment Counselor's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting.
Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role.
Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.
Hourly
Monthly
Weekly
Yearly
Table View
Last Updated on October 01, 2026
$72,948
Average$78,890/year
$82,822
$6,079
Average$6,574/month
$6,902
$1,403
Average$1,517/week
$1,593
$35
Average$38/hour
$40
Annual Salary
Monthly Pay
Weekly Pay
Hourly Wage
75th Percentile
$82,822
$6,902
$1,593
$40
Average
$78,890
$6,574
$1,517
$38
25th Percentile
$72,948
$6,079
$1,403
$35
Salaries of Jobs related to Employment Counselor
Employment Director$148,100
Employment Manager$113,700
Certified Vocational Rehab Counselor$82,000
CRC- Certified Rehabilitation Counselor$81,920
Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor$81,917
Employment Supervisor$77,200
Counselor$64,447
Employment Coordinator$56,464
Employment Specialist$52,310
Student Career Counselor$51,648
Career And Employment Counselor$48,759
Salary Trends for Employment Counselor
Salaries for an Employment Counselor can change over time,
reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy.
The median salary decreased from $68,271 in 2023
to around $67,344 in 2025,
reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy.
For a detailed analysis of Employment Counselor salary trends,
.
Average Annual Salary of Employment Counselor Over Time
$???
$68,271
$67,773
$67,344
$???
$???
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
2027
Year
Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023
$68,271
2024
$67,773
2025
$67,344
2026
View More
2027
View More
Most common benefits for Employment Counselor
Social Security
401 (k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
Common company salaries for Employment Counselor
Here are companies hiring for Employment Counselor and their salaries, click below for more details.
C$128,509/per year
C R Bard IncBiotechnologythe United States
H$124,697/per year
Henry Schein CanadaBiotechnologythe United States
N$123,899/per year
Nordex IncBiotechnologythe United States
N$120,416/per year
Nipro CorpBiotechnologythe United States
E$115,870/per year
EnovisBiotechnologythe United States
A$114,553/per year
Advanced Research Projects Agency - EnergyBiotechnologythe United States
M$112,110/per year
MiniMed IncBiotechnologythe United States
L$111,500/per year
Labcorp Drug DevelopmentBiotechnologythe United States
L$110,229/per year
Life Technologies CorpBiotechnologythe United States
Z$106,224/per year
Zimmer BiometBiotechnologythe United States
P$103,077/per year
Promontory TherapeuticsBiotechnologythe United States
S$102,181/per year
Steris PLCBiotechnologythe United States
G$97,274/per year
Gavin Conferences Pty LtdBiotechnologythe United States
E$94,764/per year
Endeavor BioMedicinesBiotechnologythe United States
R$94,402/per year
Replay Holdings LLCBiotechnologythe United States
P$94,235/per year
Pleno IncBiotechnologythe United States
S$93,666/per year
Simulaids IncBiotechnologythe United States
N$88,880/per year
NOIRLab/CASBiotechnologythe United States
O$86,468/per year
Onward TechnologyBiotechnologythe United States
L$84,895/per year
LED Medical Diagnostics IncBiotechnologythe United States
E$84,682/per year
Eyeco LtdBiotechnologythe United States
P$84,523/per year
PaerosolBiotechnologythe United States
I$83,525/per year
IONIQ Sciences IncBiotechnologythe United States
S$82,815/per year
Stateside PPEBiotechnologythe United States
D$82,041/per year
Digi BioBiotechnologythe United States
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FAQ about Employment Counselor
1. What industry pays the highest salary for Employment Counselor?
The Construction industry offers the highest average compensation for Employment Counselor roles,
with salaries approximately 15% above the market median.
Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?
Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.
