How Much Do Youth Counselors Make?
Having a clear understanding of earnings potential is important, especially if you are researching career paths or considering changing jobs. If you're one of those people, and you're curious what kind of salary youth counselors make, you've come to the right place.
Using data from Lightcast,™ the Best Adult Colleges and Careers Guide has compiled rich information about salary for youth counselors and related jobs, including details about average compensation, salary trends and job growth. We've also gathered advertised salaries from actual job postings to provide insight into what employers of youth counselors are offering as compensation.
Keep reading to learn more about how much youth counselors can expect to make in the United States.
At a Glance: Salary & Jobs for Youth Counselors
According to data from 2023, there were about 42,475 positions for youth counselors in the United States. In terms of salary, the national median salary for youth counselors was reported to be $46,134. Additionally, when examining job demand, employers across the country posted 376,280 job postings related to positions for youth counselors.
How Much Money Do Youth Counselors Make?
Median salary is just one data point. To build a better understanding of how much money youth counselors and related positions can expect to make in the United States, it can be helpful to look at the full range of compensation for those jobs.
Let's look more deeply at data that was reported to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for detail into the lowest and highest salary earnings for youth counselors.
Annual Salary for Youth Counselors
According to the BLS, the lowest earners for youth counselors and related professions earned about $33,301 per year in 2023. Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, the highest earners made about $79,872 annually.
As mentioned previously, the median salary for youth counselors in the United States in 2023 was $46,134.
Annual Salary Range For Youth Counselors In 2023
Hourly Salary for Youth Counselors
The BLS also breaks down compensation for youth counselors by hourly salary, and the median average hourly pay for youth counselors in 2023 was $22. Lowest hourly earners took home $16 while the highest reported hourly salaries for youth counselors was $38.
Hourly Salary Range For Youth Counselors In 2023
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Advertised Compensation for Youth Counselors
Data from the BLS is one way to dig into compensation for youth counselors, but another way to build a more real-time understanding of salary is to look at actual job postings and see what compensation organizations are currently providing to fill open positions for youth counselors.
Keep in mind that salary data is not included in every job posting, so the information compiled here is reflective of the data available through Lightcast.™
Annual Salary from Job Postings for Youth Counselors
Advertised Annual Salary
During a review of 105,482 job postings related to youth counselors, advertised salary was included in 67,405 of them, which was 64%. Based on those postings, the median advertised salary for youth counselors was $51,072 per year.
Hourly Salary from Job Postings for Youth Counselors
Advertised Hourly Salary
A similar analysis of job postings provides insight into advertised hourly salary for youth counselors. Based on 18% of postings with advertised compensation, the median hourly salary for open positions for youth counselors in the United States is about $25.
Salary Trend for Youth Counselors
If you're thinking about pursuing a career in the field, you may want to understand how compensation has changed over time for youth counselors. The chart below provides a snapshot of advertised salaries over the past three years.
Based on compensation data that was included in job postings for youth counselors dating back to September 2020, advertised salaries for youth counselors have increased 18%.
Advertised Wage Trend For Youth Counselors
What's the Job Growth for Youth Counselors?
Another data point that someone thinking about a career path should consider is whether or not jobs are expected to see growth in the future. The chart below looks at projected employment for youth counselors over the next 10 years.
According to the data obtained through Lightcast,™ there were 42,419 jobs for youth counselors in the United States in 2023. By 2033, it is expected that about 7,087 jobs will be added. That's a 16.7% increase over the next 10-year period.
Employment Projections For Youth Counselors
Additional Links
Ready to dig deeper into career information about youth counselors? Visit our other pages focused on salary and education for youth counselors.
What do youth counselors do?
Youth Counselors: How do you become one?
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