How Much Do Behavioral Health 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 behavioral health 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 behavioral health 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 behavioral health counselors are offering as compensation.
Keep reading to learn more about how much behavioral health counselors can expect to make in the United States.
At a Glance: Salary & Jobs for Behavioral Health Counselors
According to data from 2022, there were about 358,607 positions for behavioral health counselors in the United States. In terms of salary, the national median salary for behavioral health counselors was reported to be $49,712. Additionally, when examining job demand, employers across the country posted 228,790 job postings related to positions for behavioral health counselors.
How Much Money Do Behavioral Health Counselors Make?
Median salary is just one data point. To build a better understanding of how much money behavioral health 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 behavioral health counselors.
Annual Salary for Behavioral Health Counselors
According to the BLS, the lowest earners for behavioral health counselors and related professions earned about $34,590 per year in 2022. Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, the highest earners made about $82,722 annually.
As mentioned previously, the median salary for behavioral health counselors in the United States in 2022 was $49,712.
Annual Salary Range For Behavioral Health Counselors In 2022
Hourly Salary for Behavioral Health Counselors
The BLS also breaks down compensation for behavioral health counselors by hourly salary, and the median average hourly pay for behavioral health counselors in 2022 was $24. Lowest hourly earners took home $17 while the highest reported hourly salaries for behavioral health counselors was $40.
Hourly Salary Range For Behavioral Health Counselors In 2022
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Advertised Compensation for Behavioral Health Counselors
Data from the BLS is one way to dig into compensation for behavioral health 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 behavioral health 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 Behavioral Health Counselors
Advertised Annual Salary
During a review of 145,263 job postings related to behavioral health counselors, advertised salary was included in 62,493 of them, which was 43%. Based on those postings, the median advertised salary for behavioral health counselors was $57,472 per year.
Hourly Salary from Job Postings for Behavioral Health Counselors
Advertised Hourly Salary
A similar analysis of job postings provides insight into advertised hourly salary for behavioral health counselors. Based on 27% of postings with advertised compensation, the median hourly salary for open positions for behavioral health counselors in the United States is about $28.
Salary Trend for Behavioral Health Counselors
If you're thinking about pursuing a career in the field, you may want to understand how compensation has changed over time for behavioral health 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 behavioral health counselors dating back to September 2019, advertised salaries for behavioral health counselors have increased 20%.
Advertised Wage Trend For Behavioral Health Counselors
What's the Job Growth for Behavioral Health 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 behavioral health counselors over the next 10 years.
According to the data obtained through Lightcast,™ there were 358,570 jobs for behavioral health counselors in the United States in 2022. By 2032, it is expected that about 91,882 jobs will be added. That's a 25.6% increase over the next 10-year period.
Employment Projections For Behavioral Health Counselors
Additional Links
Ready to dig deeper into career information about behavioral health counselors? Visit our other pages focused on salary and education for behavioral health counselors.
What do behavioral health counselors do?
Behavioral Health Counselors: How do you become one?
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