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Median pay
$59,190
Median annual pay for Mental Health Counselor.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2024
Demand is growing quickly, but graduate education, licensing, reimbursement, and burnout determine whether the career economics work for an individual.
Demand is growing quickly, but graduate education, licensing, reimbursement, and burnout determine whether the career economics work for an individual.
The measurable baseline is $59,190 median pay, 16.8% projected employment change from 2024 to 2034, and about 48,300 annual openings. Those figures establish the national baseline; the occupation-specific evidence on this page is what makes the decision more useful than a generic profile.
The national median-pay figure in the current ChooseField dataset is $59,190. The 2024 self-employed share is 5.9%, which matters because self-employment can make outcomes less uniform across workers. A national median is a benchmark, not a personal forecast: experience, geography, employer type, specialty, credentials, and hours can move actual compensation materially.
BLS data in the ChooseField corpus put 2024 employment at 483,500 and projected 2034 employment at 564,600. That corresponds to 16.8% projected growth over the decade. BLS projects about 48,300 openings per year, including growth and replacement demand. This distinction matters when people ask whether a field is oversaturated: growth measures whether the occupation itself is getting larger, while annual openings also reflect people retiring, changing occupations, or leaving roles that must be refilled.
BLS lists the typical entry education as Master's degree. On-the-job preparation is listed as Internship/residency. Treat this entry path like an investment: compare the time and cost required to enter with the pay, annual openings, and alternatives available at a similar training level.
Demand is growing fast. The headline figure is 16.8%. BLS projected growth for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors from 2024 to 2034. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024–2034).
Mental-health counseling has rapid projected growth, but the entry path is master's-level and the median pay is lower than several other graduate healthcare professions. Training cost and licensure therefore matter to the economics.
This field is a stronger fit if the required education and licensure are acceptable and you value a labor market anchored in direct care or clinical services.
Before choosing Mental Health Counselor, compare it with Registered Nurse, High School Teacher, Physician. The purpose is not to find a universal winner; it is to see how pay, training time, annual openings, work setting, and field-specific risks change when you move to an adjacent option.
Demand is growing quickly, but graduate education, licensing, reimbursement, and burnout determine whether the career economics work for an individual. The measurable baseline is $59,190 median pay, 16.8% projected 2024–34 employment change, about 48,300 annual openings, and a typical entry path of Master's degree.
The national median in the current ChooseField dataset is $59,190. Treat that as a benchmark rather than an expected starting salary; actual compensation varies by experience, location, employer, specialty, credentials, and hours.
Demand is growing quickly, but graduate education, licensing, reimbursement, and burnout determine whether the career economics work for an individual. The measurable baseline is $59,190 median pay, 16.8% projected 2024–34 employment change, about 48,300 annual openings, and a typical entry path of Master's degree.
Compare Mental Health Counselor with Registered Nurse, High School Teacher on pay, training time, openings, working conditions, and occupation-specific evidence rather than relying on one score.
National pay and employment projections come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Other sources are linked on their cards.