High School Teacher vs Mental Health Counselor: $72K vs $59K Median Pay

High School Teacher vs Mental Health Counselor: what changes?

Consider High School Teacher if you want to teach one or more subjects to students at the secondary school level. Consider Mental Health Counselor if you would rather counsel and advise individuals and groups to promote optimum mental and emotional health, with an emphasis on prevention. Entry credentials differ: High School Teacher, bachelor's degree; Mental Health Counselor, specialty requirements need verification.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for High School Teacher and Mental Health Counselor. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

The labor-market benchmark for Mental Health Counselor covers the broader BLS group Substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors (21-1018). It does not isolate this specialty.

Compare the practical differences

High School Teacher

National median pay (2025): $72,040
Route into the job: Bachelor's degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Prepare students for later grades by encouraging them to explore learning opportunities and to persevere with challenging tasks.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 63,500

Know before you choose

BLS projects employment to shrink 0.2% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.

See the full High School Teacher brief

Mental Health Counselor

National median pay (2025): $59,350
Route into the job: specialty-specific preparation that needs verification with programs and employers; the broader BLS occupation's education category is not a verified route for this specialty
Prior related experience: Prior experience requirements need verification for this occupation.
Training and licensing: Verify the specialty's training, licensing, and full preparation time with an accredited program or employer.
Work to investigate: Maintain confidentiality of records relating to clients' treatment.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 50,500

Know before you choose

Training continues through internship/residency after the degree path.

See the full Mental Health Counselor brief

How the national numbers differ

Mental Health Counselor has the edge on projected growth

Mental Health Counselor is at 18.4% projected growth, compared with -0.2% projected growth for High School Teacher.

High School Teacher has the edge on median pay

High School Teacher is at $72,040, compared with $59,350 for Mental Health Counselor.

Typical preparation differs.

High School Teacher: Bachelor's degree Mental Health Counselor: specialty-specific preparation that needs verification with programs and employers; the broader BLS occupation's education category is not a verified route for this specialty Preparation categories do not establish admission difficulty, calendar time, tuition, time without earnings, or licensing difficulty.

High School Teacher has the edge on annual openings

High School Teacher is at 63,500 annual openings, compared with 50,500 annual openings for Mental Health Counselor.

56.5/ 100

High School Teacher

66.5/ 100

Mental Health Counselor

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

High School Teacher vs Mental Health Counselor

Dimension	High School Teacher	Mental Health Counselor
Median pay (2025)	$72,040	$59,350
Pay percentile	61.7 percentile	46.8 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	-0.2%	18.4%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	63,500	50,500
2025 employment	1,087,500	533,400
How you qualify	Bachelor's degree	specialty-specific preparation that needs verification with programs and employers; the broader BLS occupation's education category is not a verified route for this specialty
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 4	Job Zone 5
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	Prior experience requirements need verification for this occupation.
On-the-job training	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.	Verify the specialty's training, licensing, and full preparation time with an accredited program or employer.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read High School Teacher brief Read Mental Health Counselor brief

High School Teacher vs Mental Health Counselor: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

High School Teacher

Mental Health Counselor

How the national numbers differ

Mental Health Counselor has the edge on projected growth

High School Teacher has the edge on median pay

Typical preparation differs.

High School Teacher has the edge on annual openings

High School Teacher vs Mental Health Counselor

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