Mental Health Counselor vs Preschool Teacher: $59K vs $38K Median Pay

Mental Health Counselor vs Preschool Teacher: what changes?

Consider Mental Health Counselor if you want to counsel and advise individuals and groups to promote optimum mental and emotional health, with an emphasis on prevention. Consider Preschool Teacher if you would rather instruct preschool-aged students, following curricula or lesson plans, in activities designed to promote social, physical, and intellectual growth. Entry credentials differ: Mental Health Counselor, specialty requirements need verification; Preschool Teacher, associate's degree.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Mental Health Counselor and Preschool Teacher. 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

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

Preschool Teacher

National median pay (2025): $38,140
Route into the job: Associate'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: Teach basic skills, such as color, shape, number and letter recognition, personal hygiene, and social skills.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 66,700

Know before you choose

The work routinely happens in close physical proximity to other people; personal space is limited.

See the full Preschool Teacher brief

How the national numbers differ

Mental Health Counselor has the edge on median pay

Mental Health Counselor is at $59,350, compared with $38,140 for Preschool Teacher.

Mental Health Counselor has the edge on projected growth

Mental Health Counselor is at 18.4% projected growth, compared with 4.5% projected growth for Preschool Teacher.

Typical preparation differs.

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 Preschool Teacher: Associate's degree Preparation categories do not establish admission difficulty, calendar time, tuition, time without earnings, or licensing difficulty.

Preschool Teacher has the edge on annual openings

Preschool Teacher is at 66,700 annual openings, compared with 50,500 annual openings for Mental Health Counselor.

66.5/ 100

Mental Health Counselor

54.1/ 100

Preschool Teacher

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

Mental Health Counselor vs Preschool Teacher

Dimension	Mental Health Counselor	Preschool Teacher
Median pay (2025)	$59,350	$38,140
Pay percentile	46.8 percentile	8.7 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	18.4%	4.5%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	50,500	66,700
2025 employment	533,400	583,200
How you qualify	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	Associate's degree
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 5	Job Zone 3
Related work experience	Prior experience requirements need verification for this occupation.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	Verify the specialty's training, licensing, and full preparation time with an accredited program or employer.	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.

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

Read Mental Health Counselor brief Read Preschool Teacher brief

Mental Health Counselor vs Preschool Teacher: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Mental Health Counselor

Preschool Teacher

How the national numbers differ

Mental Health Counselor has the edge on median pay

Mental Health Counselor has the edge on projected growth

Typical preparation differs.

Preschool Teacher has the edge on annual openings

Mental Health Counselor vs Preschool Teacher

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