Mental Health Counseling Salaries
How much do mental health counselors make?
The table below presents a comparison of the annual mean salaries for various counseling occupations in Oregon versus the national average in the U.S., as sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2023.
For each occupation, the table also highlights the difference in salary between the state and national averages.
Notably, all the listed counseling occupations in Oregon have higher mean salaries than the U.S. average.
| Counseling Occupations | Oregon Annual Mean Salary | U.S. Annual Mean Salary | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors | $79,550 | $71,520 | $8,030 |
| Marriage and Family Therapists | $94,520 | $72,720 | $21,800 |
| Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors | $72,860 | $65,100 | $7,760 |
| Rehabilitation Counselors | $56,750 | $51,260 | $5,490 |
| Counselors, All Other | $69,680 | $58,070 | $11,610 |
U.S. Mean Annual Wage for Mental Health Counselors (USD)
Source: Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, Bureau of Labor Statistics
Job Outlook for Mental Health Counselors
In 2024, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicted that employment of substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors will grow 17% between 2024 and 2034, which is "much faster" than the average growth rate for all occupations. At that time, the BLS estimated that there were 483,500 people working in these fields in the U.S., which means that a 17% increase would add 81,000 new mental health counseling jobs, bringing the total up to 564,600 by 2034.