Community and Social Service Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Above-baseline growth SOC 21-1018

Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors

Projected +17% employment change leads this card; pay sits next to Social Workers, All Other, Religious Workers, All Other, Community Health Workers, Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors: Social Workers, All Other ($72K) , Religious Workers, All Other ($45K) , Community Health Workers ($52K) , Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists ($66K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

Highest-pay states for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors

State names lead when O*NET tasks are absent for this SOC, geography mass differs by occupation even when peer titles overlap.

  1. 1. Connecticut $63,590
  2. 2. New Mexico $74,100
  3. 3. North Dakota $68,630
  4. 4. Oregon $74,590
  5. 5. Rhode Island $65,120
  6. 6. Utah $63,890
  7. 7. Arizona $65,300
  8. 8. Nebraska $63,770
  9. 9. Alaska $80,770
  10. 10. Washington $68,910

Growing-context peers for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors

Same BLS major group, ordered by national median.

  1. 1. Community Health Workers $51,850
  2. 2. Social Workers, All Other $71,900
  3. 3. Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists $66,270
  4. 4. Religious Workers, All Other $45,280
  5. 5. Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors $64,330
  6. 6. Social and Human Service Assistants $45,930
  7. 7. Directors, Religious Activities and Education $52,100
  8. 8. Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other $56,730
  9. 9. Counselors, All Other $50,860
  10. 10. Marriage and Family Therapists $66,940
  11. 11. Child, Family, and School Social Workers $59,550
  12. 12. Health Education Specialists $64,070
Projected employment change 2024-2034
↑ +17%
much faster than average (3.1%)
National median $59,350/yr
$59K
National median
48,300
Annual openings
491,930
Estimated US jobs
Social Workers, All Other
Highest-pay peer · $72K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Master's degree

BLS projects +17% employment change for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors (2024-2034), much faster than average vs the all-occupations baseline of 3.1%. Published median pay is $59,350.

BLS assigns Master's degree as typical entry education. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal employer rules. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Connecticut at $63,590. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Social Workers, All Other at $71,900. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors pay-rank #10 in Community and Social Service Occupations

Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors sits at pay-rank #10 of 17 detailed Community and Social Service Occupations, the middle third of the major-group median table. ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.

Other mid-table titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

Projected change +16.8% puts Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors ahead of most peers. Open the state map or compare it directly against a slower-growing role.

Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 21-1018

Connecticut · top state for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors

$64K published median

New Mexico · #2 state pay

$74K · behind Connecticut

Social Workers, All Other

Highest-pay peer vs Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors · $72K

Religious Workers, All Other

Lower-pay peer beside Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors · $45K

Compare Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors with another occupation →

Growth and outlook next reads

Fastest-Growing Rankings

National projection leaders

Highest-Paying Careers

Where growth meets pay

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors mid-table among Community and Social Service Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #10 of 17 detailed Community and Social Service Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Child, Family, and School Social Workers ($60K), Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers ($60K), Clergy ($61K), Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other ($57K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What is the OEWS national median for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $59,350 as the national median for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors. The published 10th-90th range is $38,940 to $97,590. Beside Social Workers, All Other ($71,900), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
How fast is Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors projected to grow? ▼
BLS Employment Projections put Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors at +17% change for 2024-2034, with about 48,300 annual openings. Versus the all-occupations baseline (3.1%): much faster than average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors? ▼
BLS assigns Master's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors? ▼
Connecticut ($63,590), New Mexico ($74,100), North Dakota ($68,630) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 21-1018. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics