BLS metro-level wage data places Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors pay in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA at a median of $51,910 per year ($24.96/hr/hour), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared to the national median of $59,350, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim pays 13% below, which typically tracks with a lower local cost of living or smaller specialized-employer cluster. Approximately 26,960 substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselorss are employed across the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim MSA in SOC 21-1018.

The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim pay distribution spans from $44,270 at the 10th percentile to $103,650 at the 90th — a 2.3× spread that reflects experience tenure, specialization, employer size, and the difference between public-sector, nonprofit, and private-sector compensation inside the metro. The 25th percentile sits at $46,800 and the 75th at $76,440, so half of Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim-based substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselorss earn within that middle band.

Metro figures capture where you actually work, not just where you live — which matters for commuters. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. Remember that OEWS wages reflect base pay only: employer-provided health insurance, retirement matches, stock options, signing bonuses, overtime, and tips are excluded and can add 20-40% to real total compensation. Before using this metro median as a negotiation anchor, triangulate against the same occupation's national profile (linked below), its state-wide CA data, and peer-metro comparisons — a median is a starting point, not a ceiling.