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How Much Does a Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor Make?
A substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselor in the US earns a median salary of $59,350 a year, or $28.53 an hour (BLS, May 2025). The average is $64,440, and the middle half earn between $47,100 and $76,530.
Substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselor pay range
What substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors earn at each point of the pay scale. The 10th percentile is a rough guide to starting pay.
| Percentile | A year | An hour | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th (lowest 10%) | $38,940 | $18.72 | |
| 25th | $47,100 | $22.65 | |
| Median (50th) | $59,350 | $28.53 | |
| 75th | $76,530 | $36.80 | |
| 90th (top 10%) | $97,590 | $46.92 |
The median is 16% more than the $50,980 median for all US jobs. About 491,930 people work as substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors in the US.
After tax and by period
- A week
- $1,141
- Every two weeks
- $2,283
- Twice a month
- $2,473
- A month
- $4,946
At the median salary, before tax.
Substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselor salary by state
Sorted by average pay. Alaska pays substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors the most, at $86,500 a year on average.
| State | Average | Median | Jobs | After tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $86,500 | $80,770 | 1,290 | After tax |
| New Mexico | $76,370 | $74,100 | 2,420 | After tax |
| Oregon | $75,540 | $74,590 | 8,160 | After tax |
| Washington | $75,020 | $68,910 | 14,250 | After tax |
| New Jersey | $71,360 | $62,820 | 14,210 | After tax |
| Nebraska | $70,220 | $63,770 | 2,170 | After tax |
| Hawaii | $70,050 | $60,090 | 2,110 | After tax |
| Colorado | $69,860 | $62,390 | 14,920 | After tax |
| Utah | $69,370 | $63,890 | 6,320 | After tax |
| District of Columbia | $69,180 | $60,450 | 1,260 | After tax |
| California | $69,080 | $59,250 | 75,610 | After tax |
| Rhode Island | $68,600 | $65,120 | 2,170 | After tax |
| Illinois | $68,530 | $60,730 | 20,250 | After tax |
| Connecticut | $68,450 | $63,590 | 7,540 | After tax |
| Wisconsin | $68,280 | $62,220 | 8,340 | After tax |
| Arizona | $68,120 | $65,300 | 9,990 | After tax |
| North Dakota | $67,940 | $68,630 | 1,290 | After tax |
| Idaho | $66,900 | $63,360 | 2,990 | After tax |
| Iowa | $66,790 | $60,880 | 3,530 | After tax |
| Wyoming | $66,770 | $62,980 | 910 | After tax |
| Michigan | $65,430 | $61,690 | 10,100 | After tax |
| Virginia | $65,430 | $59,880 | 17,940 | After tax |
| Massachusetts | $65,380 | $59,890 | 18,190 | After tax |
| Texas | $65,180 | $62,630 | 21,400 | After tax |
| Vermont | $64,890 | $61,810 | 1,120 | After tax |
| Nevada | $64,350 | $57,210 | 1,810 | After tax |
| New York | $64,040 | $59,450 | 26,770 | After tax |
| Maryland | $63,720 | $59,530 | 9,730 | After tax |
| Maine | $63,370 | $59,970 | 1,930 | After tax |
| Oklahoma | $61,990 | $59,350 | 5,150 | After tax |
| Kansas | $61,820 | $59,470 | 2,600 | After tax |
| Georgia | $61,310 | $58,960 | 9,600 | After tax |
| Florida | $61,030 | $56,790 | 29,750 | After tax |
| Missouri | $60,670 | $56,910 | 8,130 | After tax |
| Montana | $60,590 | $59,000 | 1,820 | After tax |
| Ohio | $60,090 | $58,360 | 18,020 | After tax |
| Minnesota | $59,730 | $58,780 | 7,110 | After tax |
| North Carolina | $59,160 | $55,490 | 10,300 | After tax |
| New Hampshire | $58,790 | $54,840 | 3,690 | After tax |
| Arkansas | $58,480 | $51,580 | 2,570 | After tax |
| Indiana | $57,920 | $53,760 | 11,890 | After tax |
| Kentucky | $57,560 | $54,190 | 7,690 | After tax |
| Delaware | $57,330 | $56,020 | 1,700 | After tax |
| Pennsylvania | $57,170 | $52,010 | 30,620 | After tax |
| South Carolina | $55,880 | $52,370 | 6,300 | After tax |
| South Dakota | $54,760 | $53,650 | 1,710 | After tax |
| Alabama | $54,200 | $47,310 | – | After tax |
| West Virginia | $53,820 | $49,430 | 2,100 | After tax |
| Tennessee | $53,720 | $49,580 | 9,040 | After tax |
| Mississippi | $52,130 | $46,990 | 2,090 | After tax |
| Louisiana | $45,030 | $37,910 | 6,420 | After tax |
| Puerto Rico | $43,980 | $46,790 | 100 |
A dash means BLS did not publish that figure for the state.
Other community and social service jobs
- Social and human service assistant $45,930 median
- Child and family social worker $59,550 median
- Educational, guidance, and career counselor and advisor $64,330 median
- Healthcare social worker $67,880 median
- Mental health and substance abuse social worker $60,280 median
- Rehabilitation counselor $46,850 median
- Probation officer and correctional treatment specialist $66,270 median
- Marriage and family therapist $66,940 median
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (published 2026), for “Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors” (SOC 21-1018). Wages are before tax and leave out self-employed workers. All job salaries
About the Job Salaries
Job Salaries shows what more than 500 US jobs pay, from nurses and electricians to software developers and truck drivers. Each job has its median and average salary, hourly and monthly pay, the pay range from the lowest-paid 10% to the top 10%, and a table of pay in every state. The figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, the largest survey of US pay, in its latest release.
How to use it
- 1 Search for a job or pick one from the list.
- 2 Read the median salary, hourly pay and the pay range.
- 3 Check the salary by state to see where the job pays most.
- 4 Open the take-home pay calculator to see the salary after tax.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselor make an hour?
The median hourly wage for a substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselor is $28.53, and the average is $30.98. The lowest-paid 10% earn under $18.72 an hour and the top 10% over $46.92.
How much does a substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselor make a month?
At the median salary of $59,350, a substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselor earns about $4,946 a month before tax, or $2,283 every two weeks.
Which state pays substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors the most?
Alaska has the highest average pay for a substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselor, at $86,500 a year. Next are New Mexico and Oregon. Pay is usually higher where living costs are higher, so compare take-home pay too.
What is the starting salary for a substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselor?
The lowest-paid 10% of substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors earn less than $38,940 a year, and the lowest 25% less than $47,100. That is a fair guide to starting pay, which depends on the state, the employer and your experience.
How much do the highest-paid substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors make?
The top 10% earn more than $97,590 a year, and the top 25% more than $76,530.
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