Rehabilitation Counselors Salary: $46,110 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 88,930 rehabilitation counselors work nationally, and $46,110 is the BLS national median annual wage. Employment in the series shown rose about 10% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 3.6% annual growth.
Rehabilitation Counselors: what the data shows
Common questions about rehabilitation counselors careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a rehabilitation counselors?
Rehabilitation Counselors is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 21-1015.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 88,930 workers.
What does a rehabilitation counselors do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Documenting/Recording Information, Communicating with People Outside the Organization, Getting Information, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a rehabilitation counselors make?
BLS national median annual wage: $46,110 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $50,866 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $38,293 |
| 25th percentile | $40,954 |
| Median (50th) | $45,483 |
| 75th percentile | $53,660 |
| 90th percentile | $74,101 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation, Active Listening, Monitoring, Reading Comprehension, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, Therapy and Counseling, Psychology, Education and Training. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is rehabilitation counselors in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 3.6% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 19.4%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 42.6%.
Current U.S. headcount: 88,930.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do rehabilitation counselorss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 88,930 | 17.9% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 69,630 | 14.0% |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 65,460 | 13.2% |
| Social Assistance | 44,230 | 8.9% |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services | 29,330 | 5.9% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 19,300 | 3.9% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Rehabilitation Counselors in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical and Counseling Psychologists | 72,190 | $95,830 |
| Psychiatric Aides | 34,900 | $41,590 |
| Genetic Counselors | 3,510 | $98,910 |
| Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors | — | — |
| Audiologists | 14,730 | $92,120 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Rehabilitation Counselors workforce.
Employment Over Time
88,930 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Rehabilitation Counselors grew from 30,160 in 2009 to 53,240 in 2025 (76.5%).
Historical employment for Rehabilitation Counselors from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$46,110 Median pay (BLS national)
Rehabilitation Counselors earn $46,110 as the BLS national median annual wage.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Rehabilitation Counselors.
Salary distribution for Rehabilitation Counselors.
Employment Growth Projections
3.6% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
63,586 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 19.4%
75,943 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 42.6%
This occupation is projected to grow at 3.6% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Rehabilitation Counselors.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Rehabilitation Counselors and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Rehabilitation Counselors employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Rehabilitation Counselors.
Wage Trends by Industry
8.4% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Rehabilitation Counselors.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Rehabilitation Counselors.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 13,450 employees, $49,520 avg wage
- MA: 5,560 employees, $54,350 avg wage
- OH: 4,880 employees, $49,760 avg wage
- WA: 4,660 employees, $62,940 avg wage
- IL: 4,080 employees, $52,440 avg wage
- MI: 3,860 employees, $46,820 avg wage
- MD: 3,840 employees, $47,800 avg wage
- PA: 3,480 employees, $56,400 avg wage
- NC: 3,470 employees, $47,300 avg wage
- NY: 2,800 employees, $53,900 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Rehabilitation Counselors.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 4,750 employees, $47,580 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 3,400 employees, $54,930 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 2,920 employees, $51,070 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 2,450 employees, $52,500 avg wage
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 2,330 employees, $65,420 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 2,170 employees, $57,720 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 1,640 employees, $57,470 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 1,520 employees, $54,520 avg wage
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI: 1,450 employees, $54,460 avg wage
- Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD: 1,340 employees, $53,670 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Rehabilitation Counselors.
Diversity
Demographic information on Rehabilitation Counselors in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Rehabilitation Counselors is about 88,930 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for Rehabilitation Counselors.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Rehabilitation Counselors.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Rehabilitation Counselors.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Rehabilitation Counselors in 2023 were Business Administration, Social Work, Psychology.
Common majors for Rehabilitation Counselors.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Rehabilitation Counselors workers.
Education level distribution for Rehabilitation Counselors.
Skills
Rehabilitation Counselors need many skills, but most especially Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation, Active Listening, Monitoring.
Required skills for Rehabilitation Counselors.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Rehabilitation Counselors.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Rehabilitation Counselors include Customer and Personal Service, Therapy and Counseling, Psychology, Education and Training, English Language.
Knowledge areas required for Rehabilitation Counselors.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Rehabilitation Counselors include Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression, Speech Clarity, Written Expression, Problem Sensitivity.
Required abilities for Rehabilitation Counselors.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Rehabilitation Counselors.
Daily Activities
Rehabilitation Counselors spend their time on activities such as Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Documenting/Recording Information, Communicating with People Outside the Organization.
Most important work activities for Rehabilitation Counselors.
About
Rehabilitation Counselors
Rehabilitation Counselors earn $46,110 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
21-1015 - Rehabilitation Counselors
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Rehabilitation Counselors reports an average salary of $50,866.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 88,930 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 3.6%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.