Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors Salary: $99,061 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 342,350 educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors nationally earn a mean of $99,061. Employment in the series shown rose about 7% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 2.6% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors: what the data shows
Common questions about educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors?
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 21-1012.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 342,350 workers.
What does a educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Assisting and Caring for Others, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Getting Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors make?
BLS national median annual wage: $65,140 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $99,061 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $52,232 |
| 25th percentile | $68,307 |
| Median (50th) | $96,883 |
| 75th percentile | $125,480 |
| 90th percentile | $153,347 |
What education do you need?
For Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Active Listening, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation, Reading Comprehension, Writing, and knowledge areas including Therapy and Counseling, Psychology, Education and Training, English Language. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 2.6% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 13.6%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 29.1%.
Current U.S. headcount: 342,350.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisorss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Educational Services | 611,040 | 23.9% |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools | 344,990 | 13.5% |
| Cross-industry | 342,350 | 13.4% |
| Educational Services | 305,520 | 12.0% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 239,650 | 9.4% |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools | 175,880 | 6.9% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Genetic Counselors | 3,510 | $98,910 |
| Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors | — | — |
| Mental Health Counselors | — | — |
| Social Workers, All Other | 64,940 | $69,480 |
| Credit Counselors | 28,110 | $50,480 |
| Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School | 104,450 | $63,910 |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 1,737,820 | $46,290 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors workforce.
Employment Over Time
342,350 Workforce in 2023
The Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$99,061 Average Wage
In 2023, Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors earned an average of $99,061.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors.
Salary distribution for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors.
Employment Growth Projections
2.6% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
199,914 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 13.6%
227,129 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 29.1%
This occupation is projected to grow at 2.6% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors.
Wage Trends by Industry
17.4% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 41,200 employees, $99,502 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 12,710 employees, $95,311 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 3,800 employees, $102,348 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 3,590 employees, $95,979 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 3,430 employees, $99,051 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 2,900 employees, $108,968 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 2,670 employees, $100,530 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 2,310 employees, $105,265 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 2,310 employees, $107,917 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 1,360 employees, $100,859 avg wage
- Bakersfield-Delano MSA: 780 employees, $100,458 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors.
Diversity
Demographic information on Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors in 2023 was 342,350 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors.
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 Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors in 2023 were Business Administration, Social Work, Psychology.
Common majors for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors workers.
Education level distribution for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors.
Skills
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation, Reading Comprehension.
Required skills for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors include Therapy and Counseling, Psychology, Education and Training, English Language, Administrative.
Knowledge areas required for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors include Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension, Written Comprehension, Problem Sensitivity, Written Expression.
Required abilities for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors.
Daily Activities
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors spend their time on activities such as Assisting and Caring for Others, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Getting Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Making Decisions and Solving Problems.
Most important work activities for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors.
About
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors
The average yearly wage for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors was $99,061 in 2023.
SOC Code
21-1012 - Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors reports an average salary of $99,061.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 342,350 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 2.6%, 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.