Marriage and Family Therapists
Marriage and Family Therapists earn an average annual salary of $76,689, making it one of the higher-paying occupations. Professionals in this field are primarily employed in industries such as Cross-industry and Cross-industry, Private Ownership only. The field combines competitive compensation with strong employment opportunities, making it an attractive career path.
Key Statistics
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Marriage and Family Therapists workforce.
Employment Over Time
32,070 Workforce in 2023
The Marriage and Family Therapists workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Marriage and Family Therapists.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$76,689 Average Wage
In 2023, Marriage and Family Therapists earned an average of $76,689.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Marriage and Family Therapists.
Salary distribution for Marriage and Family Therapists.
Employment Growth Projections
11.7% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
215,746 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 74.0%
375,435 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 202.8%
This occupation is projected to grow at 11.7% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Marriage and Family Therapists.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Marriage and Family Therapists and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Marriage and Family Therapists employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Marriage and Family Therapists.
Wage Trends by Industry
-7.3% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Marriage and Family Therapists.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Marriage and Family Therapists.
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: 29,030 employees, $77,265 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Marriage and Family Therapists.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 9,160 employees, $75,815 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 4,660 employees, $66,366 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 3,230 employees, $74,196 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 2,200 employees, $71,563 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 1,720 employees, $93,219 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 1,470 employees, $87,606 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 1,270 employees, $82,113 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 1,220 employees, $98,609 avg wage
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA: 1,010 employees, $72,971 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 680 employees, $76,042 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Marriage and Family Therapists.
Diversity
Demographic information on Marriage and Family Therapists in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Marriage and Family Therapists in 2023 was 32,070 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Marriage and Family Therapists.
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 Marriage and Family Therapists.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Marriage and Family Therapists.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Marriage and Family Therapists in 2023 were Health Sciences, Biology, Psychology.
Common majors for Marriage and Family Therapists.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Marriage and Family Therapists workers.
Education level distribution for Marriage and Family Therapists.
Skills
Marriage and Family Therapists need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, Speaking, Writing, Judgment and Decision Making.
Required skills for Marriage and Family Therapists.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Marriage and Family Therapists.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Marriage and Family Therapists include Therapy and Counseling, Psychology, Customer and Personal Service, Sociology and Anthropology, English Language.
Knowledge areas required for Marriage and Family Therapists.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Marriage and Family Therapists include Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression, Written Expression, Problem Sensitivity, Written Comprehension.
Required abilities for Marriage and Family Therapists.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Marriage and Family Therapists.
Daily Activities
Marriage and Family Therapists spend their time on activities such as Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Documenting/Recording Information, Assisting and Caring for Others, Getting Information, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships.
Most important work activities for Marriage and Family Therapists.
About
Marriage and Family Therapists
The average yearly wage for Marriage and Family Therapists was $76,689 in 2023.
SOC Code
21-1013 - Marriage and Family Therapists
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Marriage and Family Therapists reports an average salary of $76,689.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 32,070 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 11.7%, 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.