Mental Health Counselors (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Mental Health Counselors — key workforce and wage figures are in the stats below. Projections imply about 6.0% annual growth; about 62% of workers are women.
Key Statistics
Mental Health Counselors: what the data shows
Common questions about mental health counselors careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a mental health counselors?
Mental Health Counselors is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 21-1014.
What does a mental health counselors 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, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Documenting/Recording Information, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
What education do you need?
For Mental Health Counselors, 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 Social Perceptiveness, Active Listening, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Writing, Service Orientation, and knowledge areas including Psychology, Therapy and Counseling, Customer and Personal Service, English Language. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is mental health counselors in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 6.0% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 34.1%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 79.7%.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Mental Health 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Psychologists, All Other | 17,790 | $117,580 |
| Clinical and Counseling Psychologists | 72,190 | $95,830 |
| School Psychologists | 63,830 | $86,930 |
| Genetic Counselors | 3,510 | $98,910 |
| Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors | — | — |
| Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors | 342,350 | $65,140 |
| Social Workers, All Other | 64,940 | $69,480 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Mental Health Counselors workforce.
Employment Over Time
N/A Workforce in 2023
The Mental Health Counselors workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Mental Health Counselors.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$N/A Average Wage
In 2023, Mental Health Counselors earned an average of $N/A.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Mental Health Counselors.
Salary distribution for Mental Health Counselors.
Employment Growth Projections
6.0% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
78,639 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 34.1%
105,423 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 79.7%
This occupation is projected to grow at 6.0% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Mental Health Counselors.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Mental Health Counselors and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Mental Health Counselors employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Mental Health Counselors.
Wage Trends by Industry
Wage trend data by industry is not available for this occupation.
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Mental Health Counselors.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Mental Health Counselors.
Top States by Employment
State-level employment data is not available for this occupation.
Top 10 states by employment for Mental Health Counselors.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Metropolitan area employment data is not available for this occupation.
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Mental Health Counselors.
Diversity
Demographic information on Mental Health Counselors in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Mental Health Counselors in 2023 was N/A people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Mental Health 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 Mental Health Counselors.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Mental Health Counselors.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Mental Health Counselors in 2023 were Business Administration, Psychology, Social Work.
Common majors for Mental Health Counselors.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Mental Health Counselors workers.
Education level distribution for Mental Health Counselors.
Skills
Mental Health Counselors need many skills, but most especially Social Perceptiveness, Active Listening, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Writing.
Required skills for Mental Health Counselors.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Mental Health Counselors.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Mental Health Counselors include Psychology, Therapy and Counseling, Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Education and Training.
Knowledge areas required for Mental Health Counselors.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Mental Health Counselors include Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression, Problem Sensitivity, Written Expression, Written Comprehension.
Required abilities for Mental Health Counselors.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Mental Health Counselors.
Daily Activities
Mental Health Counselors 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, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work.
Most important work activities for Mental Health Counselors.
About
Mental Health Counselors
The average yearly wage for Mental Health Counselors was $N/A in 2023.
SOC Code
21-1014 - Mental Health Counselors
Insights and Analysis
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 6.0%, 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.