The annual salary statistics of mental health counselors in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, California is shown in Table 1. The wage statistics of mental health counselors in Santa Cruz-Watsonville is based on the national compensation survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2022 and published in April 2023 [1].
| Percentile Bracket | Average Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th Percentile Wage | $28,720 |
| 25th Percentile Wage | $33,950 |
| 50th Percentile Wage | $38,040 |
| 75th Percentile Wage | $47,770 |
| 90th Percentile Wage | $86,920 |
Table 1 shows the average annual salary for mental health counselors in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, California in 5 percentile scales. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) is $86,920. The median (50th percentile) annual salary is $38,040. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent earners is $28,720.
The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of mental health counselors from 2012 to 2016.
| Year | Median Salary | Yearly Growth | 4-Year Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | $38,040 | 3.86% | 12.17% |
| 2015 | $36,570 | 6.40% | - |
| 2014 | $34,230 | -6.84% | - |
| 2013 | $36,570 | 8.64% | - |
| 2012 | $33,410 | - | - |
From Table 3 we note that the median annual salary of $38,040 in Santa Cruz-Watsonville is in the middle of salary range for mental health counselors in state of California. In comparison, the annual salary of mental health counselors in Santa Cruz-Watsonville is 51.6 percent (51.6%) lower than that in the highest paying Napa and 21.7 percent (21.7%) higher than that in the lowest paying Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area.