Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors Salary Information in California

The average annual salaries for substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors in the state of California are shown in Table 1. The comparison of the salary statistics of substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors amongst California areas is shown in Table 2. The salary statistics are based on the national compensation survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2022 and published in April 2023 [1].

Table 1 & 2. Annual Salary of Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors in California (2022 Survey)

Percentile bracketAverage annual salary
10th Percentile Wage
$24,610
25th Percentile Wage
$31,190
50th Percentile Wage
$39,500
75th Percentile Wage
$51,580
90th Percentile Wage
$74,760

Table 1 shows the average annual salary for substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors in California in 5 percentile scales. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) is $74,760. The median (50th percentile) annual salary is $39,500. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent is $24,610.

Median salary trend

The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors from 2012 to 2016.

YearMedian SalaryYearly Growth4-Year Growth
2016
$39,500
6.08% 13.75%
2015
$37,100
2.26% -
2014
$36,260
1.68% -
2013
$35,650
4.43% -
2012
$34,070
- -

Table 3. Median Annual Salary of Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors in California Cities (2022 Survey)

Table 3 shows the median annual salary of substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors in some California cities and metropolitan areas. We note that the median annual salary of substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors in state of California ranges from $28,130 to $65,310. The highest paying area for substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors in California is Santa Rosa-Petaluma with a median annual salary of $65,310. The second highest paying city/area in California State is Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area (mean annual salary $62,030). The lowest paying area is Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine with a median annual salary of $28,130.

Cities/Areas Median Annual Salary
Santa Rosa-Petaluma
$65,310
Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$62,030
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City
$57,410
Napa
$57,100
Modesto
$55,750
Fresno
$50,440
Merced
$50,320
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont
$49,060
Chico
$48,380
Oakland-Fremont-Hayward
$45,680
North Valley Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$45,230
El Centro
$43,930
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario
$42,860
North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$42,030
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles
$41,700
Vallejo-Fairfield
$41,680
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara
$41,450
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura
$41,180
Bakersfield-Delano
$40,340
Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta
$38,830
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos
$38,250
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale
$37,800
Yuba City
$35,280
Santa Cruz-Watsonville
$33,850
Redding
$33,260
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana
$31,930
Salinas
$31,640
Stockton
$31,170
Visalia-Porterville
$30,130
Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$29,730
Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville
$29,540
Hanford-Corcoran
$29,270
Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine
$28,130