National Salary Info » Counselors

Highest Paying Industries for Counselors

The top 100 highest paying industries for counselors (ranked by average annual salary) are listed in Table 1. The entry level salary (as measured by the salary of the lowest 10% paid earners) and the number of employment in those industries are also shown. As shown in the table, with an average annual salary of $64,590, federal government, including usps is the highest paying industry for counselors. It is followed by federal executive branch (oes designation) industry (average annual salary $64,590). The salary and employment information is computed from data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in May 2015 [1]. For more information about salaries of counselors in a specific industry, use the links in the table.

Table 1. 100 Highest Paying Industries for Counselors

Rank	Industry	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	# of Empl. i
1	Federal government, including USPS	$64,590	$49,520	860
2	Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation)	$64,590	$49,520	860
3	Elementary and Secondary Schools - Local government owned	$61,140	$40,630	121,590
4	Educational Services - Local government owned	$60,610	$39,530	137,020
5	Elementary and Secondary Schools	$60,330	$39,520	134,660
6	General Medical and Surgical Hospitals - State government owned	$58,630	$37,270	560
7	Insurance Carriers and Related Activities	$58,300	$34,870	950
8	Local government, including schools and hospitals	$58,150	$35,790	170,060
9	Finance and Insurance	$58,090	$34,580	980
10	Educational Support Services - Local government owned	$57,290	$30,600	630
11	Technical and trade schools - Local government owned	$57,100	$34,760	290
12	Insurance Carriers	$56,400	$33,040	640
13	Other schools and instruction - Local government owned	$56,020	$42,280	60
14	Educational Services	$55,470	$34,370	221,040
15	Elementary and Secondary Schools - State government owned	$54,880	$35,180	1,760
16	Public sector -- Federal, state, and local government, including government owned schools and hospit	$54,870	$33,840	242,930
17	Junior colleges - Local government owned	$54,870	$32,710	13,930
18	Direct Health and Medical Insurance Carriers	$53,630	$33,860	340
19	Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	$52,290	$33,500	70
20	Junior Colleges (including private, state, and local government schools)	$51,380	$32,730	20,840
21	Elementary and Secondary Schools - Privately owned	$50,970	$30,660	11,310
22	Colleges, universities, and professional schools - Local government owned	$50,580	$27,030	490
23	Information	$50,240	$38,570	70
24	General Medical and Surgical Hospitals - Local government owned	$49,130	$32,110	1,510
25	Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations	$48,880	$29,410	180
26	Educational Support Services	$48,800	$27,500	4,090
27	Hospitals - Local government owned	$48,670	$31,090	n/a
28	All Other Ambulatory Health Care Services	$48,530	$30,240	280
29	Other Ambulatory Health Care Services	$48,530	$30,240	280
30	General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	$48,340	$29,830	15,240
31	State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation)	$48,300	$31,010	34,020
32	Hospitals - State government owned	$48,190	$28,260	n/a
33	Junior colleges - Privately owned	$47,900	$32,970	1,900
34	General Medical and Surgical Hospitals - Privately owned	$47,810	$29,430	13,180
35	Federal, State, and Local Government (OES Designation)	$47,670	$30,820	66,240
36	Federal, State, and Local Government	$47,670	$30,820	66,240
37	Offices of Physicians	$47,580	$28,070	7,340
38	Educational Support Services - Privately owned	$47,540	$26,910	3,460
39	Educational Services - Privately owned	$47,130	$30,960	50,150
40	Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services	$46,980	$33,010	610
41	State government, including schools and hospitals	$46,880	$31,520	72,000
42	Offices of All Other Health Practitioners	$46,630	$28,690	600
43	Scientific Research and Development Services	$46,580	$26,920	960
44	Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation)	$46,550	$30,250	31,360
45	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	$46,540	$29,040	1,880
46	Junior colleges - State government owned	$46,520	$32,680	5,020
47	Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals - State government owned	$46,480	$27,570	3,480
48	Colleges, universities, and professional schools - Privately owned	$46,340	$31,380	27,410
49	Technical and Trade Schools	$46,170	$31,150	3,420
50	Other Schools and Instruction	$45,990	$29,440	2,260
51	Hospitals (including private, state, and local government hospitals)	$45,840	$27,600	30,120
52	Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians)	$45,830	$26,600	12,920
53	Business schools and computer and management training - Privately owned	$45,820	$28,700	980
54	Educational Services - State government owned	$45,720	$32,140	33,860
55	Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools	$45,710	$31,700	54,760
56	Other schools and instruction - Privately owned	$45,650	$29,280	2,190
57	Business Schools and Computer and Management Training	$45,460	$28,080	1,020
58	Technical and trade schools - Privately owned	$45,450	$31,010	2,900
59	Hospitals - Privately owned	$45,290	$27,380	24,320
60	Colleges, universities, and professional schools - State government owned	$45,110	$32,020	26,860
61	Specialty hospitals - State government owned	$44,820	$31,510	n/a
62	Offices of Other Health Practitioners	$44,630	$26,470	15,430
63	Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals	$44,400	$27,580	n/a
64	Technical and trade schools - State government owned	$44,400	$31,100	230
65	Specialty hospitals - Privately owned	$44,360	$27,310	n/a
66	Accommodation	$43,430	$18,450	40
67	Accommodation and Food Services	$43,430	$18,450	40
68	Grantmaking and Giving Services	$43,200	$23,350	600
69	Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals	$43,100	$25,870	n/a
70	Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals - Privately owned	$42,100	$25,470	n/a
71	Home Health Care Services	$41,260	$17,930	2,440
72	Employment Services	$41,170	$27,080	2,070
73	Ambulatory Health Care Services	$41,010	$26,240	82,730
74	Administrative and Support Services	$41,000	$26,880	3,900
75	Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services	$41,000	$26,870	3,900
76	Computer Systems Design and Related Services	$39,730	$26,860	160
77	Temporary Help Services	$39,600	$28,820	1,100
78	Religious Organizations	$39,500	$23,470	340
79	Outpatient Care Centers	$39,450	$26,240	57,240
80	Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers	$39,230	$26,230	53,600
81	Facilities Support Services	$38,850	$26,430	1,330
82	Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly	$38,810	$24,890	1,430
83	Management of Companies and Enterprises	$38,560	$24,910	4,650
84	Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities)	$38,020	$23,460	910
85	Individual and Family Services	$37,670	$23,420	77,400
86	Health Care and Social Assistance	$37,320	$23,100	309,510
87	Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations	$37,310	$21,760	4,180
88	Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists	$37,270	$25,450	1,910
89	Other Personal Services	$37,130	$23,290	130
90	Other Services (except Federal, State, and Local Government)	$36,430	$21,790	5,170
91	Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services	$36,230	$24,820	6,180
92	Child Day Care Services	$36,090	$22,500	1,200
93	Social Advocacy Organizations	$36,060	$22,890	2,520
94	Social Assistance	$35,770	$21,770	129,950
95	Retail Trade	$35,140	$23,830	120
96	Residential Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities	$34,810	$23,450	36,880
97	Used Merchandise Stores	$34,190	$23,040	100
98	Miscellaneous Store Retailers	$34,190	$23,040	100
99	Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities	$33,790	$22,170	51,450
100	Personal and Laundry Services	$33,720	$21,850	990