National Salary Info » Mental Health Counselors

Highest Paying Industries for Mental Health Counselors

The top 79 highest paying industries for mental health 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 $76,200, management, scientific, and technical consulting services is the highest paying industry for mental health counselors. It is followed by religious organizations industry (average annual salary $59,170). 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 mental health counselors in a specific industry, use the links in the table.

Table 1. 79 Highest Paying Industries for Mental Health Counselors

Rank	Industry	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	# of Empl. i
1	Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services	$76,200	$24,990	60
2	Religious Organizations	$59,170	$26,880	40
3	Junior colleges - Local government owned	$57,540	$40,020	70
4	General Medical and Surgical Hospitals - State government owned	$56,010	$34,440	310
5	Junior Colleges (including private, state, and local government schools)	$55,900	$39,490	80
6	Educational Support Services - Privately owned	$55,850	$40,800	50
7	Educational Support Services	$54,600	$37,010	70
8	Insurance Carriers	$53,970	$35,580	80
9	Direct Health and Medical Insurance Carriers	$53,370	$34,550	70
10	Educational Services - Local government owned	$51,870	$32,930	790
11	Elementary and Secondary Schools - Local government owned	$51,650	$32,380	700
12	Offices of All Other Health Practitioners	$50,670	$24,860	240
13	Local government, including schools and hospitals	$48,850	$32,390	10,450
14	Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation)	$48,850	$32,380	8,990
15	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	$48,620	$24,050	190
16	Offices of Physicians	$48,560	$28,120	4,240
17	Hospitals - State government owned	$48,070	$31,520	2,140
18	Home Health Care Services	$48,010	$32,570	510
19	Other schools and instruction - Privately owned	$47,650	$34,130	70
20	Other Schools and Instruction	$47,650	$34,130	70
21	Federal, State, and Local Government (OES Designation)	$47,610	$31,890	11,670
22	Federal, State, and Local Government	$47,610	$31,890	11,670
23	Public sector -- Federal, state, and local government, including government owned schools and hospit	$47,580	$31,600	16,470
24	General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	$47,500	$29,490	6,740
25	Temporary Help Services	$47,410	$32,750	n/a
26	Employment Services	$47,410	$32,890	370
27	All Other Ambulatory Health Care Services	$47,380	$28,140	140
28	Other Ambulatory Health Care Services	$47,380	$28,140	140
29	General Medical and Surgical Hospitals - Privately owned	$47,160	$29,030	5,850
30	General Medical and Surgical Hospitals - Local government owned	$46,890	$33,040	580
31	Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals	$46,790	$28,070	380
32	Hospitals - Local government owned	$46,700	$32,260	670
33	Administrative and Support Services	$46,700	$32,450	550
34	Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services	$46,700	$32,450	550
35	Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals - State government owned	$46,620	$31,170	1,820
36	Offices of Other Health Practitioners	$46,190	$27,040	8,330
37	Elementary and Secondary Schools	$46,150	$28,040	1,250
38	Colleges, universities, and professional schools - State government owned	$46,130	$29,610	1,080
39	Educational Services	$46,130	$27,740	3,060
40	Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians)	$46,120	$27,060	7,910
41	Specialty hospitals - Privately owned	$46,050	$27,830	360
42	Facilities Support Services	$45,830	$31,410	170
43	State government, including schools and hospitals	$45,780	$29,960	6,010
44	Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists	$45,590	$28,230	180
45	Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools	$45,210	$26,580	1,580
46	Hospitals (including private, state, and local government hospitals)	$45,080	$27,460	14,460
47	Educational Services - State government owned	$45,070	$27,940	1,190
48	Hospitals - Privately owned	$44,440	$26,790	11,650
49	State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation)	$44,190	$30,370	2,680
50	Educational Services - Privately owned	$43,970	$24,630	1,080
51	Colleges, universities, and professional schools - Privately owned	$43,020	$18,000	490
52	Ambulatory Health Care Services	$42,720	$27,250	37,130
53	Elementary and Secondary Schools - Privately owned	$42,670	$28,250	450
54	Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals	$42,610	$26,110	7,340
55	Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals - Privately owned	$41,250	$25,080	5,440
56	Outpatient Care Centers	$40,860	$27,140	23,900
57	Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers	$40,670	$27,100	22,940
58	Management of Companies and Enterprises	$40,170	$26,300	1,330
59	Health Care and Social Assistance	$39,870	$25,620	102,370
60	Individual and Family Services	$39,310	$26,010	26,500
61	Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly	$39,260	$24,660	1,130
62	Social Assistance	$38,930	$25,970	29,250
63	Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities	$38,190	$24,710	2,640
64	Other Services (except Federal, State, and Local Government)	$37,890	$26,360	590
65	Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations	$37,860	$26,350	590
66	Social Advocacy Organizations	$37,100	$26,640	470
67	Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services	$36,430	$26,580	1,560
68	Child Day Care Services	$36,400	$26,430	260
69	Vocational Rehabilitation Services	$35,310	$23,960	930
70	Residential Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities	$34,860	$23,630	11,590
71	Grantmaking and Giving Services	$34,790	$25,130	30
72	Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities	$34,590	$22,970	16,050
73	Nursing and Residential Care Facilities	$34,590	$22,340	21,540
74	Scientific Research and Development Services	$34,560	$23,140	100
75	Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities)	$34,040	$21,750	290
76	Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability Facilities	$33,800	$21,950	4,460
77	Other Residential Care Facilities	$33,440	$20,560	4,060
78	Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences	$29,450	$21,690	50
79	Elementary and Secondary Schools - State government owned	$28,620	$25,480	100