The highest-paying states for educational, guidance, school, and vocational 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 of educational, guidance, school, and vocational counselors in those states are also shown in the table. As shown in the table, with an annual salary of $77,770, Washington is the highest paying state for educational, guidance, school, and vocational counselors. It is followed by Massachusetts (average annual salary $76,500). The salary and employment information is computed from data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in April 2023 [1]. For more salary information of educational, guidance, school, and vocational counselors in a specific state, use the links in the table.
| Rank | State | Average Salary i | Entry Level Salary i |
# of Empl. i |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $77,770 |
$50,360 | 5,490 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $76,500 |
$46,450 | 8,790 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $74,960 |
$51,570 | 7,110 |
| 4 | California | $72,240 |
$47,420 | 36,440 |
| 5 | Connecticut | $67,870 |
$37,290 | 3,090 |
| 6 | Delaware | $66,280 |
$40,270 | 1,370 |
| 7 | Ohio | $65,760 |
$38,810 | 11,510 |
| 8 | Maryland | $64,570 |
$46,410 | 5,710 |
| 9 | Alaska | $64,240 |
$48,040 | 450 |
| 10 | Rhode Island | $64,010 |
$42,370 | 1,050 |
| 11 | Oregon | $63,320 |
$43,450 | 2,990 |
| 12 | Nebraska | $63,230 |
$44,430 | 1,770 |
| 13 | New York | $63,100 |
$37,430 | 22,890 |
| 14 | Vermont | $62,630 |
$46,990 | 900 |
| 15 | Virginia | $62,440 |
$43,310 | 7,650 |
| 16 | District of Columbia | $62,340 |
$36,630 | 1,910 |
| 17 | Texas | $62,250 |
$38,280 | 29,950 |
| 18 | New Mexico | $62,180 |
$36,910 | 2,020 |
| 19 | Pennsylvania | $61,760 |
$40,460 | 8,440 |
| 20 | Louisiana | $61,020 |
$45,560 | 4,940 |
| 21 | Kentucky | $60,750 |
$35,960 | 4,520 |
| 22 | Wyoming | $60,180 |
$40,680 | 650 |
| 23 | Colorado | $59,740 |
$44,280 | 5,720 |
| 24 | Alabama | $59,580 |
$35,820 | 4,080 |
| 25 | Georgia | $59,450 |
$36,940 | 10,990 |
| 26 | Minnesota | $59,400 |
$45,790 | 3,790 |
| 27 | Guam | $59,250 |
$33,620 | 150 |
| 28 | Hawaii | $58,980 |
$36,270 | 1,370 |
| 29 | Nevada | $57,560 |
$38,480 | 1,680 |
| 30 | New Hampshire | $57,030 |
$38,940 | 2,320 |
| 31 | North Dakota | $56,680 |
$40,390 | 720 |
| 32 | Wisconsin | $55,630 |
$39,310 | 4,250 |
| 33 | Arkansas | $55,190 |
$37,970 | 2,220 |
| 34 | Maine | $55,140 |
$38,850 | 1,430 |
| 35 | Iowa | $54,610 |
$38,100 | 3,360 |
| 36 | Montana | $53,530 |
$35,220 | 720 |
| 37 | Illinois | $52,340 |
$37,770 | 12,890 |
| 38 | Michigan | $51,340 |
$38,160 | 6,870 |
| 39 | Tennessee | $51,220 |
$36,020 | 5,020 |
| 40 | Kansas | $51,100 |
$38,000 | 2,570 |
| 41 | North Carolina | $50,820 |
$35,070 | 7,940 |
| 42 | Idaho | $50,690 |
$39,420 | 2,040 |
| 43 | Utah | $50,180 |
$35,350 | 4,380 |
| 44 | Arizona | $50,030 |
$38,980 | 6,310 |
| 45 | Oklahoma | $50,020 |
$32,180 | 3,940 |
| 46 | West Virginia | $49,850 |
$34,390 | 1,090 |
| 47 | Indiana | $49,420 |
$36,330 | 5,400 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $49,180 |
$35,000 | 2,670 |
| 49 | South Carolina | $49,050 |
$33,310 | 6,030 |
| 50 | Virgin Islands | $49,040 |
$31,620 | 110 |
| 51 | Florida | $48,850 |
$35,730 | 19,570 |
| 52 | Missouri | $48,700 |
$35,890 | 8,100 |
| 53 | South Dakota | $47,800 |
$36,610 | 890 |
| 54 | Puerto Rico | $31,100 |
$22,320 | 1,100 |