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School Counselors Job Overview

School counselors help students at any level, from high school and post secondary to elementary level. They assist them with their social, personal and academic development.

School Counselors Schools and Degrees

It is important to have a master’s degree in school counseling to become a school counselor. Some states also accept bachelor's degree. Departments of psychology or education in universities and colleges also have counselor education programs.

Job Requirements

In the United States, school counselors can look for certification at a national level through two different boards. The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and the National Board for Certified Counselors provide these two certifications. To earn these certifications school counselors have to pass many assessments over a long period of time. These certifications are acknowledged by many states and school counselors who earn these certifications also receive financial compensation from some states.

Those interested in becoming a school counselor should have a genuine wish to help others. They should have the capacity to win the faith, respect and confidence of people. They need to follow the ethics given in their licenses and certifications. They need to be able to work in teams or even independently, if necessary. They also need to have a high level of energy to be able to deal with the different kinds of problems.

Nature of Work

School counselors working at the elementary school level watch students during their play and classroom sessions. They make observations and speak to the parents and teachers regarding a student’s problems or particular needs or strengths. They work with the teachers to make sure that curriculum followed at school helps the child develop both academically and socially. School counselors working at the high school level provide of career counseling and guidance to students.

School counselors work in offices in schools but may also be present in classrooms. School counselors’ work for a full twelve months, but some may follow the school’s schedule and work for ten months a year. They generally work for the same number of hours as teachers do, but they may have to travel to attend conventions and conferences.

School Counselors Jobs and Outlook

The job prospects for school counselors are expected to grow by about thirteen percent in the next ten years. By the year 2016, there will be a requirement for about 292,000 school counselors.

School counselors earn an average of about $50,000 annually.

Job Numbers and Growth

School counselors in the US number about 260,000. Workers generally expect a low unemployment rate. There were about 3% of employees without jobs in 2008.

Area Job Conditions

Where are jobs most numerous? Yuba City (California), Ithaca (New York), and Monroe (Louisiana). Least common? Sebastian (Florida), Wausau (Wisconsin), and Myrtle Beach (South Carolina).

Salaries vary across the country, from highest in Modesto (California), Cape Coral (Florida), and Ocean City (New Jersey) to lowest in Madera (California), Fort Walton Beach (Florida), and Indianapolis (Indiana).

Training and Education

Obtaining a master's degree will help job seekers. School counselors with four or more years of college are 73% of the total. An estimated 18% of workers attended college at some level but did not pursue a 4-year degree. High school was enough education for 9% of employees. Recommended schools are shown in the column to the right; request information from them to help you decide which if any could help you with this career.

Part-Time Work and Self-Employment

Whether by choice or necessity, 15% of school counselors work part-time. About 6% of workers do not work for a company or organization.

School Counselors by Metropolitan Area (city and its surroundings)

In the table below, a Job Density near 0% means the area has an average number of people in this occupation, for its population. A higher or lower Job Density (e.g., +22% or -45%) tells you there are that many more or fewer workers of that type there than in the average US metro area. So, the higher the number, the more common the occupation.

Alabama

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Anniston	$49,000	60	-18%
Auburn	$54,000	200	+183%
Birmingham	$56,000	690	-24%
Decatur	$58,000	70	-20%
Dothan	$50,000	60	-37%
Florence	$54,000	90	+7%
Gadsden	$48,000	70	+29%
Huntsville	$56,000	220	-41%
Mobile	$44,000	230	-26%
Montgomery	$53,000	280	-3%
Tuscaloosa	$43,000	300	+95%

Alaska

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Anchorage	$73,000	260	-12%

Arizona

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Flagstaff	$42,000	160	+74%
Kingman	$33,000	150	+98%
Phoenix	$46,000	3,280	+0%
Prescott	$41,000	90	+2%
Tucson	$44,000	750	+20%
Yuma	$44,000	120	+33%

Arkansas

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Fayetteville	$53,000	420	+15%
Fort Smith	$55,000	170	-20%
Hot Springs	$52,000	80	+42%
Jonesboro	$50,000	90	+20%
Little Rock	$54,000	440	-30%
Pine Bluff	$55,000	70	+50%

California

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bakersfield	$56,000	520	+11%
Chico	$69,000	140	+21%
El Centro	$67,000	90	+12%
Fresno	$64,000	780	+34%
Los Angeles	$67,000	8,540	+14%
Madera	$63,000	170	+245%
Merced	$54,000	170	+83%
Modesto	$72,000	300	+10%
Napa	$50,000	90	-13%
Oakland	$59,000	2,000	+8%
Oxnard	$65,000	430	-20%
Redding	$72,000	80	-19%
Riverside	$68,000	2,230	+0%
Sacramento	$60,000	1,860	+16%
San Diego	$60,000	3,470	+43%
San Francisco	$56,000	1,920	+4%
San Jose	$66,000	1,710	+3%
San Luis Obispo	$66,000	140	-12%
Santa Ana	$66,000	1,790	-34%
Santa Barbara	$60,000	500	+68%
Santa Cruz	$61,000	180	+22%
Santa Rosa	$63,000	230	-25%
Stockton	$64,000	450	+20%
Vallejo	$55,000	240	+15%
Visalia	$55,000	390	+66%
Yuba City	$54,000	160	+166%

Colorado

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Boulder	$45,000	330	+22%
Colorado Springs	$48,000	520	+14%
Denver	$51,000	1,740	-25%
Fort Collins	$46,000	230	+5%
Grand Junction	$46,000	120	+29%
Greeley	$44,000	160	+32%
Pueblo	$44,000	180	+94%

Connecticut

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bridgeport	$58,000	830	+6%
Danbury	$68,000	120	+6%
Hartford	$53,000	1,120	+6%
New Haven	$53,000	1,030	+109%
Norwich	$65,000	170	-20%
Waterbury	$63,000	150	+33%

Delaware

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Dover	$52,000	200	+140%
Wilmington	$60,000	660	+11%

District of Columbia

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Washington	$66,000	4,530	+0%

Florida

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Deltona	$47,000	310	+15%
Fort Lauderdale	$57,000	780	-39%
Fort Walton Beach	$53,000	90	-30%
Gainesville	$47,000	150	-29%
Jacksonville	$53,000	890	-20%
Lakeland	$49,000	340	+1%
Miami	$52,000	2,120	+17%
Orlando	$61,000	1,140	-39%
Palm Bay		340	-4%
Pensacola		210	-20%
Port St Lucie	$71,000	220	+6%
Sarasota		240	-46%
Sebastian	$63,000	30	-60%
Tallahassee	$51,000	220	-23%
Tampa	$57,000	1,730	-18%
West Palm Beach	$48,000	820	-14%

Georgia

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Albany	$48,000	120	+18%
Athens	$45,000	300	+153%
Atlanta	$56,000	3,470	-19%
Augusta	$62,000	270	-27%
Brunswick	$52,000	80	+23%
Columbus	$56,000	200	+5%
Dalton	$59,000	80	-29%
Gainesville	$48,000	50	-57%
Hinesville	$67,000	40	+110%
Macon	$52,000	130	-16%
Rome	$57,000	100	+83%
Savannah	$50,000	240	-9%
Valdosta	$51,000	100	+25%
Warner Robins	$57,000	60	-31%

Hawaii

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Honolulu	$55,000	1,090	+35%

Idaho

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Boise	$47,000	520	+10%
Coeur Dalene	$53,000	50	-39%
Idaho Falls	$55,000	70	-7%
Lewiston	$52,000	40	+16%
Pocatello	$41,000	90	+95%

Illinois

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bloomington	$51,000	180	+53%
Champaign	$51,000	190	+8%
Chicago	$66,000	5,570	-20%
Danville	$35,000	70	+69%
Decatur	$47,000	120	+65%
Kankakee	$53,000	60	-8%
Peoria	$53,000	210	-31%
Rockford	$57,000	220	-11%

Indiana

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Anderson	$42,000	70	+17%
Columbus	$44,000	40	-33%
Elkhart	$51,000	100	-46%
Evansville	$52,000	200	-34%
Fort Wayne	$52,000	280	-23%
Gary	$53,000	260	-47%
Indianapolis	$62,000	1,250	-25%
Kokomo	$48,000	70	+15%
Lafayette	$48,000	300	+137%
Michigan City	$45,000	80	+23%
Muncie	$34,000	170	+133%
South Bend	$52,000	270	+20%
Terre Haute	$48,000	100	-12%

Iowa

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Ames	$44,000	140	+140%
Cedar Rapids	$43,000	180	-26%
Davenport	$50,000	250	-25%
Des Moines	$52,000	360	-40%
Dubuque	$43,000	60	-31%
Iowa City	$45,000	130	+10%
Sioux City	$44,000	100	-18%
Waterloo	$49,000	80	-45%

Kansas

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Lawrence	$50,000	120	+74%
Manhattan	$48,000	130	+54%
Topeka	$53,000	110	-42%
Wichita	$53,000	440	-16%

Kentucky

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bowling Green	$49,000	100	+10%
Elizabethtown	$67,000	100	+41%
Lexington	$49,000	310	-28%
Louisville	$60,000	740	-34%
Owensboro	$54,000	70	-8%

Louisiana

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Alexandria	$47,000	130	+22%
Baton Rouge	$56,000	1,430	+110%
Houma	$50,000	200	+23%
Lafayette	$54,000	290	+15%
Lake Charles	$54,000	280	+86%
Monroe	$49,000	410	+219%
New Orleans	$47,000	1,290	+32%
Shreveport	$54,000	460	+44%

Maine

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bangor	$46,000	130	+29%
Lewiston	$46,000	100	+23%
Portland	$47,000	380	+6%

Maryland

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Baltimore	$58,000	2,580	+6%
Bethesda	$75,000	1,270	+19%
Cumberland	$60,000	90	+56%
Hagerstown	$51,000	140	-16%
Salisbury	$58,000	140	+61%

Massachusetts

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Barnstable Town	$60,000	190	+11%
Boston	$61,000	3,230	0%
Brockton	$56,000	210	+37%
Framingham	$60,000	230	-21%
Haverhill	$59,000	180	+30%
Lawrence	$65,000	140	+43%
Leominster	$54,000	160	+100%
Lowell	$65,000	180	-14%
New Bedford	$50,000	100	-7%
Peabody	$50,000	450	+157%
Pittsfield	$59,000	80	+60%
Springfield	$58,000	610	+13%
Taunton	$59,000	50	-30%
Worcester	$54,000	650	+43%

Michigan

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Ann Arbor	$57,000	300	+1%
Battle Creek	$49,000	80	-5%
Bay City	$54,000	80	+59%
Detroit	$56,000	980	-21%
Flint	$56,000	210	-8%
Grand Rapids	$54,000	450	-35%
Holland	$57,000	130	-21%
Jackson	$55,000	60	-24%
Kalamazoo	$50,000	200	-16%
Lansing	$49,000	280	-21%
Monroe	$50,000	40	-30%
Muskegon	$54,000	110	+20%
Niles	$51,000	80	-16%
Saginaw	$55,000	60	-57%
Warren	$58,000	1,070	-46%

Minnesota

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Duluth	$45,000	290	+28%
Mankato	$45,000	90	-2%
Minneapolis	$50,000	2,310	-30%
Rochester	$42,000	190	+8%
St Cloud	$53,000	100	-39%

Mississippi

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Gulfport	$52,000	130	-30%
Hattiesburg	$47,000	80	-15%
Jackson	$47,000	510	+11%
Pascagoula	$54,000	80	+8%

Missouri

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Cape Girardeau	$40,000	170	+139%
Columbia	$44,000	170	+26%
Jefferson City	$43,000	180	+45%
Joplin	$44,000	130	-2%
Kansas City	$53,000	1,790	-5%
Springfield	$45,000	400	+17%
St Joseph	$37,000	160	+94%
St Louis	$52,000	3,090	+25%

Montana

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Billings	$45,000	110	-23%
Great Falls	$47,000	70	+22%

Nebraska

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Lincoln	$72,000	190	-33%
Omaha	$49,000	690	-20%

Nevada

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Las Vegas	$58,000	740	-53%
Reno	$49,000	330	-3%

New Hampshire

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Manchester	$53,000	180	+1%
Nashua	$46,000	320	+33%
Portsmouth	$54,000	50	-47%
Rochester	$49,000	150	+72%

New Jersey

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Atlantic City	$66,000	200	-22%
Camden	$62,000	850	-12%
Edison	$67,000	1,450	-24%
Newark	$78,000	1,520	-18%
Ocean City	$63,000	50	-23%
Trenton	$69,000	280	-32%
Vineland	$63,000	100	+1%

New Mexico

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Albuquerque	$59,000	510	-28%
Farmington	$54,000	90	+12%
Las Cruces	$71,000	130	+23%
Santa Fe	$45,000	120	+17%

New York

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Albany	$56,000	1,090	+32%
Binghamton	$54,000	240	+23%
Buffalo	$54,000	1,260	+24%
Elmira	$54,000	80	+33%
Glens Falls	$52,000	130	+53%
Ithaca	$58,000	180	+177%
Kingston	$64,000	190	+91%
Nassau	$78,000	2,190	-7%
New York	$67,000	10,690	+10%
Poughkeepsie	$66,000	750	+68%
Rochester	$54,000	1,420	+53%
Syracuse	$56,000	690	+21%
Utica	$52,000	330	+51%

North Carolina

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Asheville	$43,000	340	+8%
Burlington	$49,000	60	-35%
Charlotte	$49,000	1,050	-34%
Durham	$42,000	530	+6%
Fayetteville	$43,000	250	+13%
Goldsboro	$43,000	160	+150%
Greensboro	$46,000	420	-35%
Greenville	$48,000	150	+33%
Hickory	$46,000	190	-27%
Jacksonville	$49,000	70	+3%
Raleigh	$53,000	680	-29%
Rocky Mount	$46,000	130	+37%
Wilmington	$46,000	240	+0%
Winston Salem	$47,000	350	-8%

North Dakota

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bismarck	$51,000	130	+20%
Fargo	$48,000	160	-25%
Grand Forks	$47,000	80	+3%

Ohio

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Akron	$57,000	750	+28%
Canton	$53,000	330	+11%
Cincinnati	$59,000	1,600	-15%
Cleveland	$64,000	1,980	+4%
Columbus	$58,000	2,450	+44%
Dayton	$59,000	950	+36%
Lima	$50,000	90	+6%
Mansfield	$59,000	110	+31%
Sandusky	$57,000	70	+29%
Springfield	$54,000	120	+55%
Steubenville	$42,000	80	+22%
Toledo	$55,000	600	+12%
Youngstown	$50,000	550	+35%

Oklahoma

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Lawton	$50,000	120	+86%
Oklahoma City	$44,000	950	-11%
Tulsa	$49,000	630	-20%

Oregon

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bend	$53,000	60	-43%
Corvallis	$48,000	100	+145%
Eugene	$48,000	220	-11%
Medford	$45,000	130	0%
Portland	$56,000	1,360	-28%
Salem	$46,000	250	-5%

Pennsylvania

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Allentown	$49,000	580	-8%
Altoona	$42,000	70	-30%
Erie	$46,000	190	-15%
Harrisburg	$54,000	560	-4%
Johnstown	$57,000	100	+9%
Lancaster	$57,000	370	-13%
Lebanon	$50,000	70	-4%
Philadelphia	$57,000	4,410	+24%
Pittsburgh	$52,000	2,430	+14%
Reading	$59,000	450	+52%
Scranton	$47,000	470	-1%
State College	$51,000	220	+112%
Williamsport	$67,000	60	-28%
York	$50,000	310	-1%

Rhode Island

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Providence	$58,000	1,060	+3%

South Carolina

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Anderson	$54,000	130	+41%
Charleston	$49,000	370	-29%
Columbia	$48,000	960	+50%
Florence	$46,000	180	+34%
Greenville	$82,000	1,410	+159%
Myrtle Beach	$50,000	40	-79%
Spartanburg	$56,000	200	0%
Sumter	$49,000	90	+78%

South Dakota

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Rapid City	$42,000	100	-5%
Sioux Falls	$46,000	130	-47%

Tennessee

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Chattanooga	$48,000	290	-29%
Clarksville	$47,000	190	+44%
Cleveland	$42,000	90	+69%
Jackson	$37,000	180	+86%
Johnson City	$41,000	160	+33%
Kingsport	$45,000	190	-10%
Knoxville	$44,000	460	-24%
Memphis	$51,000	850	-25%
Morristown	$42,000	110	+50%
Nashville	$46,000	1,390	+1%

Texas

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Abilene	$44,000	190	+82%
Amarillo	$53,000	230	+25%
Austin	$50,000	2,020	+39%
Beaumont	$54,000	260	-9%
Brownsville	$52,000	460	+102%
College Station	$44,000	380	+141%
Corpus Christi	$52,000	450	+42%
Dallas	$63,000	4,630	+19%
Fort Worth	$56,000	1,810	+13%
Houston	$54,000	5,160	+5%
Killeen	$55,000	310	+38%
Laredo	$57,000	270	+104%
Longview	$51,000	150	-8%
Lubbock	$44,000	400	+82%
Mcallen	$60,000	890	+115%
San Angelo	$59,000	90	+37%
San Antonio	$59,000	1,870	+16%
Sherman	$55,000	140	+114%
Texarkana	$53,000	100	+13%
Tyler	$47,000	150	-3%
Victoria	$48,000	90	+17%
Waco	$48,000	250	+45%
Wichita Falls	$51,000	120	+32%

Utah

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Logan	$43,000	150	+97%
Ogden	$46,000	290	-19%
Provo	$51,000	580	+92%
Salt Lake City	$51,000	600	-47%
St George	$54,000	60	-18%

Vermont

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Burlington	$58,000	190	-2%

Virginia

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Blacksburg	$49,000	130	+29%
Charlottesville	$52,000	230	+56%
Danville	$56,000	90	+68%
Harrisonburg	$45,000	130	+42%
Lynchburg	$47,000	150	-12%
Richmond	$54,000	950	-16%
Roanoke	$57,000	180	-35%
Virginia Beach	$57,000	1,360	-3%
Winchester	$48,000	100	+24%

Washington

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bellingham	$53,000	190	+54%
Bremerton	$56,000	160	+14%
Kennewick	$57,000	210	+22%
Longview	$54,000	70	+37%
Mount Vernon	$58,000	80	+13%
Olympia	$60,000	240	+41%
Seattle	$57,000	1,840	-29%
Spokane	$55,000	420	+14%
Tacoma	$58,000	560	+17%
Wenatchee	$51,000	90	+47%
Yakima	$57,000	220	+55%

West Virginia

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Charleston	$41,000	220	-14%
Huntington	$45,000	270	+37%
Morgantown	$36,000	60	-31%
Parkersburg	$43,000	100	-12%
Wheeling	$45,000	120	+11%

Wisconsin

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Appleton	$65,000	130	-35%
Eau Claire	$51,000	100	-20%
Fond	$51,000	110	+62%
Green Bay	$56,000	200	-33%
Janesville	$56,000	90	-14%
La Crosse	$53,000	100	-17%
Madison	$52,000	440	-29%
Milwaukee	$49,000	790	-49%
Oshkosh	$40,000	110	-26%
Racine	$54,000	90	-28%
Sheboygan	$55,000	50	-45%
Wausau	$63,000	50	-55%

Wyoming

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Cheyenne	$61,000	200	+197%