School Counselor Salary
School counselors support students' academic, career, and personal development. They provide guidance on college planning, career exploration, and social-emotional well-being.
National Salary Distribution
Top Paying Cities for School Counselor
| # | City | Median |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $70,000 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $68,000 |
| 3 | New York, NY | $67,000 |
| 4 | Boston, MA | $62,000 |
| 5 | Washington, DC | $61,000 |
| 6 | Los Angeles, CA | $60,000 |
| 7 | San Diego, CA | $58,000 |
| 8 | Austin, TX | $56,000 |
| 9 | Portland, OR | $56,000 |
| 10 | Denver, CO | $54,000 |
Best After Cost of Living
| # | City | COL-Adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Columbus, OH | $49,451 |
| 2 | Pittsburgh, PA | $48,889 |
| 3 | Raleigh, NC | $48,544 |
| 4 | Detroit, MI | $48,315 |
| 5 | Indianapolis, IN | $47,778 |
| 6 | Chicago, IL | $47,664 |
| 7 | Houston, TX | $47,664 |
| 8 | Phoenix, AZ | $47,573 |
| 9 | Dallas, TX | $47,321 |
| 10 | Atlanta, GA | $46,296 |
School Counselor Salary — All Cities
| City | P25 | Median | P75 | P90 | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | $53,900 | $70,000 | $89,600 | $112,000 | 130,000 |
| Seattle, WA | $52,360 | $68,000 | $87,040 | $108,800 | 145,000 |
| New York, NY | $51,590 | $67,000 | $85,760 | $107,200 | 170,000 |
| Boston, MA | $47,740 | $62,000 | $79,360 | $99,200 | 105,000 |
| Washington, DC | $46,970 | $61,000 | $78,080 | $97,600 | 112,500 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $46,200 | $60,000 | $76,800 | $96,000 | 120,000 |
| San Diego, CA | $44,660 | $58,000 | $74,240 | $92,800 | 60,000 |
| Austin, TX | $43,120 | $56,000 | $71,680 | $89,600 | 95,000 |
| Portland, OR | $43,120 | $56,000 | $71,680 | $89,600 | 50,000 |
| Denver, CO | $41,580 | $54,000 | $69,120 | $86,400 | 70,000 |
| Dallas, TX | $40,810 | $53,000 | $67,840 | $84,800 | 87,500 |
| Chicago, IL | $39,270 | $51,000 | $65,280 | $81,600 | 87,500 |
| Houston, TX | $39,270 | $51,000 | $65,280 | $81,600 | 70,000 |
| Atlanta, GA | $38,500 | $50,000 | $64,000 | $80,000 | 75,000 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $38,500 | $50,000 | $64,000 | $80,000 | 55,000 |
| Raleigh, NC | $38,500 | $50,000 | $64,000 | $80,000 | 55,000 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $37,730 | $49,000 | $62,720 | $78,400 | 62,500 |
| Miami, FL | $36,960 | $48,000 | $61,440 | $76,800 | 55,000 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | $36,960 | $48,000 | $61,440 | $76,800 | 45,000 |
| Nashville, TN | $36,190 | $47,000 | $60,160 | $75,200 | 45,000 |
| Charlotte, NC | $35,420 | $46,000 | $58,880 | $73,600 | 50,000 |
| Richmond, VA | $35,420 | $46,000 | $58,880 | $73,600 | 35,000 |
| Columbus, OH | $34,650 | $45,000 | $57,600 | $72,000 | 40,000 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $33,880 | $44,000 | $56,320 | $70,400 | 35,000 |
| Detroit, MI | $33,110 | $43,000 | $55,040 | $68,800 | 37,500 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $33,110 | $43,000 | $55,040 | $68,800 | 37,500 |
| Louisville, KY | $30,800 | $40,000 | $51,200 | $64,000 | 25,000 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | $30,030 | $39,000 | $49,920 | $62,400 | 22,500 |
| Memphis, TN | $29,260 | $38,000 | $48,640 | $60,800 | 20,000 |
| El Paso, TX | $26,950 | $35,000 | $44,800 | $56,000 | 15,000 |
Top Skills for School Counselor
5About the School Counselor Role
School counselors support students' academic, career, and personal development. They provide guidance on college planning, career exploration, and social-emotional well-being.
Compensation for School Counselors varies widely by metro — from $35,000 at the low end in El Paso, TX to $70,000 in San Francisco, CA. The $35,000 gap largely reflects local demand, cost of living, and concentration of high-paying employers. A School Counselor earning the top-metro median in a lower-cost city would likely take a nominal pay cut but see higher purchasing power — which is why the COL-adjusted ranking above often differs sharply from the raw-salary ranking.
Career tenure and pay progression follow a typical three-stage pattern. The 25th percentile ($39,218) generally represents entry-level roles with 0–2 years of experience. The median ($50,933) reflects mid-career School Counselors with 3–7 years of domain experience. The 75th percentile ($65,194) typically requires senior or lead-level responsibility, and the 90th percentile ($81,493) captures principal, staff, or specialist roles — often at larger employers or in high-demand sub-specialties. The jump from P50 to P90 is roughly 60%, which gives a rough ceiling on what most School Counselors can realistically earn in a full career.
The skills that most influence pay for this role cluster around Counseling, College Advising, Crisis Intervention. Employment concentration and year-over-year growth rates (visible in the per-metro table above) are the two best leading indicators for whether a market is healthy for School Counselors — a metro with high total employment and 5%+ yearly growth typically signals strong hiring pipelines and negotiating leverage. Markets with declining or flat employment can pay above average because they retain senior talent, but they offer fewer entry points.
If you're weighing a move, start with the COL-adjusted column above — that's the best single signal for where your money actually goes further. Then check the state tax rate (some states like Texas, Florida, Washington, and Tennessee have no state income tax, which can add 4–9% to take-home depending on your salary). For side-by-side comparisons between specific metros, use the compare links above or the salary calculator. For state-level overviews, browse all occupations or explore related roles.