Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2003

21-1014 Mental Health Counselors

Counsel with emphasis on prevention. Work with individuals and groups to promote optimum mental health. May help individuals deal with addictions and substance abuse; family, parenting, and marital problems; suicide; stress management; problems with self-esteem; and issues associated with aging and mental and emotional health. Exclude "Social Workers" (21-1021 through 21-1029), "Psychiatrists" (29-1066), and "Psychologists" (19-3031 through 19-3039).

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
83,450 2.6 % $16.48 $34,280 0.9 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $9.70 $11.88 $15.05 $19.81 $25.65
Annual Wage (2) $20,170 $24,700 $31,290 $41,210 $53,350

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Outpatient care centers 15,720 $16.84 $35,020 1 11
Individual and family services 13,760 $16.00 $33,270 2 16
Local government (OES designation) 12,110 $19.66 $40,900 3 5
Residential mental health facilities 9,830 $12.57 $26,150 4 26
General medical and surgical hospitals 5,610 $17.50 $36,410 5 10

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
State government (OES designation) 1,770 $22.35 $46,490 11 1
Offices of other health practitioners 3,250 $20.88 $43,440 8 2
Elementary and secondary schools 950 $20.49 $42,620 15 3
Offices of physicians 1,070 $19.76 $41,100 13 4
Local government (OES designation) 12,110 $19.66 $40,900 3 5

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
Vermont 600 $18.05 $37,540 0.207% 204
Pennsylvania 8,300 $13.23 $27,520 0.150% 529
Oregon 2,000 $17.54 $36,480 0.130% 295
Massachusetts 4,020 $16.65 $34,620 0.127% 433
Connecticut 1,960 $16.95 $35,250 0.119% 390

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
Idaho 190 $20.38 $42,390 0.034% 150
Wisconsin 1,190 $20.32 $42,260 0.044% 249
Missouri 940 $19.27 $40,090 0.036% 252
California 12,950 $18.87 $39,250 0.089% 381
Iowa 810 $18.85 $39,210 0.057% 214

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Vallejo-Fairfield-Napa, CA PMSA 790 $22.95 $47,740 0.422%
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA PMSA 330 $17.74 $36,900 0.363%
Erie, PA MSA 360 $11.83 $24,600 0.283%
Barnstable-Yarmouth, MA MSA 160 $25.78 $53,620 0.243%
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO MSA 280 $12.73 $26,470 0.236%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Augusta-Aiken, GA-SC MSA 40 $27.85 $57,930 0.020%
Stockton-Lodi, CA MSA 40 $26.10 $54,290 0.020%
Barnstable-Yarmouth, MA MSA 160 $25.78 $53,620 0.243%
Bakersfield, CA MSA (6) $25.58 $53,210 (6)
Brockton, MA PMSA 150 $24.86 $51,710 0.151%

About May 2003 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

To see profiles of other occupations, select from the major groups below:

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(6) Estimates not released.

All Community and Social Services Occupations

2003 May National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2003 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: May 7, 2004