At a glance
Median pay for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors runs from $42,140 in New Orleans to $75,420 in Portland across 75 curated metros; the middle value is $59,560.
After the BEA 2024 price adjustment, the top three are Albuquerque ($77,439), Portland ($71,542), Houston ($68,306).
These are workforce estimates from published medians, not job offers or expected hiring pay.
Sources: BLS wages (May 2025) · BEA price parity (2024) · Census ACS (2020–2024) · metro areas, not city limits · How we calculate
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors salary comparison
Counselor pay depends on licensure level, setting and funding source, and agency, hospital and private-practice work are all included. A metro median does not separate them. 75 of 75 curated metros have a reported occupation median. The table is sorted by the site-calculated adjusted metric, not by predicted hiring demand.
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| Metropolitan area | Median annual wage | Adjusted median* | Median gross rent / month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albuquerque, NM | $73,990 | $77,439 | $1,156 |
| Portland, OR–WA | $75,420 | $71,542 | $1,724 |
| Houston, TX | $67,370 | $68,306 | $1,430 |
| Austin, TX | $66,780 | $68,097 | $1,726 |
| Grand Rapids, MI | $64,100 | $67,088 | $1,202 |
| Des Moines, IA | $61,320 | $66,869 | $1,150 |
| Seattle, WA | $73,580 | $66,209 | $2,000 |
| Madison, WI | $64,250 | $66,042 | $1,354 |
| Tulsa, OK | $58,880 | $65,999 | $1,078 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | $59,660 | $65,990 | $1,124 |
| Omaha, NE–IA | $60,650 | $65,988 | $1,192 |
| San Jose, CA | $72,550 | $65,702 | $2,840 |
| Kansas City, MO–KS | $60,690 | $65,580 | $1,249 |
| Dayton, OH | $59,790 | $64,503 | $1,039 |
| Milwaukee, WI | $61,960 | $63,918 | $1,139 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $66,020 | $63,901 | $1,702 |
| Bridgeport, CT | $68,140 | $63,763 | $1,875 |
| Cleveland, OH | $59,630 | $63,488 | $1,050 |
| Tucson, AZ | $61,250 | $63,212 | $1,212 |
| Columbia, SC | $58,920 | $62,907 | $1,193 |
Show all 75 metros with a reported median
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| Metropolitan area | Median annual wage | Adjusted median* | Median gross rent / month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albuquerque, NM | $73,990 | $77,439 | $1,156 |
| Portland, OR–WA | $75,420 | $71,542 | $1,724 |
| Houston, TX | $67,370 | $68,306 | $1,430 |
| Austin, TX | $66,780 | $68,097 | $1,726 |
| Grand Rapids, MI | $64,100 | $67,088 | $1,202 |
| Des Moines, IA | $61,320 | $66,869 | $1,150 |
| Seattle, WA | $73,580 | $66,209 | $2,000 |
| Madison, WI | $64,250 | $66,042 | $1,354 |
| Tulsa, OK | $58,880 | $65,999 | $1,078 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | $59,660 | $65,990 | $1,124 |
| Omaha, NE–IA | $60,650 | $65,988 | $1,192 |
| San Jose, CA | $72,550 | $65,702 | $2,840 |
| Kansas City, MO–KS | $60,690 | $65,580 | $1,249 |
| Dayton, OH | $59,790 | $64,503 | $1,039 |
| Milwaukee, WI | $61,960 | $63,918 | $1,139 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $66,020 | $63,901 | $1,702 |
| Bridgeport, CT | $68,140 | $63,763 | $1,875 |
| Cleveland, OH | $59,630 | $63,488 | $1,050 |
| Tucson, AZ | $61,250 | $63,212 | $1,212 |
| Columbia, SC | $58,920 | $62,907 | $1,193 |
| Boise City, ID | $61,730 | $62,739 | $1,487 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | $63,100 | $62,557 | $1,583 |
| San Antonio, TX | $59,180 | $62,482 | $1,363 |
| Columbus, OH | $59,370 | $62,188 | $1,274 |
| St. Louis, MO–IL | $58,570 | $61,596 | $1,113 |
| Jacksonville, FL | $61,260 | $61,578 | $1,513 |
| Rochester, NY | $59,620 | $61,442 | $1,143 |
| Cincinnati, OH–KY–IN | $58,520 | $61,361 | $1,105 |
| Durham, NC | $59,560 | $61,042 | $1,466 |
| Little Rock, AR | $54,450 | $60,931 | $1,055 |
| Atlanta, GA | $60,880 | $60,845 | $1,672 |
| Raleigh, NC | $59,600 | $60,719 | $1,573 |
| Detroit, MI | $60,890 | $60,709 | $1,207 |
| Dallas, TX | $62,560 | $60,685 | $1,614 |
| Virginia Beach, VA–NC | $59,280 | $60,526 | $1,478 |
| Washington, DC–VA–MD–WV | $65,270 | $59,945 | $2,027 |
| Hartford, CT | $61,400 | $59,759 | $1,416 |
| North Port, FL | $61,200 | $59,756 | $1,747 |
| Chicago, IL–IN | $61,600 | $59,462 | $1,430 |
| Denver, CO | $62,810 | $59,377 | $1,874 |
| San Francisco, CA | $68,400 | $59,163 | $2,474 |
| Richmond, VA | $57,860 | $59,126 | $1,447 |
| Birmingham, AL | $53,990 | $58,913 | $1,172 |
| Greenville, SC | $54,760 | $58,718 | $1,150 |
| Fresno, CA | $59,790 | $58,527 | $1,392 |
| Buffalo, NY | $55,750 | $58,167 | $1,057 |
| Providence, RI–MA | $59,120 | $58,090 | $1,307 |
| Minneapolis, MN–WI | $60,770 | $57,974 | $1,440 |
| Charlotte, NC–SC | $56,130 | $57,659 | $1,473 |
| Boston, MA–NH | $62,130 | $57,386 | $2,023 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $54,290 | $57,346 | $1,053 |
| Albany, NY | $57,030 | $57,279 | $1,280 |
| Sacramento, CA | $61,050 | $57,233 | $1,819 |
| Philadelphia, PA–NJ–DE–MD | $58,140 | $56,692 | $1,480 |
| Worcester, MA | $57,950 | $56,524 | $1,426 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $53,760 | $56,178 | $1,191 |
| Orlando, FL | $56,710 | $55,917 | $1,760 |
| Allentown, PA–NJ | $55,520 | $55,538 | $1,365 |
| Greensboro, NC | $51,410 | $55,360 | $1,093 |
| Baltimore, MD | $57,750 | $55,270 | $1,611 |
| Tampa, FL | $55,570 | $55,080 | $1,628 |
| Las Vegas, NV | $55,060 | $54,942 | $1,626 |
| Louisville, KY–IN | $50,970 | $54,763 | $1,116 |
| Memphis, TN–MS–AR | $50,260 | $54,524 | $1,220 |
| Riverside, CA | $57,880 | $54,377 | $1,846 |
| New York, NY–NJ | $61,020 | $54,210 | $1,830 |
| Knoxville, TN | $48,910 | $52,836 | $1,145 |
| Charleston, SC | $53,260 | $52,753 | $1,605 |
| Nashville, TN | $50,810 | $52,741 | $1,528 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | $58,500 | $52,721 | $2,083 |
| Baton Rouge, LA | $46,840 | $51,597 | $1,135 |
| San Diego, CA | $57,660 | $51,534 | $2,246 |
| Miami, FL | $57,290 | $50,186 | $1,869 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $51,910 | $45,709 | $2,063 |
| New Orleans, LA | $42,140 | $45,509 | $1,217 |
The table shows the 20 highest adjusted medians; the full list of 75 metros is expandable above. The price-adjusted wage equals the BLS May 2025 annual occupational median × 100 ÷ the BEA 2024 all-items regional price parity. Census rent, household income and commuting figures are ACS 2020–2024 five-year estimates. They describe different populations and do not determine take-home pay, employment prospects or individual rent. ACS gross rent includes contract rent plus estimated utility and fuel costs.
How pay for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors varies across metros
Across the 75 curated metros with a reported median, the nominal annual median for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors runs from $42,140 in New Orleans to $75,420 in Portland, a 1.79× difference. After dividing each median by its metro’s BEA price parity, the range is $45,509 in New Orleans to $77,439 in Albuquerque, a 1.70× difference. The middle value across these metros is $59,560 nominal and $59,756 adjusted.
The price adjustment changes the order. Out of 75 metros, Tulsa moves from 44th on nominal pay to 9th on adjusted pay while New York moves from 26th to 66th. These ranks compare published medians only, not openings or offers.
Beyond the median: published wage percentiles
The following six metros lead this curated set on the price-adjusted median measure. The five annual wage statistics are the original BLS estimates; they have not been price-adjusted. They illustrate the estimated wage distribution for the same occupation and geographic unit.
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| Metropolitan area | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albuquerque, NM | $48,900 | $60,330 | $73,990 | $93,560 | $113,430 |
| Portland, OR–WA | $50,970 | $59,630 | $75,420 | $91,050 | $109,330 |
| Houston, TX | $37,540 | $47,890 | $67,370 | $81,970 | $95,760 |
| Austin, TX | $38,950 | $46,370 | $66,780 | $85,250 | $100,220 |
| Grand Rapids, MI | $42,860 | $51,690 | $64,100 | $77,970 | $99,020 |
| Des Moines, IA | $38,130 | $48,420 | $61,320 | $76,700 | $97,840 |
Percentiles describe a distribution, not an individual’s pay; suppressed values are marked Unavailable.
National career outlook and entry requirements
The BLS projects national employment for Substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors from 2025 to 2035. These occupational projections are national; they do not forecast openings in any particular metro area.
Among the 80 occupations curated on this site, projected 2025–2035 growth of +18.4% ranks 6th (the middle value is +5.0%), and about 50,500 projected annual openings rank 33rd. This compares only the occupations on this site and does not predict hiring in any one metro.
The BLS lists no related work experience as typically required for entry. Its typical training category is internship/residency. National employment base: 533,400 workers in 2025; projected 631,400 in 2035.
Openings are projected national totals, including replacements, not job ads or local vacancies. Education and training categories are typical patterns; licensing varies by role. BLS 2025–2035 Occupational Projections, Table 1.2. Read the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook profile.
What to check for this occupation before moving
How roles can differ: Counselors work in outpatient clinics, treatment centers, schools, hospitals and private practice, and pay varies with licensure level and funding source. In most states, becoming fully licensed involves supervised clinical hours.
Questions to ask about a real offer: Ask about caseload, whether hours toward licensure are supervised and counted, and how the employer is funded. Compare benefits and productivity targets, and check the state's licensure and reciprocity rules.
This is editorial guidance, not a claim that every employer or state follows these practices; verify terms with the employer and relevant authorities.
What this occupation median does—and does not—tell you
BLS OEWS wages are employer-reported estimates for wage-and-salary jobs, so self-employment income is not included. Annual figures assume a 2,080-hour year. Wages include commissions and tips but exclude overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and benefits. A median is neither a new-hire salary nor a vacancy count.
Regional price parities compare overall price levels with the U.S. average; housing data come from a different survey and are not subtracted again from the wage. Missing wages and suppressed percentiles stay unavailable. See the methodology for details.
Salary for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors in Dallas, TX
Dallas is shown as a worked example (one of the larger metros on this site); it is not a recommendation, and the table above lists every metro with a reported median. Of 75 metros, it ranks 15th on nominal median and 34th on price-adjusted median.
For the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro, the May 2025 BLS annual occupational median is $62,560. The published 25th-to-75th-percentile wage interval is $45,230 to $79,500. The price-adjusted median of $60,685 applies the BEA 2024 all-items index of 103.1 (U.S. = 100). It does not reflect an employer offer, taxes or your individual household costs.
The ACS metro-wide gross-rent median is $1,614 per month; with an ACS margin of error of ±$6. Gross rent includes estimated utilities and covers renters generally, not workers in this occupation. For a data-driven contrast, Detroit has a published BLS median of $60,890 and adjusted median of $60,709. This comparison metro has the closest observed adjusted median in our curated set. This does not establish similar rents or local job conditions. Compare Dallas with Detroit in the interactive tool, or review the Dallas metro profile for income, housing uncertainty and commute context.
Before relying on a quoted salary, confirm that the job matches this BLS occupation and that pay period, hours and benefits are comparable.