Practice business tool
Therapist salary by state
Official BLS wages for counselors, psychologists, MFTs, and clinical social workers — median, mean, and the 10th–90th percentile range, by state. A real benchmark for whether your pay is competitive, with an honest note on why it is a floor, not your private-pay fee.
Wages are a floor — private pay is the ceiling
The single most important thing to understand about this data: it measures what employed therapists earn, not what a private-pay practice charges. A therapist on staff at an agency in your state might have a median wage of $60,000; the same clinician in cash-pay private practice, billing $150–$200 a session, can earn well beyond that. Use these numbers to sanity-check a job offer or to see how your state compares — then use the reimbursement benchmark and your own desired caseload to model private-pay income.
Mental health counselor median wage by state
Annual median wage for mental health & substance abuse counselors (SOC 21-1018), May 2025. Use the tool above for other roles and the full percentile range.
| State | Median | Mean |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $80,770 | $86,500 |
| Oregon | $74,590 | $75,540 |
| New Mexico | $74,100 | $76,370 |
| Washington | $68,910 | $75,020 |
| North Dakota | $68,630 | $67,940 |
| Arizona | $65,300 | $68,120 |
| Rhode Island | $65,120 | $68,600 |
| Utah | $63,890 | $69,370 |
| Nebraska | $63,770 | $70,220 |
| Connecticut | $63,590 | $68,450 |
| Idaho | $63,360 | $66,900 |
| Wyoming | $62,980 | $66,770 |
| New Jersey | $62,820 | $71,360 |
| Texas | $62,630 | $65,180 |
| Colorado | $62,390 | $69,860 |
| Wisconsin | $62,220 | $68,280 |
| Vermont | $61,810 | $64,890 |
| Michigan | $61,690 | $65,430 |
| Iowa | $60,880 | $66,790 |
| Illinois | $60,730 | $68,530 |
| District of Columbia | $60,450 | $69,180 |
| Hawaii | $60,090 | $70,050 |
| Maine | $59,970 | $63,370 |
| Massachusetts | $59,890 | $65,380 |
| Virginia | $59,880 | $65,430 |
| Maryland | $59,530 | $63,720 |
| Kansas | $59,470 | $61,820 |
| New York | $59,450 | $64,040 |
| Oklahoma | $59,350 | $61,990 |
| California | $59,250 | $69,080 |
| Montana | $59,000 | $60,590 |
| Georgia | $58,960 | $61,310 |
| Minnesota | $58,780 | $59,730 |
| Ohio | $58,360 | $60,090 |
| Nevada | $57,210 | $64,350 |
| Missouri | $56,910 | $60,670 |
| Florida | $56,790 | $61,030 |
| Delaware | $56,020 | $57,330 |
| North Carolina | $55,490 | $59,160 |
| New Hampshire | $54,840 | $58,790 |
| Kentucky | $54,190 | $57,560 |
| Indiana | $53,760 | $57,920 |
| South Dakota | $53,650 | $54,760 |
| South Carolina | $52,370 | $55,880 |
| Pennsylvania | $52,010 | $57,170 |
| Arkansas | $51,580 | $58,480 |
| Tennessee | $49,580 | $53,720 |
| West Virginia | $49,430 | $53,820 |
| Alabama | $47,310 | $54,200 |
| Mississippi | $46,990 | $52,130 |
| Louisiana | $37,910 | $45,030 |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025. Faithful read of the published state file.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do therapists make by state? +
It varies widely by role and state. Use the tool above for any state and role. Across the data, mental health counselors and clinical social workers typically post medians in the $45,000–$75,000 range, marriage and family therapists somewhat higher, and clinical/counseling psychologists often $90,000–$120,000+ — with the highest-cost states at the top.
Is this what I should charge in private practice? +
No. These are annual wages for employed (W-2) therapists. They are a floor and a competitiveness benchmark, not a per-session cash rate or solo-practice take-home. A private-pay practice generally aims well above the employed-wage median, and self-employed therapists are underrepresented in this survey.
What are the percentile wages? +
The 10th percentile is roughly what newer or lower-paid roles earn; the 90th percentile is the top of the range. The tool shows the 10th–90th band with the median marked, so you can see the spread in your state rather than a single number.
Which roles are included? +
Mental health & substance abuse counselors (SOC 21-1018), clinical & counseling psychologists (19-3033), marriage & family therapists (21-1013), mental health & substance abuse social workers (21-1023), and rehabilitation counselors (21-1015).
Where does the data come from? +
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 release — the official federal wage survey. The figures here are a faithful read of the published state file.
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