Mental Health Counselors vs. Mental Health Social Workers: Pay, Job Outlook and Training Compared (2025 BLS Data)
- Mental Health Social Workers had the higher median annual wage in May 2025: $60,280, versus $59,350 for mental health counselors.
- There are more mental health counselors: about 491,930 U.S. jobs, versus 132,810 for mental health social workers.
- BLS projects employment of mental health counselors to change by 18.4% and employment of mental health social workers by 10.3% from 2025 to 2035.
Choosing between mental health counselors and mental health social workers, or thinking about switching? This side-by-side uses the federal government’s BLS OEWS national data, May 2025 for pay and job counts and BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35 for growth, openings and typical entry requirements. BLS occupation titles: “Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors” (SOC 21-1018) and “Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers” (SOC 21-1023). More detail: Mental Health Counselors (BLS) and Mental Health Social Workers (BLS).
Pay side by side
| May 2025 | Mental Health Counselors | Mental Health Social Workers |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. jobs | 491,930 | 132,810 |
| 10th percentile (annual) | $38,940 | $39,740 |
| 25th percentile | $47,100 | $47,070 |
| Median (annual) | $59,350 | $60,280 |
| Median (hourly) | $28.53 | $28.98 |
| 75th percentile | $76,530 | $79,730 |
| 90th percentile | $97,590 | $104,170 |
| Mean (average) | $64,440 | $68,030 |
Percentile wages: for example, 10% of workers earn less than the 10th-percentile figure. OEWS wages exclude overtime, tips and most bonuses.
Outlook and how you get in
| BLS Employment Projections | Mental Health Counselors | Mental Health Social Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Projected job growth, 2025–35 | 18.4% | 10.3% |
| Openings per year (avg.) | 50.5 thousand | 12.5 thousand |
| Typical entry education | Master's degree | Master's degree |
| Work experience in a related job | none | none |
| Typical on-the-job training | Internship/residency | Internship/residency |
Openings include jobs that open up when workers retire or change occupations, not just new positions, which is why a field with slow growth can still hire a lot of people every year.
Where each job pays best
The three states with the highest median wage for each occupation (BLS OEWS state data, May 2025):
| Rank | Mental Health Counselors | Mental Health Social Workers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska – $80,770 | New York – $79,380 |
| 2 | Oregon – $74,590 | California – $79,000 |
| 3 | New Mexico – $74,100 | Connecticut – $78,640 |
By industry, mental health counselors earned the highest median in Finance and Insurance ($80,880) and mental health social workers in Educational Services ($72,880), counting sectors with at least 1,000 jobs in the occupation (BLS OEWS industry data).
Which should you pick?
- Look past the median. Compare the 25th and 75th percentiles too: they show what a typical early-career and an experienced worker earn in each field.
- Count the cost of entry. The education and training rows above tell you how long it takes to start earning. A longer path can still pay off if the pay gap is large.
- Check your area. State pay differs a lot from the national figure; use the state table and your local job ads before deciding.
- Already in one of these jobs? If your pay is below the 25th percentile for your field, that is a concrete number to bring to a raise conversation.
Published October 30, 2026. Sources are linked in the text.
Header image: original chart by JobPayRaise.com using BLS OEWS May 2025 data.
Comments (1)
One more data point, from metro-level data: among metro areas with at least 300 jobs in the occupation, the highest median for mental health counselors was in Anchorage, AK ($81,120, 810 jobs), and for mental health social workers it was in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($109,050, 1,010 jobs). Source: BLS OEWS metropolitan-area data, May 2025.
— JobPayRaise Data Desk