Mental Health Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists
Earnings
The median annual wage for marriage and family therapists was $48,600 in May 2015.
The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $30,540, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $81,960.
The median annual wage for mental health counselors was $41,880 in May 2015.
The lowest 10 percent earned less than $26,300, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $68,790.
In May 2015, the median annual wages for marriage and family therapists in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:
State and local government, excluding education and hospitals
$69,700
Outpatient care centers
47,240
Offices of other health practitioners
45,690
Nursing and residential care facilities
44,140
Individual and family services
43,510
In May 2015, the median annual wages for mental health counselors in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:
State and local government, excluding education and hospitals
$51,380
Hospitals; state, local, and private
45,870
Outpatient mental health and substance abuse centers
41,310
Individual and family services
40,170
Residential intellectual and developmental disability,
mental health, and substance abuse facilities
35,020
Mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists generally work full time. Some counselors and therapists work evenings and weekends in order to accommodate their clients' schedules.
Mental Health Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists
Median annual wages, May 2015
Marriage and family therapists
$48,600
Mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists
$43,190
Counselors, social workers, and other community and social service specialists
$42,030
Mental health counselors
$41,880
Total, all occupations
$36,200
Note: All Occupations includes all occupations in the U.S. Economy. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics