Pay by state · 53 areas
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor Salary by State (2026)
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors earn the most in California at $86,500 a year and the least in South Dakota at $51,830 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $64,330. The table below covers all 50 states, DC, U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $86,500California
- National median
- $64,330BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $51,830South Dakota
- Areas reporting
- 53of 54 OEWS areas
Top and bottom
Highest- and lowest-paying states for educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors
Ranked on the state median among the 50 states and DC. After cost of living, New Mexico comes out ahead instead. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.
Highest median pay
- 1California$86,500
- 2Alaska$82,900
- 3Washington$82,670
- 4District of Columbia$80,470
- 5Massachusetts$79,930
Lowest median pay
- 1South Dakota$51,830
- 2Oklahoma$52,040
- 3Florida$53,140
- 4West Virginia$55,520
- 5Iowa$56,540
All states
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CACalifornia | $86,500 | $63,910 | $119,790 | 45,140 | $78,125 |
| 2 | AKAlaska | $82,900 | $63,290 | $97,820 | 540 | $80,989 |
| 3 | WAWashington | $82,670 | $65,470 | $104,690 | 6,610 | $77,252 |
| 4 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $80,470 | $61,710 | $103,030 | 1,690 | $73,220 |
| 5 | MAMassachusetts | $79,930 | $65,810 | $100,580 | 11,460 | $75,579 |
| 6 | NJNew Jersey | $77,910 | $64,160 | $98,490 | 8,190 | $71,605 |
| 7 | NMNew Mexico | $77,880 | $54,110 | $87,190 | 1,780 | $84,458 |
| 8 | MDMaryland | $75,820 | $61,410 | $97,940 | 6,600 | $72,238 |
| 9 | RIRhode Island | $75,000 | $58,710 | $90,080 | 1,340 | $73,328 |
| 10 | DEDelaware | $74,070 | $59,700 | $88,900 | 1,700 | $74,212 |
| 11 | CTConnecticut | $73,910 | $56,820 | $95,940 | 3,370 | $71,335 |
| 12 | NYNew York | $71,610 | $57,550 | $93,540 | 23,380 | $66,354 |
| 13 | NHNew Hampshire | $71,080 | $57,090 | $82,500 | 1,650 | $68,238 |
| 14 | TXTexas | $67,900 | $49,770 | $82,460 | 31,730 | $69,959 |
| 15 | VAVirginia | $67,660 | $55,880 | $83,440 | 9,450 | $66,921 |
| 16 | NVNevada | $66,710 | $56,270 | $86,640 | 2,250 | $66,724 |
| 17 | OROregon | $66,690 | $59,130 | $94,430 | 3,990 | $64,521 |
| 18 | COColorado | $64,780 | $57,640 | $78,420 | 6,530 | $62,861 |
| 19 | MNMinnesota | $64,600 | $57,390 | $78,100 | 4,200 | $65,503 |
| 20 | VTVermont | $64,570 | $57,720 | $78,800 | 1,120 | $65,916 |
| 21 | KYKentucky | $64,350 | $49,080 | $78,580 | 5,030 | $71,374 |
| 22 | GAGeorgia | $63,720 | $49,000 | $79,140 | 11,460 | $66,173 |
| 23 | WYWyoming | $63,430 | $57,730 | $74,840 | 770 | $68,432 |
| 24 | WIWisconsin | $62,690 | $54,010 | $77,080 | 5,330 | $66,624 |
| 25 | NENebraska | $62,500 | $48,380 | $80,180 | 2,190 | $69,365 |
| 26 | VIU.S. Virgin Islands | $62,470 | $48,600 | $68,240 | 90 | N/A |
| 27 | ILIllinois | $62,420 | $49,720 | $82,890 | 13,580 | $62,446 |
| 28 | LALouisiana | $61,870 | $50,770 | $75,030 | 4,820 | $70,142 |
| 29 | OHOhio | $61,760 | $48,660 | $80,120 | 13,250 | $66,570 |
| 30 | HIHawaii | $61,730 | $51,600 | $88,140 | 1,620 | $56,143 |
| 31 | UTUtah | $61,320 | $48,660 | $80,610 | 4,070 | $62,025 |
| 32 | PAPennsylvania | $60,880 | $51,160 | $78,460 | 13,570 | $62,395 |
| 33 | SCSouth Carolina | $60,340 | $47,970 | $75,780 | 6,460 | $64,363 |
| 34 | IDIdaho | $60,320 | $51,060 | $72,680 | 1,990 | $63,166 |
| 35 | TNTennessee | $59,960 | $48,460 | $69,820 | 6,470 | $65,266 |
| 36 | ARArkansas | $59,770 | $46,610 | $67,570 | 2,310 | $68,751 |
| 37 | ALAlabama | $59,570 | $45,590 | $73,450 | 4,410 | $67,066 |
| 38 | MIMichigan | $59,440 | $47,290 | $75,870 | 9,170 | $61,777 |
| 39 | INIndiana | $59,260 | $47,700 | $71,860 | 5,610 | $63,496 |
| 40 | NDNorth Dakota | $58,960 | $49,870 | $73,860 | 840 | $66,278 |
| 41 | MSMississippi | $58,710 | $46,430 | $66,220 | 2,620 | $67,519 |
| 42 | MEMaine | $58,630 | $49,270 | $74,330 | 1,780 | $60,412 |
| 43 | AZArizona | $58,250 | $49,590 | $68,390 | 7,330 | $57,858 |
| 44 | MOMissouri | $58,040 | $47,620 | $65,150 | 8,890 | $63,909 |
| 45 | MTMontana | $57,900 | $46,630 | $79,440 | 890 | $61,176 |
| 46 | NCNorth Carolina | $57,630 | $46,820 | $63,460 | 9,430 | $61,097 |
| 47 | KSKansas | $56,590 | $48,150 | $67,150 | 3,100 | $62,830 |
| 48 | IAIowa | $56,540 | $48,310 | $65,820 | 3,690 | $64,424 |
| 49 | WVWest Virginia | $55,520 | $44,700 | $62,220 | 1,260 | $62,036 |
| 50 | FLFlorida | $53,140 | $46,800 | $66,800 | 22,800 | $51,386 |
| 51 | PRPuerto Rico | $53,000 | $35,020 | $61,090 | 1,050 | N/A |
| 52 | OKOklahoma | $52,040 | $45,980 | $64,430 | 4,830 | $59,242 |
| 53 | SDSouth Dakota | $51,830 | $46,550 | $60,080 | 1,000 | $58,508 |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors, that changes the ranking: California leads on raw pay at $86,500, while New Mexico leads once prices are taken into account at $84,458.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors the most?
California reports the highest median wage for educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors at $86,500 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Alaska ($82,900) and Washington ($82,670).
Which state pays educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors the least?
Among the 50 states and DC, South Dakota reports the lowest median for educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors at $51,830 a year, $34,670 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Among the territories, U.S. Virgin Islands reports $62,470 and Puerto Rico reports $53,000.
Is the highest-paying state the best for educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors after cost of living?
Not on this data. California pays the most on paper ($86,500) but ranks 3rd of 51 once each median is divided by the state's BEA Regional Price Parity ($78,125). New Mexico leads after that adjustment at $84,458, from a raw median of $77,880. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.