2023 Substance Abuse Counselors Salary Report

2023 Salary Report for Substance Abuse Counselors

The average salary for Substance Abuse Counselors is $53,490. The three states that pay Substance Abuse Counselors the most are Utah ($66,190), Alaska ($65,090) and District of Columbia ($64,920).

When adjusted for cost-of-living, the states that pay Substance Abuse Counselors the highest average annual salary are Utah ($69,440), Wyoming ($67,028) and New Mexico ($66,310).

When adjusted for cost-of-living the three states that pay Substance Abuse Counselors the least are Louisiana ($43,108), Tennessee ($45,806) and New Hampshire ($45,907).

The following table shows the average yearly salary for Substance Abuse Counselors in each state and the average yearly salary after being adjusted for the cost-of-living (COLA) in that state.

The three states with the highest positive cost-of-living gap are Mississippi ($5,962), Arkansas ($5,863) and West Virginia ($5,683).

State	Salary	COLA	Gap
Utah	$66,190	$69,440	$3,250
Alaska	$65,090	$63,047	-$2,043
District of Columbia	$64,920	$58,245	-$6,675
Rhode Island	$64,640	$63,466	-$1,174
New Jersey	$63,430	$57,062	-$6,368
Wyoming	$61,840	$67,028	$5,188
Hawaii	$61,410	$54,835	-$6,575
New Mexico	$60,720	$66,310	$5,590
Oregon	$59,910	$58,380	-$1,530
North Dakota	$59,880	$65,059	$5,179
Nevada	$59,840	$61,653	$1,813
California	$59,790	$54,167	-$5,623
Maine	$57,940	$59,868	$1,928
Colorado	$57,900	$56,285	-$1,615
Maryland	$56,700	$53,254	-$3,446
Washington	$56,500	$52,627	-$3,873
Connecticut	$56,230	$54,360	-$1,870
New York	$56,050	$50,857	-$5,193
Massachusetts	$55,160	$51,340	-$3,820
Arizona	$54,190	$54,699	$509
Idaho	$53,630	$58,805	$5,175
Nebraska	$53,360	$57,444	$4,084
Virginia	$53,210	$52,694	-$516
Minnesota	$53,210	$53,955	$745
North Carolina	$52,850	$57,546	$4,696
Michigan	$52,670	$56,008	$3,338
Illinois	$52,480	$52,229	-$251
Wisconsin	$52,010	$55,811	$3,801
Iowa	$51,570	$56,639	$5,069
Ohio	$51,110	$55,742	$4,632
Oklahoma	$50,270	$55,048	$4,778
Florida	$50,010	$49,657	-$353
Texas	$49,510	$49,739	$229
Pennsylvania	$49,480	$50,718	$1,238
Kansas	$49,210	$53,281	$4,071
Vermont	$48,890	$49,210	$320
Indiana	$48,760	$52,714	$3,954
Arkansas	$48,320	$54,183	$5,863
Delaware	$47,950	$48,994	$1,044
New Hampshire	$47,610	$45,907	-$1,703
Georgia	$45,740	$48,382	$2,642
Montana	$45,490	$49,210	$3,720
South Dakota	$45,410	$49,618	$4,208
Kentucky	$45,310	$50,468	$5,158
South Carolina	$44,250	$48,282	$4,032
Missouri	$43,270	$46,783	$3,513
Alabama	$43,250	$48,459	$5,209
Mississippi	$42,830	$48,792	$5,962
Tennessee	$42,210	$45,806	$3,596
West Virginia	$41,520	$47,203	$5,683
Louisiana	$39,970	$43,108	$3,138

Salary Range by Education and Experience

About 50% of Substance Abuse Counselors in the United States earn between $38,520 and $61,660 with an experience level that ranges between 5 to 14 years.

About 10% of Substance Abuse Counselors in the U.S. earn more than $77,980, a rate for highly educated and experienced Substance Abuse Counselors.

Approximately 10% of Substance Abuse Counselors in the United States earn under $30,870, a rate generally reserved for less experienced or entry level Substance Abuse Counselors.

%	Years	Employed	Annual Salary
10%	Less than a Year	31,088	Under $30,870
15%	2 – 4 years	46,632	$30,870 – $38,520
25%	5 – 9 years	77,720	$38,520 – $48,520
25%	10 – 14 years	77,720	$48,520 – $61,660
15%	15 – 20 years	46,632	$61,660 – $77,980
10%	20+ years	31,088	Above $77,980

Salary Compared to Related Professions

With an average annual salary of $53,490, Substance Abuse Counselors in the United States tend to earn less than Industrial Organizational Psychologists ($113,320), Clinical and Counseling Psychologists ($99,640), Forensic Psychologists ($98,010), Psychology Teachers ($88,390), School Psychologists ($82,770), Health Care Social Workers ($62,310), Marriage and Family Therapists ($59,660), and Social Workers ($54,880).

Title	Annual Salary
Industrial Organizational Psychologists	$113,320
Clinical and Counseling Psychologists	$99,640
Forensic Psychologists	$98,010
Psychology Teachers	$88,390
School Psychologists	$82,770
Health Care Social Workers	$62,310
Marriage and Family Therapists	$59,660
Social Workers	$54,880
Substance Abuse Counselors	$53,490

State-by-State Demand for Substance Abuse Counselors in 2030

The U.S. Department of Labor projects that by the year 2030, the total demand for Substance Abuse Counselors will be 402,600 with an average yearly openings of 41,000.

The three states needing the most Substance Abuse Counselors are California (43,500), Washington (34,160) and Pennsylvania (27,640).

The three states needing the highest percentage of new Substance Abuse Counselors are Arizona (54.2%), Utah (37.2%) and Colorado (35.7%).

In the table below, find the states, sorted from highest to lowest, with the highest demand for Substance Abuse Counselors in 2030.

State	2020	2030	% Change	Yearly Openings
California	37,100	43,500	17.3%	4,330
Washington	27,760	34,160	23.1%	4,100
Pennsylvania	23,260	27,640	18.8%	2,770
New York	19,230	25,650	33.4%	2,700
Florida	16,710	21,300	27.5%	2,200
Massachusetts	17,680	20,610	16.6%	2,050
Texas	14,010	17,960	28.2%	1,860
Virginia	14,170	16,930	19.5%	1,700
Illinois	12,550	14,790	17.8%	1,480
New Jersey	10,680	13,020	21.9%	1,320
Colorado	9,060	12,290	35.7%	1,260
North Carolina	9,370	11,610	23.9%	1,190
Ohio	9,220	11,140	20.8%	1,130
Arizona	6,840	10,550	54.2%	1,170
Michigan	8,340	10,120	21.3%	1,020
Minnesota	8,130	9,990	22.9%	1,020
Indiana	7,000	8,500	21.4%	860
Georgia	6,270	8,290	32.2%	870
Oregon	6,260	7,940	26.8%	790
Maryland	6,320	7,790	23.3%	800
Wisconsin	6,440	7,630	18.5%	770
Missouri	5,360	6,100	13.8%	600
Connecticut	4,990	5,970	19.6%	600
Utah	3,930	5,390	37.2%	570
Kentucky	4,100	5,160	25.9%	530
Oklahoma	4,130	5,160	24.9%	530
Tennessee	3,660	4,940	35%	520
Louisiana	4,080	4,540	11.3%	440
Iowa	3,180	4,160	30.8%	430
Alabama	2,660	3,110	16.9%	310
New Hampshire	2,050	2,570	25.4%	260
Nebraska	2,060	2,480	20.4%	250
Arkansas	1,860	2,360	26.9%	240
Montana	1,870	2,350	25.7%	240
Mississippi	1,960	2,300	17.3%	230
Kansas	1,940	2,240	15.5%	220
Vermont	1,840	2,240	21.7%	230
Idaho	1,860	2,230	19.9%	220
South Carolina	1,670	2,060	23.4%	210
West Virginia	1,470	1,880	27.9%	200
New Mexico	1,550	1,840	18.7%	190
South Dakota	1,410	1,600	13.5%	160
Nevada	1,180	1,490	26.3%	150
District of Columbia	1,050	1,270	21%	130
Hawaii	1,000	1,250	25%	130
Maine	930	980	5.4%	90
North Dakota	770	920	19.5%	90
Delaware	600	810	35%	90
Rhode Island	650	800	23.1%	80
Wyoming	630	760	20.6%	80
Alaska	660	730	10.6%	70
Puerto Rico	180	230	27.8%	20
Virgin Islands	50	50	0%	10

Projected Demand for Psychology Professions to 2030

The U.S. Department of Labor projects that the three professions needing the most new psychologists in the United States by 2030 are Substance Abuse Counselors (402,600), Social Workers (377,400) and Health Care Social Workers (209,300).

The three professions needing the highest percentage of new psychologists in the United States by 2030 are Substance Abuse Counselors (22.9%), Marriage and Family Therapists (16.3%) and Health Care Social Workers (13.2%).

Title	2020	2030	Change	% Change	Avg. Yearly Openings
Social Workers	335,300	377,400	42,100	12.6%	36,700
Substance Abuse Counselors	327,500	402,600	75,100	22.9%	41,000
Health Care Social Workers	184,900	209,300	24,400	13.2%	20,400
Marriage and Family Therapists	73,200	85,100	11,900	16.3%	8,500
Forensic Psychologists	55,200	56,300	1,100	2%	3,700
Psychology Teachers	44,100	48,600	4,500	10.2%	4,700
Industrial Organizational Psychologists	4,900	5,000	100	2%	300

10 Highest-Paying Cities

The top ten cities where Substance Abuse Counselors are paid the highest average yearly salary in the United States are shown in the table below.

The top three cities with the highest Substance Abuse Counselors salary in the United States are are San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara ($74,560), Carson City ($73,200) and Reno ($71,690).

When adjusted for the cost-of-living (COLA) the three cities that pay psychologists the most in the United States are are Carson City ($76,155), St. George ($75,178) and Lewiston-Auburn ($73,961).

City / Metro	Average Yearly Salary	Cost-of-Living Adjusted
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara	$74,560	$66,500
Carson City	$73,200	$76,155
Reno	$71,690	$72,458
St. George	$70,630	$75,178
Lewiston-Auburn	$68,370	$73,961
Salt Lake City	$68,370	$69,965
Albuquerque	$66,090	$70,092
Napa	$65,860	$59,104
Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina	$65,860	$60,405
Casper	$65,740	$71,761

10 Highest-Paying Rural Areas

The top ten nonmetropolitan areas where Substance Abuse Counselors are paid the highest average annual salary in the United States are shown in the table below.

The three rural areas in the United States with the highest Substance Abuse Counselors salary are Central Utah ($67,950), Alaska ($67,530) and Hawaii / Kauai ($62,910).

When adjusted for the cost-of-living (COL) the three rural areas in the United States with the highest annual salary are Central Utah ($77,339), Northeast South Carolina ($70,328) and Arizona ($69,734).

Rural Areas	Yearly Salary	COL Adjusted
Central Utah	$67,950	$77,339
Alaska	$67,530	$66,855
Hawaii / Kauai	$62,910	$58,685
Western Wyoming	$60,600	$65,762
Eastern New Mexico	$59,390	$67,921
Northeast South Carolina	$58,970	$70,328
Eastern Utah	$58,730	$66,845
Eastern Wyoming	$58,480	$63,462
Balance of Lower Peninsula of Michigan	$58,090	$66,064
Massachusetts	$57,690	$53,068

State-by-State Substance Abuse Counselors Salary Summaries

See state-by-state summaries for the average annual salary, average hourly salary, cost-of-living adjusted salaries, current employment, 2030 projected employment, and the state’s current cost of living index.

Find links to the highest paid city reports and state salary reports.

Frequently Asked Questions About Substance Abuse Counselors Salaries

Official Data Sources for Substance Abuse Counselors: Salary Data | Projected Employment | Cost of Living Data