Designed to help counselors who are moving or relocating to Seattle or Washington State or those new to the counseling profession obtain wage and salary information.

Question: I know that salary surveys are often conducted by industry and government. Do you know of a compensation study that has been done recently that would show the range of wages or salaries for counselors (mental health counselors, marriage & family counselors, and clinical social workers) in Washington State?

It is normal to be concerned about the pay, wages, earnings or compensation for work in the career field of your choice.  The major shortcoming of the following information is that it usually gives either a "mean" (average) or "median" (middle) salary figure for a category which may not reflect local salaries.  Fortunately, some of the categories below include an "entry salary."

National (US) Information.                 Washington State Information.

National Compensation Survey: Occupational Wages in the
United States, June 2006--see page 7 of this pdf document for counselor and social work salaries.

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Occupational Outlook Handbook
US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics
for Counselors, Social Workers & Psychologists

Each category below, presents an overview of the nature of the work, working conditions, training and advancement, employment, job outlook and 2005 report of earnings as of May 2004:

     Counselors

     Social Workers

     Psychologists

May 2005 average (mean) Washington State hourly wage and annual wages by category.

The American Counseling Association (ACA) Job Center has a tool called "the CB (Career Builder) Salary Calculator.  The data provided are continuously updated to ensure users have the hishest quality and most current salary information on the Internet.  ACA members have access to real-time pay data that matches the companies, positions and job profiles of employees and employers across the globe...."  ACA members must log in to access the information--others will need to find an ACA member to help them.

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Location: Washington State, 2003
BLS OES Wage Survey

Occupation: Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors
Occupation Code: 211011

Level	Annual Wage or Salary
Entry	$ 22,312
Experienced	$ 34,430
Mean (average)	$ 30,391
Median (middle)	$ 29,416

    

Occupation: Child, Family, and School Social Workers
Occupation Code: 211021

Level	Annual Wage or Salary
Entry	$ 23,955
Experienced	$ 43,602
Mean (average)	$ 39,066
Median (middle)	$ 37,362

    

Occupation: Mental Health Counselors 
Occupation Code: 211014

Level	Annual Wage or Salary
Entry	$ 29,995
Experienced	$ 43,602
Mean (average)	$ 39,066
Median (middle)	$ 37,362

    

[Many thanks to Mary Schaff at the Washington State Library.]
 

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This is an ongoing project.
If you have more information or know of a good source,
Please contact me.

Floyd Else, Webmaster

This document is Copyrighted© 2005 by CounselingSeattle.com, Floyd Else, Webmaster, and may not be reproduced, in whole or in part without crediting the author, source and site name. All rights reserved.

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If you notice any errors or omissions in this material or have any counselor-related questions that are not covered here, please let me know and I will make corrections or try to locate the information and post the answers.  Your help is appreciated.  

Floyd Else, MA, LMHC, NCC, MAC, Webmaster

 

             

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