Substance Abuse Counselor
Substance Abuse & Mental Health Counselors
SOC 21-1018
How Much Does a Substance Abuse Counselor Make?
The national median salary for a Substance Abuse Counselor is $59,190 per year ($28.46/hour), according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2024 data).
That's 10% below the national median salary of $65,470 for all occupations.
How to Become a Substance Abuse Counselor
Bachelor's min, master's preferred. Supervised clinical hours required.
State licensure REQUIRED; CADC, LPC, or equivalent
Substance Abuse Counselor Job Outlook
Much faster than avg — the BLS projects 17% growth from 2024 to 2034.
That's significantly faster than the average across all occupations (4%).
About 43,600 positions are expected to open annually, from both new roles and replacement needs.
Mental health crisis; opioid epidemic; expanded insurance
What It's Like to Work as a Substance Abuse Counselor
This is primarily desk-based or low-physical-effort work.
Some employers offer remote or hybrid arrangements.
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Career data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024-34 projections (released August 2025). Salary data: BLS OEWS May 2024.
View on BLS.gov