Based on the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data — updated September 10, 2026.
| California | National | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual salary | $86,500 | $67,290 | +29% |
| Median hourly wage | $41.59 | $32.35 | +29% |
Adjusted for local price levels (100 = national average), the cost-adjusted median is $78,139.
| City | Median | Entry Level | Experienced | Cost of Living |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City-level data coming soon. | ||||
The median annual salary for a School Counselor in California is $86,500, or about $41.59 per hour, according to BLS OEWS data.
The national median for School Counselors is $67,290. California is +29% above the national median.
Entry-level school counselors in California typically earn from varies by experience depending on the city and employer.
With 45,140 school counselor jobs on record and a median salary of $86,500, California offers above-average pay compared to the rest of the country.
By median annual wage, school counselors rank 270 of the 793 occupations reported in California — higher than 66% of them.
Among occupations in the same job family, Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists at $103,640, Healthcare Social Workers at $89,660, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers at $79,000 — all figures are median annual wages for California.
No. Every figure on this page is a gross (pre-tax) wage. California levies a state income tax, so take-home pay is lower than the gross figures shown here. The state's cost of living index is 145.0 (100 = national average).
By median annual wage, school counselors rank 270 of the 793 occupations reported in California — higher than 66% of them.
| Occupation in the same job family | Median in California | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists | $103,640 | $13,900 |
| Healthcare Social Workers | $89,660 | $17,690 |
| Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers | $79,000 | $19,860 |
| Clergy | $77,710 | $7,110 |
| Marriage and Family Therapists | $67,300 | $34,970 |
| Child, Family, and School Social Workers | $65,200 | $60,310 |
California levies a state income tax, so take-home pay is lower than the gross figures shown here. The state's cost of living index is 145.0 (100 = national average).
Ranking and comparison figures come from the same BLS OEWS release as the rest of this page, which covers 793 occupations in California.