Guidance Counselor

October 30, 2016

Guidance Counselor Job Description

Guidance counselors, sometimes also called educational counselors and school counselors, refer to counselors who advocate for a child’s academic career as well as all of his or her personal and social successes. From universities to elementary schools, guidance counselors provide both mentoring and advice on all topics from career options to relationships. Depending on a counselor’s educaion level, he may work in helping students enhance social skills, study abilities or identify career goals. Individuals who are intereted in the field of guidance counseling must have a high personal integrity level and a strong desire for others to succeed.

Guidance Counselor Salary Statistics as of 2015

Average annual salary for a Guidance Counselor is $43592 based on statistics in the U.S. as of 2015. The highest salary recorded was $67836. The lowest salary reported was $28772. These figures will vary on a state to state basis as these are averages across all 50 states.

Median hourly wage for a Guidance Counselor is $17.545 based on statistics in the U.S. as of 2015. The highest hourly rate recorded was $20.35. The lowest hourly rate recorded was $14.74. These figures will vary on a state to state basis as these are averages across all 50 states.

Bonuses for a Guidance Counselor are based on the years of experience using statistics from the U.S. as of 2015. The average bonus recorded was $0 from people with 15+ years of experience. The average bonus recorded was $0 from people with under 1 year of experience.

These are the highest paying states for a Guidance Counselor. These numbers are based of the median annual salary as of 2015.
Florida – $39,500 – $58,500
Georgia – n/a
Illinois – $39,663 – $78,611
Massachusetts – $30,201 – $73,504
New Jersey – $44,219 – $61,042
New York – $34,184 – $54,500
Ohio – $33,417 – $49,774

These are the highest paying cities for a Guidance Counselor. These numbers are based of the median annual salary as of 2015.
Chicago, Illinois –
Jacksonville, Florida –
Miami, Florida –
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma –
Cleveland, Ohio –

This chart outlines the average annual salary of a Guidance Counselor from the past 5 years. In 2015 the average annual salary was $43592 while in 2007 it was just $40426.46

Job Outlook

There are well over 280,000 guidance counselors employed and working in educational institutions such colleges, universities, elementary and secondary in the United States and this number is expected to increase to more than 334,000 by 2015.

Guidance counselors throughout the United States enjoy the benefits that are associated with being a vital part of future in education. As the pressure to meet school standards increases, counselors play a major part in curriculum creation, program designs and the continuing educaton of teachers and staff. Most guidance counselors work 9 or 10-month year during school and two or three months taken off during the summer. During periods of student recruitment, college guidance counselors may work longer or irreguler hours for planning and placement activities.

Gender Statistics

Related Jobs

25%

75%

Based on our stats gathered across the U.S. 25% of Guidance Counselors were males while 75% were females. These numbers are based on averages across all states combined. Some individual states may have a much different ratio however.

Past Jobs

Administrative Assistant
$21,320 – $43,567
Elementary School Teacher
$25,423 – $60,516
Secondary School Teacher
$27,692 – $61,780

Future Jobs

Guidance Counselor, Secondary School
$30,801 – $69,369
School Counselor
$29,011 – $61,260
Guidance Counselor, Elementary School
$29,727 – $63,327