Rehabilitation Counselor Salary Guide: How Much Do Rehab Counselors Make?
- Rehab counselors earned a median annual salary of $46,110 as of May 2023.
- Location, education, and experience can impact your earning potential.
- To maximize your earning power, consider optional professional licensure or certifications.
Rehabilitation or rehab counselors help people with disabilities navigate occupational and professional challenges. These professionals play an important role in helping clients improve their quality of life.
This guide explores salary trends for rehab counselors. Use it to research the returns you could earn on the time and money you invest in becoming one.
What Does a Rehabilitation Counselor Do?
Rehab counselors typically:
- Lead counseling sessions
- Create personalized rehabilitation plans
- Provide client referrals to additional services
To become a rehab counselor, you typically need a bachelor’s or master’s degree. If you provide counseling services, you will likely need to obtain a license in your state of practice.
How Much Does a Rehabilitation Counselor Make?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported a median annual salary of $46,110 for rehab counselors in May 2024. Their salaries ranged from $31,390 to $73,710. Factors that affect earning potential include location, experience, education level, and professional reputation.
Location can have an especially strong impact on the salary you could earn as a rehab counselor. Explore the sections below for further details.
Rehabilitation Counselor Salary Overview
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10% | $31,390 |
| 25% | $36,440 |
| 50% | $44,040 |
| 75% | $56,610 |
| 90% | $73,710 |
$23.28
Median Hourly Wage
+1%
Job Growth
91,900
Total Employment
Rehabilitation Counselor Salary by State
| State⇅ | Annual Mean Wage⇅ |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $54,300 |
| Alaska | $78,670 |
| Arizona | $47,230 |
| Arkansas | $36,120 |
| California | $49,520 |
| Colorado | $54,840 |
| Connecticut | $57,270 |
| Delaware | $46,140 |
| District of Columbia | $72,400 |
| Florida | $54,670 |
Source: BLS, May 2024
Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Rehabilitation Counselors
Rehab counselors earn higher pay in certain states and cities, ranging from about $70,000 to $80,000 in average annual salary. Some of the top-paying areas for rehab counselors are Alaska’s nonmetro areas, New Orleans, LA, and Anchorage, AK.
| Metro or Nonmetro Area | Annual Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Alaska nonmetropolitan area | $80,210 |
| New Orleans-Metairie, LA | $79,180 |
| Anchorage, AK | $73,240 |
| Reno, NV | $71,260 |
| Killeen-Temple, TX | $69,830 |
Jobs Similar to Rehabilitation Counselor
Rehabilitation Counselor Benefits
Rehab counselors can have a profound and positive influence on their clients’ lives, which can make it a fulfilling career. A peer-reviewed 2024 study found that rehab counselors report higher levels of overall career satisfaction than nurses.
As a rehabilitation counselor, you can help people living with disabilities to manage and overcome the challenges they often face, such as a lack of access to resources, poverty, or unemployment. In addition to social impact, rehab counselors can benefit from:
- Working with diverse population groups
- Completing varied and challenging daily duties
- Educating clients and their family members
- Seeing the results of their rehabilitation plans
Factors That Impact Rehabilitation Counselor Salary
Education
To become a rehab counselor, you typically need a bachelor’s or master’s degree. You can save time and money by entering the workforce after completing your bachelor’s degree, but your scope of duties and advancement potential may be limited.
With a master’s degree, you can pursue a state counseling license and career paths with a wider scope of duties. Graduate programs provide advanced training and typically include experiential learning opportunities that you may be able to apply toward your licensure requirements.
Licensure and Certification
If you provide counseling services as a rehab counselor, you will need to obtain a license in your state of practice. Licensing requirements vary by state, but typically include:
- A master’s degree in counseling
- Supervised clinical experience
- Passing scores on one or more counseling examinations
- Continuing professional education (CPE) after receiving your initial license
Employers may prefer that you obtain a national certification, such as the certified rehabilitation counselor (CRC) credential from the Commission on Certified Counselor Rehabilitation (CRCC). National certification can deliver additional benefits, such as:
- Enhanced professional credibility
- Access to advanced CPE resources, leadership roles, and professional networking opportunities
- Improved interstate mobility
Professional certification also reinforces your commitment to your career path, inspiring higher levels of confidence in both clients and employers.
Experience
As in other fields, rehab counselors tend to earn more as they gain experience. According to Payscale data from October 2025, early-career rehab counselors made $42,000 on average, while experienced professionals late in their career earned $66,500.
| Experience Level | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Entry Level (0-1 years of experience) | $42,000 |
| Early Career (1-4 years of experience) | $49,915 |
| Mid-Career (5-9 years of experience) | $54,256 |
| Experienced (10-19 years of experience) | $51,144 |
| Late Career (20 or more years of experience) | $66,500 |
Experience can correlate with higher earnings for several reasons:
- The longer you work, the more time you have to build a strong reputation and attract clients through word of mouth.
- Your deeper professional insights translate into better results for your clients, which supports your continued advancement.
- Employers tend to pay a premium for experienced counselors, since they have a longer record of professional accomplishment.
Cost of Living
Employers often adjust their salary offers according to local living costs. This practice is known as a cost-of-living adjustment or location-based pay policy. Some of highest-paying states for rehab counselors include Alaska, Washington, and North Dakota, where average annual salaries range from about $61,500-$77,700, according to May 2024 BLS data:
| State | Average Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Alaska | $78,670 |
| Washington | $62,940 |
| North Dakota | $61,530 |
| Rhode Island | $61,430 |
| Louisiana | $58,040 |
Alaska, Washington, and Rhode Island all ranked in the upper half of the country for local living costs, according to data analyzed by the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center in the second quarter of 2025. In comparison, living in North Dakota and Louisiana is much more affordable, so your salary can go farther in these states.
When researching local living costs, remember to factor in the costs of your licensing, renewals, professional association membership fees, and CPE coursework.
Frequently Asked Questions
A rehabilitation counselor is a licensed professional who helps people with disabilities overcome personal challenges and occupational limitations. The role typically requires a bachelor’s or a master’s degree in counseling or a closely related field.
