How Much Money Does a Youth Counselor Make Yearly?
Children and young adults may struggle with a myriad of issues at school and home, including peer pressure, abuse, drugs, alcohol and depression. Youth counselors work in schools, with other organizations, or independently to help kids and teens work through these issues and focus on their future. The amount of money a youth counselor makes yearly depends on her employer and experience level.
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Yearly Salary
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Youth counselors fall into the category of educational, guidance and vocational counselors, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. They earned an average salary of $55,970 as of May 2010. The median income was $53,380, with counselors in the 10th percentile earning less than $31,630 a year and those in the 90th percentile earning more than $86,250 a year.
Employer
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Youth counselors employed by elementary and secondary schools earned an average of $62,310 yearly as of 2010, while those working for junior colleges earned an average of $56,160. Those working in colleges, universities and professional schools earned an average of $48,770, reports the bureau. In the industry of vocational rehabilitation services the average salary of a youth counselor was $39,820 a year, and in individual and family services the average was $37,580. Youth counselors working in the field of home health care services earned an average income of $65,200 annually.
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Location
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With 29,210 youth counselors working in the state, California had the highest level of these workers as of 2010 and offered a salary average of $63,110, according to the bureau. Louisiana had the highest concentration of jobs for youth counselors and offered an average of $51,660 a year. New Jersey was the highest-paying state for youth counselors with a salary average of $70,690 a year, followed by Alaska with an average of $67,530, and Maryland with an average of $64,290.
Requirements and Outlook
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Although requirements in regards to licensure vary from one state to the next, the bureau reports that a master's degree is usually required to practice as a youth counselor. Job opportunities for youth counselors should increase by 14 percent between 2008 and 2018 -- a rate faster than the average rate for all jobs in the nation -- and the bureau reports that those working in schools are getting more involved in crisis-preventive counseling.
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References
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