Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors pay in California

In California, the median pay for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors is $28.48 an hour ($59,250 a year). About 75,610 people work in this job there.

$28.48Median hourly pay

$47,640–$80,570Middle half of workers, yearly

75,610People in this job in California

That is about the same as the U.S. median ($59,350). California ranks 30th of 51 states and territories for this job’s median pay.

Pay range for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors in California

Earns more than	Hourly	Yearly
10% of workers	$21.46	$44,640
25% of workers	$22.91	$47,640
Half of workers (median)	$28.48	$59,250
75% of workers	$38.74	$80,570
90% of workers	$53.40	$111,080

Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors pay in California metro areas

Metro area	Median yearly pay	People in this job
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles	$80,770	350
Salinas	$73,940	620
El Centro	$73,620	220
Hanford-Corcoran	$72,960	190
Stockton-Lodi	$72,770	1,260
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara	$72,550	2,550
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont	$68,400	9,520
Vallejo	$66,940	670
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura	$64,910	1,330
Santa Rosa-Petaluma	$63,980	870
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara	$63,010	860
Chico	$62,780	380
Modesto	$62,700	1,390
Napa	$62,580	240
Visalia	$62,500	710
Yuba City	$62,030	270
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom	$61,050	4,360
Merced	$60,780	420
Fresno	$59,790	2,150
Bakersfield-Delano	$59,620	1,730
Santa Cruz-Watsonville	$58,790	530
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario	$57,880	6,980
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad	$57,660	6,500
Redding	$56,340	350
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim	$51,910	26,960

California unemployment rate: 5.1% (August 2026), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Education, experience and outlook for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors

Typical education to start: Master's degree (BLS)
Training on the job: Internship/residency (BLS)
Job outlook: +18.4% over ten years, much faster than average · about 50,500 openings a year (BLS)

Related jobs in California

Job	Median yearly pay
Child, Family, and School Social Workers	$65,200
Social and Human Service Assistants	$51,090
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors	$86,500
Marriage and Family Therapists	$67,300
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers	$79,000
Healthcare Social Workers	$89,660
Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other	$58,770
Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists	$103,640

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Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates. Figures are for wage and salary workers and do not include the self-employed. The median is the middle wage: half earn more, half earn less. Other job titles: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.