Insights / Behavioral health pay versus the U.S. median / California
Behavioral health pay in California
California's big behavioral benches pay the national median. The premium is the social-worker row.
A California behavioral req went out as if the whole state paid a coastal premium, and the counselors on the other end already had the national number.
Substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors number 75,610.
Their median is $59,250 against $59,350 nationally, 1.00 times the country.
Marriage and family therapists number 34,970 at $67,300 against $66,940, which is 1.01 times the country.
Volume, and no premium.
The social-worker row is the one that actually clears the country: $89,660 against $67,880, 1.32 times, with 17,690 employed and a 75th percentile of $118,740.
Paste that wage onto a counselor req and you will overpay the median hire while telling yourself the market demanded it.
Each occupation
1Healthcare Social Workers
- State median
- $89,660
- 75th percentile
- $118,740
- U.S. median
- $67,880
- State vs U.S.
- 1.32
- State employment
- 17,690
2Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers
- State median
- $79,000
- 75th percentile
- $118,860
- U.S. median
- $60,280
- State vs U.S.
- 1.31
- State employment
- 19,860
3Marriage and Family Therapists
- State median
- $67,300
- 75th percentile
- $98,450
- U.S. median
- $66,940
- State vs U.S.
- 1.01
- State employment
- 34,970
4Health Education Specialists
- State median
- $63,610
- 75th percentile
- $85,000
- U.S. median
- $64,070
- State vs U.S.
- 0.99
- State employment
- 12,520
5Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors
- State median
- $59,250
- 75th percentile
- $80,570
- U.S. median
- $59,350
- State vs U.S.
- 1.00
- State employment
- 75,610
6Community Health Workers
- State median
- $58,050
- 75th percentile
- $72,760
- U.S. median
- $51,850
- State vs U.S.
- 1.12
- State employment
- 9,500
7Psychiatric Technicians
- State median
- $49,140
- 75th percentile
- $74,390
- U.S. median
- $45,130
- State vs U.S.
- 1.09
- State employment
- 14,100
Ranked table
Swipe the table sideways. The same figures are in the blocks above.
| Rank | Occupation | State median | 75th percentile | U.S. median | State vs U.S. | State employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Healthcare Social Workers | $89,660 | $118,740 | $67,880 | 1.32 | 17,690 |
| 2 | Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers | $79,000 | $118,860 | $60,280 | 1.31 | 19,860 |
| 3 | Marriage and Family Therapists | $67,300 | $98,450 | $66,940 | 1.01 | 34,970 |
| 4 | Health Education Specialists | $63,610 | $85,000 | $64,070 | 0.99 | 12,520 |
| 5 | Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors | $59,250 | $80,570 | $59,350 | 1.00 | 75,610 |
| 6 | Community Health Workers | $58,050 | $72,760 | $51,850 | 1.12 | 9,500 |
| 7 | Psychiatric Technicians | $49,140 | $74,390 | $45,130 | 1.09 | 14,100 |
Takeaways
- Mental health and substance abuse social workers are at $79,000 against $60,280 nationally, with 19,860 employed and a 75th percentile of $118,860.
- Health education specialists are at $63,610 against $64,070 nationally, a hair under the country, across 12,520 jobs.
- Community health workers are at $58,050 against $51,850, with 9,500 employed. Psychiatric technicians are at $49,140 against $45,130, with 14,100 employed.
- California is 2 of 51 on the healthcare-social-worker sort. That rank describes one row, not the 75,610 counselors.
For recruiters
- When counselors are the open job, start from their median and stop borrowing the social-worker premium.
- Use the social-worker 75th percentile only when the license on the req is social work.
FAQ
- Are these posted wages or open jobs?
- No. The table is a government survey or a designation file.
- What should a recruiter do first?
- Follow the recruiter note on this page.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Related hiring pages
Methodology
Occupations are the fixed set named in the series, kept only when both the California median and the U.S. median are published. A 75th percentile or an employment count that is unpublished stays blank in the table. The article is omitted when fewer than 4 occupations qualify. OEWS May 2025. A comparison of 1.00 matches the U.S. median. Sorted by the Healthcare Social Workers state median when that occupation qualifies, otherwise by the highest median in the table. California is 2 of 51. A row links to the California metro page with the highest public market difficulty score for that occupation when one is published, and otherwise to the occupation page on the hiring grid. An unpublished percentile or employment count is shown as unpublished rather than replaced with a zero. The wages are annual OEWS figures. They are not job listings and they are not an employer's current offer. Read the comparison beside the dollar figures: a high state wage can still sit under the national median for that occupation, and a lower state wage can still sit above it. Rounded figures in the prose: $89,660 is stated as about $89.7K. $67,880 is stated as about $67.9K. a comparison of 1.32 is stated as 32 percent. $118,740 is stated as about $118.7K. $49,140 is stated as about $49.1K. a comparison of 1.09 is stated as 9 percent. $45,130 is stated as about $45.1K. Rounded figures in the prose: $58,050 is stated as about $58.1K. a comparison of 1.12 is stated as 12 percent.
Sources
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