Insights / Behavioral health pay versus the U.S. median / District of Columbia
Behavioral health pay in the District of Columbia
A hiring manager staffing Health Education Specialists in the District of Columbia should budget about $103.3K, not the national median of about $64.1K.
A hiring manager staffing Health Education Specialists in the District of Columbia should budget about $103.3K, not the national median of about $64.1K.
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors is the other the District of Columbia conversation: about $60.5K, 2% above the national median.
If the intake asks for scale, Health Education Specialists in the District of Columbia is 680 workers, with a 75th percentile of $132.6K.
Ranked table
| Rank | Occupation | State median | 75th percentile | U.S. median | State vs U.S. | State employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Health Education Specialists | $103,330 | $132,620 | $64,070 | 1.61 | 680 |
| 2 | Healthcare Social Workers | $94,100 | $107,500 | $67,880 | 1.39 | 420 |
| 3 | Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers | $73,310 | $104,170 | $60,280 | 1.22 | 510 |
| 4 | Psychiatric Technicians | $67,430 | $78,460 | $45,130 | 1.49 | 380 |
| 5 | Community Health Workers | $62,510 | $74,830 | $51,850 | 1.21 | 280 |
| 6 | Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors | $60,450 | $83,570 | $59,350 | 1.02 | 1,260 |
Takeaways
- The the District of Columbia wage to brief first is about $103.3K for Health Education Specialists.
- National pay for Health Education Specialists in the District of Columbia is about $64.1K.
- Stretch pay for Health Education Specialists in the District of Columbia is $132.6K.
- the District of Columbia closes on Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors, about $60.5K, 2% above the national median.
For recruiters
- Lead the intake with Health Education Specialists.
- Add headcount when the panel asks for scale.
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 District of Columbia 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 A 75th percentile or an employment count that is unpublished stays blank in the table.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. District of Columbia is 1 of 51. A row links to the District of Columbia 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: $103,330 is stated as about $103.3K. $64,070 is stated as about $64.1K. a comparison of 1.61 is stated as 61 percent. $132,620 is stated as about $132.6K. $60,450 is stated as about $60.5K. a comparison of 1.02 is stated as 2 percent. $59,350 is stated as about $59.4K.
Sources
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