Insights / Behavioral health pay versus the U.S. median / Hawaii
Behavioral health pay in Hawaii
A Hawaii counselor req priced off marriage and family therapists will miss the people who actually do the work.
The counselor posting went out with a marriage and family therapist wage on it, and the hiring manager called that competitive.
Marriage and family therapists in Hawaii have a median of $141,960, against $66,940 for the same occupation nationally, which is 2.12 times the country. The state employs 220 of them. The 75th percentile is $166,400. That is a small, highly paid license.
Substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors are the jobs you are more likely to be filling. Their median is $60,090, against $59,350 nationally, across 2,110 workers. Write the counselor offer from that row. The therapist figure will make a modest counselor wage look broken when it is not.
Ranked table
| Rank | Occupation | State median | 75th percentile | U.S. median | State vs U.S. | State employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marriage and Family Therapists | $141,960 | $166,400 | $66,940 | 2.12 | 220 |
| 2 | Healthcare Social Workers | $85,420 | $96,190 | $67,880 | 1.26 | 660 |
| 3 | Health Education Specialists | $63,740 | $73,680 | $64,070 | 0.99 | 190 |
| 4 | Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors | $60,090 | $77,200 | $59,350 | 1.01 | 2,110 |
| 5 | Community Health Workers | $58,450 | $65,630 | $51,850 | 1.13 | 240 |
| 6 | Psychiatric Technicians | $55,150 | $59,870 | $45,130 | 1.22 | 2,060 |
| 7 | Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers | $54,390 | $77,680 | $60,280 | 0.90 | unpublished |
Takeaways
- Healthcare social workers sit in between, at $85,420, with 660 employed and a 75th percentile of $96,190.
- Psychiatric technicians are a large bench here, 2,060 jobs, at $55,150 against $45,130 nationally.
- Community health workers are at $58,450, and health education specialists are at $63,740. Neither row is the therapist outlier.
- Mental health and substance abuse social workers come in at $54,390, under the national median of $60,280. One Hawaii behavioral number does not exist.
For recruiters
- Ask which license is on the req before anyone opens the top row.
- If the req is counselors, start from their median and their 75th percentile of $77,200, not from the therapist column.
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 Hawaii 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. Hawaii is 3 of 51. A row links to the Hawaii 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: $141,960 is stated as about $142.0K. $66,940 is stated as about $66.9K. a comparison of 2.12 is stated as 112 percent. $166,400 is stated as about $166.4K. $54,390 is stated as about $54.4K. a comparison of 0.90 is stated as 10 percent. $60,280 is stated as about $60.3K. Rounded figures in the prose: $85,420 is stated as about $85.4K. a comparison of 1.26 is stated as 26 percent. $63,740 is stated as about $63.7K. $55,150 is stated as about $55.2K. a comparison of 1.22 is stated as 22 percent.
Sources
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