Insights / Behavioral health pay versus the U.S. median / Massachusetts
Behavioral health pay in Massachusetts
A Massachusetts director called about $76.4K generous, then Massachusetts lost the social worker finalist.
Massachusetts healthcare social workers sit 13% above the national median right now. Massachusetts offers pasted from about $67.9K will look thin beside local candidates today.
Massachusetts psychiatric technicians still earn about $52.0K, 15% above the national median.
Massachusetts employs 7,220 healthcare social workers in the Massachusetts bench you actually hire from.
Each occupation
1Healthcare Social Workers
- State median
- $76,440
- 75th percentile
- $92,110
- U.S. median
- $67,880
- State vs U.S.
- 1.13
- State employment
- 7,220
2Marriage and Family Therapists
- State median
- $67,370
- 75th percentile
- $90,980
- U.S. median
- $66,940
- State vs U.S.
- 1.01
- State employment
- 600
3Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers
- State median
- $62,500
- 75th percentile
- $78,750
- U.S. median
- $60,280
- State vs U.S.
- 1.04
- State employment
- 7,440
4Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors
- State median
- $59,890
- 75th percentile
- $76,950
- U.S. median
- $59,350
- State vs U.S.
- 1.01
- State employment
- 18,190
5Health Education Specialists
- State median
- $57,510
- 75th percentile
- $85,740
- U.S. median
- $64,070
- State vs U.S.
- 0.90
- State employment
- 2,420
6Community Health Workers
- State median
- $55,560
- 75th percentile
- $61,520
- U.S. median
- $51,850
- State vs U.S.
- 1.07
- State employment
- 2,970
7Psychiatric Technicians
- State median
- $52,000
- 75th percentile
- $59,610
- U.S. median
- $45,130
- State vs U.S.
- 1.15
- State employment
- 5,340
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 | $76,440 | $92,110 | $67,880 | 1.13 | 7,220 |
| 2 | Marriage and Family Therapists | $67,370 | $90,980 | $66,940 | 1.01 | 600 |
| 3 | Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers | $62,500 | $78,750 | $60,280 | 1.04 | 7,440 |
| 4 | Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors | $59,890 | $76,950 | $59,350 | 1.01 | 18,190 |
| 5 | Health Education Specialists | $57,510 | $85,740 | $64,070 | 0.90 | 2,420 |
| 6 | Community Health Workers | $55,560 | $61,520 | $51,850 | 1.07 | 2,970 |
| 7 | Psychiatric Technicians | $52,000 | $59,610 | $45,130 | 1.15 | 5,340 |
Takeaways
- Massachusetts stretch pay for social workers reaches about $92.1K, so quote that Massachusetts figure in intake.
- Massachusetts psychiatric technicians number 5,340, and that Massachusetts bench is not a token crew.
- Massachusetts health education specialists sit 10% under the national median, a Massachusetts exception on this sheet.
- Massachusetts community health workers sit 7% above the national median on about $55.6K pay.
For recruiters
- Massachusetts, mention about $59.6K when Massachusetts technician stretch pay comes up in Massachusetts intake.
- Massachusetts, add the 18,190 behavioral counselor count when Massachusetts panels doubt the bench.
- Total the Massachusetts wage in the Hiring Pack.
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 Massachusetts 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. Massachusetts is 12 of 51. A row links to the Massachusetts 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: $76,440 is stated as about $76.4K. $67,880 is stated as about $67.9K. a comparison of 1.13 is stated as 13 percent. $92,110 is stated as about $92.1K. $52,000 is stated as about $52.0K. a comparison of 1.15 is stated as 15 percent. $45,130 is stated as about $45.1K. Rounded figures in the prose: a comparison of 0.90 is stated as 10 percent. $55,560 is stated as about $55.6K. $59,610 is stated as about $59.6K.
Sources
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