Insights / Behavioral health pay versus the U.S. median / New Jersey
Behavioral health pay in New Jersey
New Jersey counselors, the big behavioral bench, are barely above the country. The therapist median is a different license.
The approval form said New Jersey behavioral pay runs hot, and the only figure on the form was marriage and family therapists.
Those therapists have a median of $92,150 against $66,940 nationally, 1.38 times the country, with 4,040 employed.
Their 75th percentile is $101,090.
Real money, and a modest headcount.
Substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors number 14,210.
Their median is $62,820 against $59,350 nationally, 1.06 times the country.
If that is the req, the therapist figure will make a fair counselor offer look low.
It is not low.
It is a different occupation.
Each occupation
1Marriage and Family Therapists
- State median
- $92,150
- 75th percentile
- $101,090
- U.S. median
- $66,940
- State vs U.S.
- 1.38
- State employment
- 4,040
2Healthcare Social Workers
- State median
- $82,690
- 75th percentile
- $99,530
- U.S. median
- $67,880
- State vs U.S.
- 1.22
- State employment
- 4,310
3Health Education Specialists
- State median
- $73,740
- 75th percentile
- $115,420
- U.S. median
- $64,070
- State vs U.S.
- 1.15
- State employment
- 1,420
4Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers
- State median
- $66,590
- 75th percentile
- $84,700
- U.S. median
- $60,280
- State vs U.S.
- 1.10
- State employment
- 2,420
5Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors
- State median
- $62,820
- 75th percentile
- $81,900
- U.S. median
- $59,350
- State vs U.S.
- 1.06
- State employment
- 14,210
6Community Health Workers
- State median
- $55,790
- 75th percentile
- $65,470
- U.S. median
- $51,850
- State vs U.S.
- 1.08
- State employment
- 1,330
7Psychiatric Technicians
- State median
- $54,040
- 75th percentile
- $60,610
- U.S. median
- $45,130
- State vs U.S.
- 1.20
- State employment
- 2,520
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 | Marriage and Family Therapists | $92,150 | $101,090 | $66,940 | 1.38 | 4,040 |
| 2 | Healthcare Social Workers | $82,690 | $99,530 | $67,880 | 1.22 | 4,310 |
| 3 | Health Education Specialists | $73,740 | $115,420 | $64,070 | 1.15 | 1,420 |
| 4 | Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers | $66,590 | $84,700 | $60,280 | 1.10 | 2,420 |
| 5 | Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors | $62,820 | $81,900 | $59,350 | 1.06 | 14,210 |
| 6 | Community Health Workers | $55,790 | $65,470 | $51,850 | 1.08 | 1,330 |
| 7 | Psychiatric Technicians | $54,040 | $60,610 | $45,130 | 1.20 | 2,520 |
Takeaways
- Health education specialists have a median of $73,740 and a 75th percentile of $115,420. The upper quarter is the surprise on that row.
- Healthcare social workers are at $82,690 with 4,310 employed.
- Psychiatric technicians are at $54,040 against $45,130 nationally, across 2,520 jobs.
- New Jersey is 5 of 51 on the healthcare-social-worker sort. The sort is not a counselor rank.
For recruiters
- Ask for the license before you let the therapist median into the draft.
- For counselors, start at their median and decide whether the 75th percentile of $81,900 is in the budget.
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 New Jersey 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. New Jersey is 5 of 51. A row links to the New Jersey 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: $92,150 is stated as about $92.2K. $66,940 is stated as about $66.9K. a comparison of 1.38 is stated as 38 percent. $101,090 is stated as about $101.1K. $54,040 is stated as about $54.0K. a comparison of 1.20 is stated as 20 percent. $45,130 is stated as about $45.1K. Rounded figures in the prose: $82,690 is stated as about $82.7K. a comparison of 1.22 is stated as 22 percent.
Sources
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