Insights / Behavioral health pay versus the U.S. median / Oregon
Behavioral health pay in Oregon
Oregon counselors are the req you will actually post, and they are not paid like marriage and family therapists.
A director lifted the marriage and family therapist median and dropped it into a counselor approval.
Marriage and family therapists in Oregon earn a median of $91,520, against $66,940 nationally, which is 1.37 times the country. Employment is 850. The 75th percentile jumps to $138,320, so that license has a long upper tail.
Counselors are the occupation with 8,160 jobs. Their median is $74,590, against $59,350 nationally, 1.26 times the country, and the 75th percentile is $86,800. Above the country, and still far from the therapist figure that made the draft look generous.
Ranked table
| Rank | Occupation | State median | 75th percentile | U.S. median | State vs U.S. | State employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marriage and Family Therapists | $91,520 | $138,320 | $66,940 | 1.37 | 850 |
| 2 | Healthcare Social Workers | $84,350 | $101,640 | $67,880 | 1.24 | 2,320 |
| 3 | Health Education Specialists | $75,500 | $94,870 | $64,070 | 1.18 | 840 |
| 4 | Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors | $74,590 | $86,800 | $59,350 | 1.26 | 8,160 |
| 5 | Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers | $68,210 | $83,740 | $60,280 | 1.13 | 2,230 |
| 6 | Psychiatric Technicians | $59,820 | $66,840 | $45,130 | 1.33 | 1,250 |
| 7 | Community Health Workers | $53,350 | $62,140 | $51,850 | 1.03 | 1,980 |
Takeaways
- Healthcare social workers, the sort key on this page, are at $84,350 with 2,320 employed.
- Psychiatric technicians are at $59,820 against $45,130 nationally, 1.33 times the country, across 1,250 jobs.
- Health education specialists are at $75,500. Mental health and substance abuse social workers are at $68,210.
- Community health workers are the closest to the country, at $53,350 against $51,850, with 1,980 employed. Oregon is 4 of 51 on the social-worker sort.
For recruiters
- Match the license on the req to the row before the draft circulates.
- If the req is counselors, the number to defend is their own 75th percentile, not the therapist tail.
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 Oregon 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. Oregon is 4 of 51. A row links to the Oregon 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: $91,520 is stated as about $91.5K. $66,940 is stated as about $66.9K. a comparison of 1.37 is stated as 37 percent. $138,320 is stated as about $138.3K. $53,350 is stated as about $53.4K. a comparison of 1.03 is stated as 3 percent. $51,850 is stated as about $51.9K. Rounded figures in the prose: $84,350 is stated as about $84.4K. a comparison of 1.24 is stated as 24 percent. $75,500 is stated as about $75.5K. a comparison of 1.18 is stated as 18 percent. $59,820 is stated as about $59.8K. a comparison of 1.33 is stated as 33 percent.
Sources
Run this opening as a Hiring Pack
The figures above are public statistics. A Hiring Pack starts from the role and the city on the req. One pack is $24.00. Starter is $149 a month for 30 packs and 3 users, Team is $299 for 100 packs and 10 users, and Pro is $699 for 300 packs and 25 users. Annual billing is 20% off, so those monthly prices are $119, $239, and $559. Enterprise is self-serve at $1,499, $2,499, and $3,999 a month.
Through Oct 16, 2026, one pack is free with no account, and a verified account can run unlimited packs.