Program Counselor Salary
$22.5K - $27K
6% of jobs
$27K - $31.5K
11% of jobs
$35.3K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$31.5K - $36K
10% of jobs
$36K - $40.5K
20% of jobs
The median wage is $41.7K / yr.
$40.5K - $45K
14% of jobs
$47.7K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$45K - $49.5K
24% of jobs
$49.5K - $54K
4% of jobs
$54K - $58.5K
4% of jobs
$58.5K - $63K
4% of jobs
$63K - $67.5K
3% of jobs
$67.5K - $72K
1% of jobs
$22.5K
$42.5K
$71.5K
$43,906
/year
$21.11
/hour
Program Counselor Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$43,906
Columbus
Ohio
$42,409
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How much does a Program Counselor make?
As of Jun 16, 2026, the average annual pay for a Program Counselor in the United States is $43,906 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $21.11 an hour. This is the equivalent of $844/week or $3,658/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $71,500 and as low as $22,500, the majority of Program Counselor salaries currently range between $35,500 (25th percentile) to $46,500 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $60,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Program Counselor varies little (about 11000), which suggests that regardless of location, there are not many opportunities for increased pay or advancement, even with several years of experience.
A Program Counselor in your area makes on average $42,409 per year, or $1,497 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $43,906. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Program Counselor salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Program Counselor jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Program Counselor on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Program Counselor Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Program Counselor job is above the national average. Topping the list is San Rafael, CA, , with Napa, CA, and Pennington County, SD, close behind in the second and third positions. Pennington County, SD, beats the national average by $9,431 (21.5%), and San Rafael, CA, furthers that trend with another $17,973 (40.9%) above the $43,906 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Program Counselor appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
However, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies modestly at 19% between San Rafael, CA, and Santa Cruz, CA, , suggesting it may be difficult to see much positive wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may help determine the balance between location and salary for a Program Counselor role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
San Rafael, CA | $61,879 | $29.75 |
Napa, CA | $57,118 | $27.46 |
Pennington County, SD | $53,337 | $25.64 |
Sitka, AK | $52,893 | $25.43 |
San Francisco, CA | $51,729 | $24.87 |
Santa Clara, CA | $51,565 | $24.79 |
Sunnyvale, CA | $51,530 | $24.77 |
Livermore, CA | $51,501 | $24.76 |
San Jose, CA | $51,395 | $24.71 |
Santa Cruz, CA | $50,697 | $24.37 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Program Counselor Jobs in the U.S.
We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Program Counselor category.
For example Assessment Counselor jobs pay as much as $18,626 (42.4%) more than the average Program Counselor salary of $43,906. If you're qualified, finding work as a Assessment Counselor may help you make more money than that of the average Program Counselor position.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Assessment Counselor | $62,532 | $30.06 |
Crisis Counselor | $49,735 | $23.91 |
Benefits Counselor | $47,923 | $23.04 |
Overnight Counselor | $35,523 | $17.08 |
Head Of Counselor | $35,380 | $17.01 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
