Salary of a Drug Counselor

Basics

In a report of May 2009, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a median salary for drug counselors across the nation of $37,700 yearly, with the lowest 10 percent earning up to $24,580, and the highest 10 percent making $60,060 or more. This translated to an hourly rate of $18.13 per hour, with a low of $11.82 and a high of $28.87. This compensation came from working a standard 40-hour workweek, with some overtime, but the working environment varied according to specialty. For example, those working from a private office can create an environment that is comfortable for clients. Others may need to travel to community centers or rehabilitation clinics.

The highest numbers of jobs available for drug counselors were almost evenly split among outpatient care centers, and residential facilities, according to the report by the bureau. Outpatient care centers provided 16,190 out of a total 78,470 jobs, and paid a mean wage of $18.67 per hour, or $38,830 per year, which was slightly higher than the national median. Residential facilities had 16,130 positions, and offered mean wages of $16.46 per hour, or $34,250 per year. Local government was also on this list of large employers, with 6,360 jobs earning $21.80 per hour, or $45,350 per year.

The employers with the highest pay for drug counselors were elementary and secondary schools, where the job concentrates on drug abuse prevention as well as treatment. They paid $29.22 per hour, or $60,780 per year on average, for 3,800 jobs. The number of jobs here outnumbered those of the other four top payers combined, which include colleges and universities, junior colleges, specialty hospitals, and scientific research. The number of jobs available with those employers ranged from 50 to 510, with average annual salaries ranging from $46,730 for scientific research and development, to $53,900 for colleges, universities and professional schools.

Four of the five cities with the highest paying employers for drug counselors were on the East Coast. The highest paying of these was Trenton, New Jersey, where compensation averaged $31.14 per hour, or $64,770 per year, for only 300 jobs. Third-ranked Newark, New Jersey, had lower wages at $29.56 per hour, or $61,470 per year, but better employment at 250 jobs. Other East Coast cities included Bangor, Maine, and Barnstable Town, Massachusetts. The only city outside this region in the top five was Honolulu, Hawaii, with wages at $28.63 per hour, or $59,560 per year, for 250 jobs.