As of April 01, 2025, the average hourly pay of Substance Abuse Counselor in the United States is $31. While Salary.com is seeing that Substance Abuse Counselor salary in the US can go up to $36 or down to $25, but most earn between $28 and $34. Salary.com shows the average base salary (core compensation), as well as the average total cash compensation for the job of Substance Abuse Counselor in the United States.
| Annual Salary |
Monthly Pay |
Weekly Pay |
Hourly Wage |
|
| 75th Percentile | $34 | $3 | $1 | $0 |
| Average | $31 | $3 | $1 | $0 |
| 25th Percentile | $28 | $2 | $1 | $0 |
As of April 01, 2025, Salary.com is seeing that an entry-level Substance Abuse Counselor with under 1 year experience makes about $62,814. With less than 2 years of experience, a mid-level Substance Abuse Counselor makes around $63,036. After 2-4 years, the Substance Abuse Counselor pay rises to about $65,618. Those senior Substance Abuse Counselor with 5-8 years of experience earn roughly $67,624, and those Substance Abuse Counselor having 8 years or more experience is expected to earn about $67,767 on average.
| Levels | Salary |
|---|---|
| Entry Level Substance Abuse Counselor | $62,814 |
| Intermediate Level Substance Abuse Counselor | $63,036 |
| Senior Level Substance Abuse Counselor | $65,618 |
| Specialist Level Substance Abuse Counselor | $67,624 |
| Expert Level Substance Abuse Counselor | $67,767 |
| Entry Level | 4% |
| Mid Level | 3% |
| Senior Level | 1% |
| Top Level | 4% |
| Experienced | 4% |
Salaries in the United States can vary significantly from state to state due to a multitude of factors, including cost of living, local economic conditions, and industry presence.
For example, as of April 01, 2025, the average yearly salary of Substance Abuse Counselor is $71,980 in California and in Massachusetts, the average annual salary goes to $71,020. While in New Jersey, a Substance Abuse Counselor earns $70,740 per year.
What Am I Worth?
Salaries in the United States can vary significantly from city to city due to a multitude of factors, including cost of living, local economic conditions, and industry presence.
For example, as of April 01, 2025, the average yearly salary of Substance Abuse Counselor in San Francisco, CA is $81,500 and in New York, NY, the average annual salary goes to $75,630. While a Substance Abuse Counselor earns $72,790 per year in Boston, MA.
For those exploring the changing dynamics of Substance Abuse Counselor salaries, Salary.com offers detailed insights through our Job Trending in CA Labor Market analysis. As of April 01, 2025, our research highlights a notable shift in Substance Abuse Counselor compensation over the past six years. For instance, the median salary has moved from $85,734 in 2023 to about $85,399 in 2024 (for a comprehensive analysis of Substance Abuse Counselor salary trends, click here). It's crucial to consider several elements, including geographical location, experience level, industry demand, and economic development, as they play a significant role in influencing salary variations.
Salary.com job board provides millions of Substance Abuse Counselor information for you to search for. Click on search button below to see Substance Abuse Counselor job openings or enter a new job title here.
Here are companies hiring for Substance Abuse Counselor and their salaries, click below for more details.
| Core Compensation | ||||
| Core Compensation | Median | % of Total | ||
| Base Salary | $65,260 | 71.0% | ||
| Bonus | $0 | 0.0% | ||
| Value of Benefits | ||||
| Core Compensation | Median | % of Total | ||
| Social Security | $4,992 | 5.4% | ||
| 401K/403B | $3,198 | 3.5% | ||
| Disability | $1,044 | 1.1% | ||
| Healthcare | $6,371 | 6.9% | ||
| Pension | $2,741 | 3.0% | ||
| Time Off | $8,283 | 9.0% | ||
| Total Compensation | $91,889 | 100% | ||
| Degree Level | % of user with this level of education |
|---|---|
| No Diploma | 0.3% |
| High School | 11.1% |
| Associates | 15.4% |
| Bachelors | 30.7% |
| Masters | 41.2% |
| Doctorate | 1.2% |
What Am I Worth?
The Substance Abuse Counselor acts as mediator between patients, relatives, medical staff, and outside agencies if needed. Runs individual, family, and group counseling for patients in chemical dependency programs. Being a Substance Abuse Counselor typically requires a bachelor's degree or equivalent; meets the standards for Chemical Dependency Counselor Certification Board, or other appropriate certification. Tracks patient progress and dispensation of treatment services. In addition, Substance Abuse Counselor typically reports to a supervisor or manager. Substance Abuse Counselor's years of experience requirement may be unspecified. Certification and/or licensing in the position's specialty is the main requirement.
Specify the abilities and skills that a person needs in order to carry out the specified job duties. Each competency has five to ten behavioral assertions that can be observed, each with a corresponding performance level (from one to five) that is required for a particular job.
Planning: An act or process of making or carrying out plans. Establishment of goals, policies, and procedures for a social or economic unit city planning business planning.
Treatment Planning: Treatment planning is a process in which the therapist tailors, to the greatest extent possible, the application of available treatment resources to each client's individual goals and needs.
CPR: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) combines rescue breathing (mouth-to-mouth) and chest compressions to temporarily pump enough blood to the brain until specialized treatment is available.
