SalaryExplorer

SOC 21-1015 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Rehabilitation Counselors — Modesto

Modesto, CA · 10 metro areas compared

$44,270 /year
$21.29per hour
80jobs in area
−5.5%vs US median

At $44,270, median pay for Rehabilitation Counselors in Modesto, CA tracks the national median of $46,850 closely.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $46,85010TH$35,100MEDIAN$44,27090TH$65,280

How pay has moved

$50,163$31,7282019202020212022202320242025$44,270
$34,800 in 2019 to $44,270 in 2025, +27.2% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow more slowly than average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+1.4%
Openings per year
10,000
Typical entry-level education
Master's degree

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Modesto, CA.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

At $44,270, median pay for Rehabilitation Counselors in Modesto, CA tracks the national median of $46,850 closely. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $36,900 and $45,770. The lowest tenth earn under $35,100, while the highest tenth earn more than $65,280.

Employment stands at 80, or 0.4 jobs per thousand held locally. San Jose leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $60,450. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 328th of 398 by median pay.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Modesto, CA · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$35,100−25.1%
25th$36,900−21.2%
Median (50th)$44,270−5.5%
75th$45,770−2.3%
90th$65,280+39.3%
Mean$45,170−3.6%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in California

Median annual wage for Rehabilitation Counselors, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1San Jose$60,450600
2San Francisco$50,5101,600
3Santa Cruz$48,070130
4Vallejo$46,900180
5San Diego$45,7001,100
6Santa Rosa$44,97090
7El Centro$43,960260
8Sacramento$43,880870
9San Luis Obispo$43,750190
10Los Angeles$43,4804,980

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Modesto run 4.1% above the national average, so the median of $44,270 buys what $42,526 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way the gap against the national median narrows to 9.2% below the national median in real terms.

Published median

$44,270as reported by BLS

Local price level

104.1US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$42,526US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $44,270 a year, 5.5% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $35,100 to $65,280 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 80 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is San Jose, at $60,450.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Rehabilitation Counselors in Modesto, CA?

The median annual wage is $44,270, or $21.29 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $46,850, so pay in Modesto, CA is 5.5% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Modesto, CA earns more than $65,280 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $35,100 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in San Jose, at $60,450 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 80 jobs in this occupation in Modesto, CA. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.

Rehabilitation Counselors Salary in Modesto, CA (2025): $44,270 Median | Salary Explorer