SOC 21-1018 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors — Louisiana
Louisiana · 10 metro areas compared
At $37,910, this is one of the lower medians recorded for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors, 36.1% beneath the national figure of $59,350.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to grow much faster than average
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- +16.8%
- Openings per year
- 48,300
- Typical entry-level education
- Master's degree
- On-the-job training
- Internship/residency
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
5.9% of people in this occupation work for themselves.
Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Louisiana.
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 $37,910, this is one of the lower medians recorded for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors, 36.1% beneath the national figure of $59,350. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $33,970 and $55,370. The lowest tenth earn under $29,860, while the highest tenth earn more than $65,720.
The area has 6,420 jobs in this occupation, giving a location quotient of 1.05 — a measure of how concentrated the occupation is here relative to the country as a whole. Among the 51 states with published data for this occupation, Louisiana ranks 51st by median wage. Shreveport leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $48,100. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 534th of 679 by median pay.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $29,860 | −49.7% |
| 25th | $33,970 | −42.8% |
| Median (50th) | $37,910 | −36.1% |
| 75th | $55,370 | −6.7% |
| 90th | $65,720 | +10.7% |
| Mean | $45,030 | −24.1% |
Highest-paying metro areas in Louisiana
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shreveport | $48,100 | 410 | |
| 2 | Baton Rouge | $46,840 | 840 | |
| 3 | Monroe | $45,310 | 420 | |
| 4 | New Orleans | $42,140 | 1,580 | |
| 5 | Lake Charles | $38,610 | 350 | |
| 6 | Lafayette | $37,660 | 620 | |
| 7 | Alexandria | $37,150 | 300 | |
| 8 | Hammond | $36,750 | 130 | |
| 9 | Houma | $36,520 | 600 | |
| 10 | Slidell | $34,470 | 470 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Louisiana run 11.8% below the national average, so the median of $37,910 goes as far as $42,982 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 27.6% below the national median in real terms.
Published median
$37,910as reported by BLSLocal price level
88.2US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$42,982US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $37,910 a year, 36.1% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $29,860 to $65,720 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 6,420 jobs in this occupation.
- It ranks 51st of 51 states for this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Shreveport, at $48,100.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors in Louisiana?
The median annual wage is $37,910, or $18.22 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 $59,350, so pay in Louisiana is 36.1% 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 Louisiana earns more than $65,720 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $29,860 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 Shreveport, at $48,100 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 6,420 jobs in this occupation in Louisiana. 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.
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