SOC 21-1018 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors — Rockford
Rockford, IL · 7 metro areas compared
Median pay for this occupation in Rockford, IL is $53,670 a year, trailing the national median of $59,350 by 9.6%.
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 Rockford, IL.
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
Median pay for this occupation in Rockford, IL is $53,670 a year, trailing the national median of $59,350 by 9.6%. Half of workers earn between $45,500 and $62,780. Beyond that band, the tenth percentile sits at $40,240 and the ninetieth at $86,850.
The area has 460 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 3.4 of every thousand jobs. Champaign leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $68,300. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 176th of 329 by median pay.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $40,240 | −32.2% |
| 25th | $45,500 | −23.3% |
| Median (50th) | $53,670 | −9.6% |
| 75th | $62,780 | +5.8% |
| 90th | $86,850 | +46.3% |
| Mean | $58,250 | −1.9% |
Other metro areas in Illinois
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Champaign | $68,300 | 310 | |
| 2 | Chicago | $61,600 | 15,580 | |
| 3 | Springfield | $59,450 | 270 | |
| 4 | Kankakee | $59,440 | 130 | |
| 5 | Peoria | $57,350 | 560 | |
| 6 | Bloomington | $55,890 | 280 | |
| 7 | Decatur | $51,740 | 130 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Rockford run 7.8% below the national average, so the median of $53,670 goes as far as $58,210 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 1.9% below the national median in real terms.
Published median
$53,670as reported by BLSLocal price level
92.2US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$58,210US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $53,670 a year, 9.6% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $40,240 to $86,850 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 460 jobs in this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Champaign, at $68,300.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors in Rockford, IL?
The median annual wage is $53,670, or $25.80 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 Rockford, IL is 9.6% 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 Rockford, IL earns more than $86,850 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $40,240 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 Champaign, at $68,300 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 460 jobs in this occupation in Rockford, IL. 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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