Pay Scale

• The average salary of a substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselor was $40,810 per year, as of May 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The median salary was $38,120 with the middle 50 percent earning anywhere from $30,270 to $48,100. Because it is possible in some states to work as a substance abuse counselor with less than a bachelor's degree, it is likely that counselors with bachelor's degrees in psychology earned somewhere in the middle 50 percent or near the median salary. The lowest 25 percent of substance abuse counselors made under $30,270. This number more likely reflects those without a degree or with an associate degree.
  
  

Employers

• Who or what agency the substance abuse or drug counselor works for plays a role in determining how much she is paid. According to the BLS, the largest number of counselors worked in outpatient care centers making an average salary of $38,020 per year in 2010. Those working in substance abuse facilities made an average of $35,320 annually. Counselors working in individual and family services made $39,220 per year, while those who worked for local government agencies made substantially higher average salaries at $46,390, as did those working in medical and surgical hospitals, earning $48,120.
  
  

Location

• The geographic location of a substance abuse counselor also affects salary. According to the BLS, California, New York and Pennsylvania had the highest number of workers in this field. Those working in California earned an average salary of $36,040, while those in Pennsylvania earned $37,870. New York substance abuse counselors earned more at $43,850 per year. New Jersey and Hawaii were the highest paying states with average salaries of $57,760 and $56,150, respectively.
  
  

Job Outlook

• According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of new jobs for counselors should grow by about 18 percent from 2008 to 2018. However, the number of jobs for drug counselors is expected to grow even more rapidly at a rate of 21 percent. The bureau indicates that increased knowledge of the dangers of drug and alcohol addiction will be part of the reason for an increased demand for the help of counselors in this field. Another factor influencing growth, according to the bureau, will be the push by the legal system to rehabilitate addicts rather than sending them to jail.