Loan Officers
Median $76,690
Occupation · SOC 13-2071
Credit Counselors: pay and where the jobs are
What credit counselors earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$52,230 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $57,210
- Median hourly wage
- $25.11
- Mean hourly wage
- $27.51
- Employment
- 27,770
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 13-2071.
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See where your pay falls among credit counselors nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do credit counselors make?
The median annual wage for credit counselors was $52,230 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $38,350 and the highest-paid 10% more than $80,440. As an hourly rate, the median is $25.11. About 27,770 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in California ($67,120), Georgia ($64,080) and District of Columbia ($63,580). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Nebraska.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for credit counselors looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $38,350 | $18.44 | $3,196 | $2,750 |
| 25th percentile | $45,720 | $21.98 | $3,810 | $3,243 |
| Median | $52,230 | $25.11 | $4,353 | $3,679 |
| 75th percentile | $64,080 | $30.81 | $5,340 | $4,472 |
| 90th percentile | $80,440 | $38.67 | $6,703 | $5,452 |
Credit Counselors: pay by state
47 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$55,983 take-home in national prices
2
$53,191 take-home in national prices
3
$49,836 take-home in national prices
Where a median credit counselor paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 2,160 | $67,120 | $47,260 | $98,520 | $53,032 | $47,898 |
| Georgia | 460 | $64,080 | $44,660 | $64,080 | $51,219 | $53,191 |
| District of Columbia | 110 | $63,580 | $52,080 | $100,370 | $50,580 | $46,024 |
| Massachusetts | 770 | $63,240 | $44,730 | $94,110 | $49,760 | $47,052 |
| New York | 2,020 | $63,030 | $48,720 | $100,720 | $49,714 | $46,066 |
| Nebraska | 260 | $62,510 | $44,550 | $95,270 | $50,442 | $55,983 |
| Washington | 560 | $62,360 | $47,920 | $82,950 | $51,421 | $48,051 |
| Minnesota | 580 | $62,160 | $47,110 | $74,140 | $49,149 | $49,836 |
| Maryland | 350 | $60,450 | $45,960 | $81,720 | $48,246 | $45,967 |
| Oregon | 280 | $59,150 | $46,300 | $81,990 | $45,443 | $43,966 |
| New Hampshire | 170 | $58,830 | $41,100 | $76,370 | $49,450 | $47,473 |
| Rhode Island | 130 | $58,480 | $48,890 | $79,770 | $46,949 | $45,903 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,110 | $58,330 | $41,100 | $82,190 | $47,217 | $48,392 |
| New Jersey | 530 | $57,180 | $40,440 | $75,740 | $46,082 | $42,353 |
| Colorado | 360 | $57,130 | $45,460 | $80,320 | $46,027 | $44,664 |
| Maine | 170 | $55,490 | $43,980 | $76,700 | $44,421 | $45,771 |
| Nevada | 170 | $55,480 | $44,440 | $75,850 | $46,758 | $46,768 |
| Connecticut | 100 | $54,710 | $43,660 | $82,740 | $43,607 | $42,088 |
| South Carolina | 250 | $53,190 | $38,960 | $64,550 | $43,707 | $46,621 |
| Delaware | 40 | $52,840 | $47,150 | $86,670 | $42,170 | $42,251 |
| North Dakota | 30 | $52,220 | $51,360 | $62,120 | $44,139 | $49,617 |
| Michigan | 1,260 | $52,160 | $39,440 | $77,970 | $42,125 | $43,781 |
| Wisconsin | 770 | $52,140 | $44,950 | $77,310 | $42,392 | $45,053 |
| Illinois | 1,170 | $51,930 | $39,620 | $78,990 | $41,480 | $41,497 |
| Virginia | 760 | $51,550 | $40,930 | $70,200 | $41,450 | $40,998 |
| Arizona | 980 | $51,480 | $43,580 | $66,480 | $42,651 | $42,364 |
| Utah | 190 | $51,330 | $40,850 | $133,970 | $41,675 | $42,154 |
| Ohio | 890 | $51,160 | $43,520 | $86,160 | $42,324 | $45,620 |
| Idaho | 90 | $51,130 | $41,270 | $76,430 | $41,661 | $43,627 |
| New Mexico | 200 | $50,390 | $41,850 | $81,480 | $41,466 | $44,968 |
| Puerto Rico | Not published | $50,010 | $27,640 | $78,920 | — | — |
| South Dakota | Not published | $48,890 | $45,400 | $51,980 | $41,463 | $46,805 |
| Texas | 3,950 | $48,220 | $36,120 | $66,750 | $40,925 | $42,166 |
| Indiana | 740 | $48,180 | $37,840 | $60,510 | $39,501 | $42,324 |
| Kentucky | 220 | $48,150 | $37,360 | $74,210 | $39,301 | $43,591 |
| Iowa | 440 | $48,130 | $38,630 | $60,070 | $39,675 | $45,208 |
| Alabama | Not published | $48,120 | $39,260 | $73,170 | $38,858 | $43,748 |
| Louisiana | 130 | $47,250 | $38,570 | $60,810 | $39,114 | $44,344 |
| Oklahoma | 230 | $46,950 | $38,120 | $67,750 | $38,337 | $43,643 |
| Florida | 2,410 | $46,300 | $38,140 | $67,120 | $39,382 | $38,082 |
| North Carolina | 320 | $46,180 | $31,210 | $76,940 | $37,952 | $40,235 |
| Mississippi | 210 | $45,990 | $32,020 | $57,700 | $38,025 | $43,731 |
| West Virginia | 150 | $45,860 | $37,390 | $49,400 | $37,759 | $42,190 |
| Arkansas | 50 | $45,060 | $35,000 | $62,770 | $37,206 | $42,797 |
| Wyoming | 40 | $42,580 | $33,420 | $66,080 | $36,393 | $39,263 |
| Tennessee | 950 | $38,730 | $31,200 | $105,140 | $33,300 | $36,246 |
| Missouri | Not published | $30,580 | $29,100 | $64,210 | $26,251 | $28,905 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 13-2071. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.