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Mental Health Counselor Salary in San Francisco, CA

Updated

The median mental health counselor in the San Francisco area earns $68,400 a year ($32.88 an hour), 15% above the U.S. median ($59,350) and 15% above the California median ($59,250). Half of the 9,520 mental health counselors there earn between $55,190 and $107,320.

Percentiles. Dark: the middle half of earners. Red line: median. Dashed: U.S. median.
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors, May 2025 (latest official data). Metro area: San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA.
Annual paySan Francisco areaCaliforniaU.S.
10th percentile$48,050$44,640$38,940
25th percentile$55,190$47,640$47,100
Median$68,400$59,250$59,350
75th percentile$107,320$80,570$76,530
90th percentile$132,510$111,080$97,590
Average$82,100$69,080$64,440
Jobs9,52075,610491,930

San Francisco, CA ranks 4th of the 50 largest U.S. metro areas for mental health counselor pay. Highest: Portland, OR ($75,420).

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Mental health counselor pay in other cities

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Sources

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, www.bls.gov/oes. BLS.gov cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from BLS.gov.