Crisis Counselors
Provide immediate mental health support to people in acute crisis.
At a glance
Modeled AI exposure for Crisis Counselors ranks at the 96th percentile; displacement risk is high and works-with-AI 19/100, tilting toward AI replacing tasks. Typical entry-level education is a bachelor's degree plus certification. BLS publishes neither a wage nor an outlook for this occupation on its own, so the figures above come from its group or an estimate and this summary does not compare them. Modeled AI exposure sits 68 points above that of Human Rights Workers.
Similar pay in Community & Social Service
Key skills
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
- Critical Thinking
- Active Learning
Pay and jobs by state: Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors
Figures for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors. BLS reports no numbers for Crisis Counselors on its own; these are BLS's figures for that occupation. BLS OEWS May 2025, 50 states and DC. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's. A tilde marks a figure estimated from the parent occupation group where BLS publishes none.
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 75,610 | 4.2 | 1.3× | $59k |
| Pennsylvania | 30,620 | 5.0 | 1.6× | $52k |
| Florida | 29,750 | 3.0 | 0.9× | $57k |
| New York | 26,770 | 2.8 | 0.9× | $59k |
| Texas | 21,400 | 1.5 | 0.5× | $63k |
| Illinois | 20,250 | 3.3 | 1.1× | $61k |
| Massachusetts | 18,190 | 5.0 | 1.6× | $60k |
| Ohio | 18,020 | 3.2 | 1.0× | $58k |
| Virginia | 17,940 | 4.4 | 1.4× | $60k |
| Colorado | 14,920 | 5.2 | 1.6× | $62k |
All 50 states and DC
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 14,250 | 4.0 | 1.3× | $69k |
| New Jersey | 14,210 | 3.3 | 1.1× | $63k |
| Indiana | 11,890 | 3.7 | 1.2× | $54k |
| North Carolina | 10,300 | 2.1 | 0.7× | $55k |
| Michigan | 10,100 | 2.3 | 0.7× | $62k |
| Arizona | 9,990 | 3.1 | 1.0× | $65k |
| Maryland | 9,730 | 3.5 | 1.1× | $60k |
| Georgia | 9,600 | 2.0 | 0.6× | $59k |
| Tennessee | 9,040 | 2.8 | 0.9× | $50k |
| Wisconsin | 8,340 | 2.8 | 0.9× | $62k |
| Oregon | 8,160 | 4.1 | 1.3× | $75k |
| Missouri | 8,130 | 2.8 | 0.9× | $57k |
| Kentucky | 7,690 | 3.8 | 1.2× | $54k |
| Connecticut | 7,540 | 4.4 | 1.4× | $64k |
| Minnesota | 7,110 | 2.4 | 0.8× | $59k |
| Louisiana | 6,420 | 3.3 | 1.1× | $38k |
| Utah | 6,320 | 3.6 | 1.1× | $64k |
| South Carolina | 6,300 | 2.7 | 0.9× | $52k |
| Oklahoma | 5,150 | 3.0 | 0.9× | $59k |
| Alabama | 4,536 (estimated) | 2.1 (estimated) | 0.7× (estimated) | $47k |
| New Hampshire | 3,690 | 5.4 | 1.7× | $55k |
| Iowa | 3,530 | 2.3 | 0.7× | $61k |
| Idaho | 2,990 | 3.5 | 1.1× | $63k |
| Kansas | 2,600 | 1.8 | 0.6× | $59k |
| Arkansas | 2,570 | 2.0 | 0.6× | $52k |
| New Mexico | 2,420 | 2.8 | 0.9× | $74k |
| Nebraska | 2,170 | 2.1 | 0.7× | $64k |
| Rhode Island | 2,170 | 4.3 | 1.4× | $65k |
| Hawaii | 2,110 | 3.4 | 1.1× | $60k |
| West Virginia | 2,100 | 3.0 | 0.9× | $49k |
| Mississippi | 2,090 | 1.8 | 0.6× | $47k |
| Maine | 1,930 | 3.0 | 0.9× | $60k |
| Montana | 1,820 | 3.6 | 1.1× | $59k |
| Nevada | 1,810 | 1.2 | 0.4× | $57k |
| South Dakota | 1,710 | 3.7 | 1.2× | $54k |
| Delaware | 1,700 | 3.5 | 1.1× | $56k |
| Alaska | 1,290 | 4.0 | 1.3× | $81k |
| North Dakota | 1,290 | 3.0 | 0.9× | $69k |
| Washington DC | 1,260 | 1.8 | 0.6× | $60k |
| Vermont | 1,120 | 3.7 | 1.2× | $62k |
| Wyoming | 910 | 3.2 | 1.0× | $63k |
Top metro areas
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA26,960 jobs · $52k median
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ26,200 jobs · $61k median
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN15,580 jobs · $62k median
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD14,920 jobs · $58k median
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH11,150 jobs · $62k median
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL10,240 jobs · $57k median
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA9,520 jobs · $68k median
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV9,030 jobs · $65k median
Where this ranks
Explore Crisis Counselors interactively →BLS does not publish this occupation on its own. Pay and outlook here are BLS's figures for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors (SOC 21-1018), the closest published occupation, so the real figures for this job could sit either side of them. Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.