Child Development Specialists vs Marriage & Family Therapists
Median pay is about $7k higher for Marriage & Family Therapists. The usual entry education is bachelor's for Child Development Specialists and master's plus license for Marriage & Family Therapists.
marks the higher pay or growth. Education, difficulty and the AI rows depend on what you want, so they are not marked.
| Measure | Child Development Specialists | Marriage & Family Therapists |
|---|---|---|
| Pay | ||
| Median pay | $59,550 | $66,940, higher |
| Entry pay 25th percentile | $48,270 | $50,070, higher |
| Experienced pay 75th percentile | $76,070 | $93,840, higher |
| Outlook, 2025 to 2035 | ||
| Projected growth | +4.4% Growing fast | +14% Growing fast, higher |
| Openings a year | 33,900 | 6,900 |
| Getting in | ||
| Typical education | Bachelor's | Master's plus license |
| Difficulty modeled | 2.8 / 5 | 3.8 / 5 |
| AI | ||
| Displacement risk modeled | Moderate | Moderate |
| AI exposure modeled, percentile | 34th pct | 80th pct |
Where the skills differ
Only Child Development Specialists
- Monitoring
Only Marriage & Family Therapists
- Active Learning
Both lean on active listening, speaking, critical thinking, reading comprehension, writing.
More comparisons
Compare Child Development Specialists with
Compare Marriage & Family Therapists with
Pay and outlook: BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills: O*NET 30.3. Difficulty, displacement risk and AI exposure are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.