Credit Counselors Salary
Credit Counselors in Raleigh-Cary, NC make a median of $42,190 a year, or about $20.29 an hour. The range runs from $42K at the entry level to $68K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.16), that's roughly $42,981 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,750/month, about 59.7% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $42K get you in Raleigh-Cary?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Raleigh-Cary’s Regional Price Parity (98.16). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About credit counselors
Sponsored links, AffordMap may earn a commission at no cost to you. Learn more
What this looks like in Raleigh-Cary
Pay for credit counselors in Raleigh-Cary runs about 19% below the U.S. median of $52K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,750/month, which is 61.7% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 98.16) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for credit counselorss.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for credit counselors in metros near Raleigh-Cary, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia | $47K | $48K |
| Chattanooga | $39K | $42K |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell | $64K | $64K |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk | $52K | $53K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Raleigh-Cary, NC
Entry-level credit counselors (10th percentile) start around $42K. Mid-career wages sit at $42K. Top earners bring in $68K or more, a $26K spread from bottom to top.
Credit Counselors pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Credit Counselors salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $67K | +29% | 2,160 |
| Georgia | $64K | +23% | 460 |
| District of Columbia | $64K | +22% | 110 |
| Massachusetts | $63K | +21% | 770 |
| New York | $63K | +21% | 2,020 |
| Nebraska | $63K | +20% | 260 |
| Washington | $62K | +19% | 560 |
| Minnesota | $62K | +19% | 580 |
| Maryland | $60K | +16% | 350 |
| Oregon | $59K | +13% | 280 |
| New Hampshire | $59K | +13% | 170 |
| Rhode Island | $58K | +12% | 130 |
| Pennsylvania | $58K | +12% | 1,110 |
| New Jersey | $57K | +9% | 530 |
| Colorado | $57K | +9% | 360 |
| Maine | $55K | +6% | 170 |
| Nevada | $55K | +6% | 170 |
| Connecticut | $55K | +5% | 100 |
| South Carolina | $53K | +2% | 250 |
| Delaware | $53K | +1% | 40 |
| North Dakota | $52K | -0% | 30 |
| Michigan | $52K | -0% | 1,260 |
| Wisconsin | $52K | -0% | 770 |
| Illinois | $52K | -1% | 1,170 |
| Virginia | $52K | -1% | 760 |
| Arizona | $51K | -1% | 980 |
| Utah | $51K | -2% | 190 |
| Ohio | $51K | -2% | 890 |
| Idaho | $51K | -2% | 90 |
| New Mexico | $50K | -4% | 200 |
| South Dakota | $49K | -6% | N/A |
| Texas | $48K | -8% | 3,950 |
| Indiana | $48K | -8% | 740 |
| Kentucky | $48K | -8% | 220 |
| Iowa | $48K | -8% | 440 |
| Alabama | $48K | -8% | N/A |
| Louisiana | $47K | -10% | 130 |
| Oklahoma | $47K | -10% | 230 |
| Florida | $46K | -11% | 2,410 |
| North Carolina | $46K | -12% | 320 |
| Mississippi | $46K | -12% | 210 |
| West Virginia | $46K | -12% | 150 |
| Arkansas | $45K | -14% | 50 |
| Wyoming | $43K | -18% | 40 |
| Tennessee | $39K | -26% | 950 |
| Missouri | $31K | -41% | N/A |
Showing 1–10 of 46 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track credit counselors salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Raleigh-Cary numbers change.
Related careers in Business & Finance
Frequently asked questions
Can a credit counselor afford a 2BR apartment alone in Raleigh-Cary?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $42K, rent takes 61.7% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,750/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $900/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for credit counselors in Raleigh-Cary?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new credit counselors typically earn — is $42K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,531/month. At HUD’s $1,750/month FMR, rent would take 69% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is credit counselor a high-paying job in Raleigh-Cary?
Local pay runs 19% below the national median — $42K here vs. $52K nationally.
How does Raleigh-Cary compare to the national average for credit counselors?
Raleigh-Cary pays $42K median vs. the U.S. average of $52K — that’s -19%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.16), the purchasing-power equivalent is $43K — below the national median.
How much do credit counselors make in Raleigh-Cary, NC?
The median is $42,190 a year, that works out to about $20 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $42,190, and experienced credit counselors can clear $67,930. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $42K enough to live in Raleigh-Cary?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,837/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,750/month, which eats 61.7% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a credit counselors salary go in Raleigh-Cary?
Raleigh-Cary has a Regional Price Parity of 98.16 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median credit counselors salary is worth about $42,981 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do credit counselors get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.