Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors Salary
In Bakersfield-Delano, CA, educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors earn $97,700 at the median, or about $46.97 an hour. The range runs from $50K at the entry level to $129K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 100.89), that's roughly $96,838 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,483/month, or 24.2% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $98K get you in Bakersfield-Delano?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Bakersfield-Delano’s Regional Price Parity (100.89). 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.
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What this looks like in Bakersfield-Delano
Bakersfield-Delano sits well above the national pay line for educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors, local pay runs about 52% higher than the U.S. median of $64K. Housing is manageable: a 2-bedroom at the HUD median costs $1,483/month, 24.8% of take-home, well inside the 30% guideline. Cost of living (RPP 100.89) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Combined with manageable housing costs, Bakersfield-Delano offers a genuinely strong financial position for educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisorss at the median.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors in metros near Bakersfield-Delano, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $79K | $70K |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $95K | $82K |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | $84K | $75K |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | $97K | $91K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Bakersfield-Delano, CA
Entry-level educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors (10th percentile) start around $50K. Mid-career wages sit at $98K. Top earners bring in $129K or more, a $79K spread from bottom to top.
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $87K | +34% | 45,140 |
| Alaska | $83K | +29% | 540 |
| Washington | $83K | +29% | 6,610 |
| District of Columbia | $80K | +25% | 1,690 |
| Massachusetts | $80K | +24% | 11,460 |
| New Jersey | $78K | +21% | 8,190 |
| New Mexico | $78K | +21% | 1,780 |
| Maryland | $76K | +18% | 6,600 |
| Rhode Island | $75K | +17% | 1,340 |
| Delaware | $74K | +15% | 1,700 |
| Connecticut | $74K | +15% | 3,370 |
| New York | $72K | +11% | 23,380 |
| New Hampshire | $71K | +10% | 1,650 |
| Texas | $68K | +6% | 31,730 |
| Virginia | $68K | +5% | 9,450 |
| Nevada | $67K | +4% | 2,250 |
| Oregon | $67K | +4% | 3,990 |
| Colorado | $65K | +1% | 6,530 |
| Minnesota | $65K | +0% | 4,200 |
| Vermont | $65K | +0% | 1,120 |
| Kentucky | $64K | +0% | 5,030 |
| Georgia | $64K | -1% | 11,460 |
| Wyoming | $63K | -1% | 770 |
| Wisconsin | $63K | -3% | 5,330 |
| Nebraska | $63K | -3% | 2,190 |
| Illinois | $62K | -3% | 13,580 |
| Louisiana | $62K | -4% | 4,820 |
| Ohio | $62K | -4% | 13,250 |
| Hawaii | $62K | -4% | 1,620 |
| Utah | $61K | -5% | 4,070 |
| Pennsylvania | $61K | -5% | 13,570 |
| South Carolina | $60K | -6% | 6,460 |
| Idaho | $60K | -6% | 1,990 |
| Tennessee | $60K | -7% | 6,470 |
| Arkansas | $60K | -7% | 2,310 |
| Alabama | $60K | -7% | 4,410 |
| Michigan | $59K | -8% | 9,170 |
| Indiana | $59K | -8% | 5,610 |
| North Dakota | $59K | -8% | 840 |
| Mississippi | $59K | -9% | 2,620 |
| Maine | $59K | -9% | 1,780 |
| Arizona | $58K | -9% | 7,330 |
| Missouri | $58K | -10% | 8,890 |
| Montana | $58K | -10% | 890 |
| North Carolina | $58K | -10% | 9,430 |
| Kansas | $57K | -12% | 3,100 |
| Iowa | $57K | -12% | 3,690 |
| West Virginia | $56K | -14% | 1,260 |
| Florida | $53K | -17% | 22,800 |
| Oklahoma | $52K | -19% | 4,830 |
| South Dakota | $52K | -19% | 1,000 |
Showing 1–10 of 51 (all 50 states + DC)
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Frequently asked questions
Can a educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisor afford a 2BR apartment alone in Bakersfield-Delano?
Yes — at the median salary of $98K, rent takes 24.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,483/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors in Bakersfield-Delano?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors typically earn — is $50K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,992/month. At HUD’s $1,483/month FMR, rent would take 50% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisor a high-paying job in Bakersfield-Delano?
Local pay is 52% above the national median — $98K here vs. $64K nationally.
How does Bakersfield-Delano compare to the national average for educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors?
Bakersfield-Delano pays $98K median vs. the U.S. average of $64K — that’s +52%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 100.89), the purchasing-power equivalent is $97K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors make in Bakersfield-Delano, CA?
The median is $97,700 a year, that works out to about $47 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $49,870, and experienced educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors can clear $129,030. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $98K enough to live in Bakersfield-Delano?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,991/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,483/month, which eats 24.8% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors salary go in Bakersfield-Delano?
Bakersfield-Delano has a Regional Price Parity of 100.89 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors salary is worth about $96,838 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors 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.