Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors Salary
In Bloomington, IL, educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors earn $51,820 at the median, or about $24.91 an hour. The range runs from $43K at the entry level to $78K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 93.54), which stretches that salary to about $55,399 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,302/month, about 38.2% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $52K get you in Bloomington?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Bloomington’s Regional Price Parity (93.54). 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 Bloomington
Pay for educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors in Bloomington runs about 19% below the U.S. median of $64K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,302/month, which is 38% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 93.54 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 6% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisorss.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors in metros near Bloomington, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | $65K | $62K |
| Champaign-Urbana | $58K | $63K |
| Peoria | $60K | $65K |
| Rockford | $63K | $68K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Bloomington, IL
Entry-level educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors (10th percentile) start around $43K. Mid-career wages sit at $52K. Top earners bring in $78K or more, a $34K 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 Bloomington?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $52K, rent takes 38% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,302/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,000/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors in Bloomington?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors typically earn — is $43K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,599/month. At HUD’s $1,302/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 Bloomington?
Local pay runs 19% below the national median — $52K here vs. $64K nationally. Cost of living is 6% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Bloomington compare to the national average for educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors?
Bloomington pays $52K median vs. the U.S. average of $64K — that’s -19%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 93.54), the purchasing-power equivalent is $55K — below the national median.
How much do educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors make in Bloomington, IL?
The median is $51,820 a year, that works out to about $25 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $43,320, and experienced educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors can clear $77,680. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $52K enough to live in Bloomington?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,426/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,302/month, which eats 38% 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 educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors salary go in Bloomington?
Bloomington has a Regional Price Parity of 93.54 (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 educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors salary is worth about $55,399 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.