Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors Salary
In El Centro, CA, educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors earn $141,760 at the median, or about $68.16 an hour. The range runs from $66K at the entry level to $174K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 95.17), that's roughly $148,955 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,362/month, or 16.3% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $142K get you in El Centro?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by El Centro’s Regional Price Parity (95.17). 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 educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors
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What this looks like in El Centro
El Centro sits well above the national pay line for educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors, local pay runs about 120% higher than the U.S. median of $64K. Housing is manageable: a 2-bedroom at the HUD median costs $1,362/month, 16.6% of take-home, well inside the 30% guideline. Cost of living (RPP 95.17) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Combined with manageable housing costs, El Centro 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 El Centro, 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, El Centro, CA
Entry-level educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors (10th percentile) start around $66K. Mid-career wages sit at $142K. Top earners bring in $174K or more, a $108K 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 El Centro?
Yes — at the median salary of $142K, rent takes 16.6% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,362/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 El Centro?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors typically earn — is $66K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,961/month. At HUD’s $1,362/month FMR, rent would take 34% 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 El Centro?
Local pay is 120% above the national median — $142K here vs. $64K nationally.
How does El Centro compare to the national average for educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors?
El Centro pays $142K median vs. the U.S. average of $64K — that’s +120%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 95.17), the purchasing-power equivalent is $149K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors make in El Centro, CA?
The median is $141,760 a year, that works out to about $68 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $66,010, and experienced educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors can clear $174,410. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $142K enough to live in El Centro?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $8,194/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,362/month, which eats 16.6% 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 El Centro?
El Centro has a Regional Price Parity of 95.17 (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 $148,955 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.