Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors Salary
In Florida, educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors earn $53,140 at the median, or about $25.55 an hour. The range runs from $38K at the entry level to $83K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.58), that's roughly $53,905 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,658/month, about 44.9% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Florida. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $53K get you in Florida?
About educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors
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What this looks like in Florida
Pay for educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors in Florida runs about 17% below the U.S. median of $64K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,658/month, which is 44.5% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 98.58) 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 educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisorss.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Florida
Entry-level educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors (10th percentile) start around $38K. Mid-career wages sit at $53K. Top earners bring in $83K or more, a $44K spread from bottom to top.
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors salary by metro in Florida
19 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naples-Marco Island | $81K | +53% | 230 |
| Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor | $81K | +52% | 70 |
| Panama City-Panama City Beach | $67K | +26% | 160 |
| Ocala | $64K | +21% | 260 |
| North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota | $62K | +16% | 550 |
| Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin | $60K | +13% | 160 |
| Sebring | $60K | +13% | 60 |
| Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville | $59K | +12% | 420 |
| Lakeland-Winter Haven | $58K | +10% | 640 |
| Port St. Lucie | $58K | +8% | 450 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach | $57K | +7% | 6,250 |
| Cape Coral-Fort Myers | $57K | +7% | 480 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater | $56K | +5% | 3,230 |
| Jacksonville | $56K | +4% | 1,390 |
| Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach | $52K | -2% | 480 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford | $49K | -8% | 3,620 |
| Gainesville | $48K | -10% | 1,540 |
| Tallahassee | $47K | -12% | 1,120 |
| Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent | $46K | -13% | 440 |
Showing 1–10 of 19 metros
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BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Florida numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisor afford a 2BR apartment alone in Florida?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $53K, rent takes 44.5% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,658/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,100/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 Florida?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors typically earn — is $38K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,297/month. At HUD’s $1,658/month FMR, rent would take 72% 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 Florida?
Local pay runs 17% below the national median — $53K here vs. $64K nationally.
How does Florida compare to the national average for educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors?
Florida pays $53K median vs. the U.S. average of $64K — that’s -17%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.58), the purchasing-power equivalent is $54K — below the national median.
How much do educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors make in Florida?
The median is $53,140 a year, that works out to about $26 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $38,290, and experienced educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors can clear $82,780. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $53K enough to live in Florida?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,728/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,658/month, which eats 44.5% 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 Florida?
Florida has a Regional Price Parity of 98.58 (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 $53,905 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.