Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors Salary
In Hot Springs, AR, educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors earn $65,790 at the median, or about $31.63 an hour. The range runs from $45K at the entry level to $79K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 85.73), which stretches that salary to about $76,741 in buying power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,090/month, or 25.2% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $66K get you in Hot Springs?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Hot Springs’s Regional Price Parity (85.73). 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 Hot Springs
Educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors pay in Hot Springs tracks closely to the national median, $66K locally vs. $64K nationwide, a 2% difference. Housing is manageable: a 2-bedroom at the HUD median costs $1,090/month, 25% of take-home, well inside the 30% guideline. Regional Price Parity sits at 85.73 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 14% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors in metros near Hot Springs, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway | $62K | $69K |
| Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers | $62K | $67K |
| Fort Smith | $66K | $77K |
| Jonesboro | $52K | $61K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Hot Springs, AR
Entry-level educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors (10th percentile) start around $45K. Mid-career wages sit at $66K. Top earners bring in $79K 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)
Track educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors salary changes
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Frequently asked questions
Can a educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisor afford a 2BR apartment alone in Hot Springs?
Yes — at the median salary of $66K, rent takes 25% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,090/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 Hot Springs?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors typically earn — is $45K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,716/month. At HUD’s $1,090/month FMR, rent would take 40% 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 Hot Springs?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $66K locally vs. $64K nationally, a 2% difference.
How does Hot Springs compare to the national average for educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors?
Hot Springs pays $66K median vs. the U.S. average of $64K — that’s +2%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 85.73), the purchasing-power equivalent is $77K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors make in Hot Springs, AR?
The median is $65,790 a year, that works out to about $32 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $45,260, and experienced educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors can clear $78,840. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $66K enough to live in Hot Springs?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,356/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,090/month, which eats 25% 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 Hot Springs?
Hot Springs has a Regional Price Parity of 85.73 (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 $76,741 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.