Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors Salary
In McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX, educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors earn $80,390 at the median, or about $38.65 an hour. The range runs from $46K at the entry level to $106K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 85.89), which stretches that salary to about $93,596 in buying power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,060/month, or 19.7% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $80K get you in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by McAllen-Edinburg-Mission’s Regional Price Parity (85.89). 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 McAllen-Edinburg-Mission
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission sits well above the national pay line for educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors, local pay runs about 25% higher than the U.S. median of $64K. Housing is manageable: a 2-bedroom at the HUD median costs $1,060/month, 19.6% of take-home, well inside the 30% guideline. Regional Price Parity sits at 85.89 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 14% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Combined with manageable housing costs, McAllen-Edinburg-Mission 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 McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $76K | $74K |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands | $76K | $77K |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos | $62K | $63K |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | $59K | $62K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
Entry-level educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors (10th percentile) start around $46K. Mid-career wages sit at $80K. Top earners bring in $106K or more, a $60K 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 McAllen-Edinburg-Mission?
Yes — at the median salary of $80K, rent takes 19.6% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,060/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 McAllen-Edinburg-Mission?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors typically earn — is $46K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,758/month. At HUD’s $1,060/month FMR, rent would take 38% 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 McAllen-Edinburg-Mission?
Local pay is 25% above the national median — $80K here vs. $64K nationally.
How does McAllen-Edinburg-Mission compare to the national average for educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors?
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission pays $80K median vs. the U.S. average of $64K — that’s +25%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 85.89), the purchasing-power equivalent is $94K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors make in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX?
The median is $80,390 a year, that works out to about $39 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $45,960, and experienced educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors can clear $105,630. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $80K enough to live in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,412/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,060/month, which eats 19.6% 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 McAllen-Edinburg-Mission?
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission has a Regional Price Parity of 85.89 (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 $93,596 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.