Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors Salary
In Rapid City, SD, educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors earn $56,040 at the median, or about $26.94 an hour. The range runs from $41K at the entry level to $77K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 89.16), which stretches that salary to about $62,853 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,336/month, about 34.3% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $56K actually covers in Rapid City, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Rapid City’s Regional Price Parity (89.16). 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 Rapid City
Pay for educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors in Rapid City runs about 13% below the U.S. median of $64K. Rent runs $1,336/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 34.1% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Regional Price Parity sits at 89.16 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 11% 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 Rapid City, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Sioux Falls | $51K | $56K |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington | $65K | $62K |
| Omaha | $65K | $71K |
| Des Moines-West Des Moines | $58K | $63K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Rapid City, SD
Entry-level educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors (10th percentile) start around $41K. Mid-career wages sit at $56K. Top earners bring in $77K or more, a $36K 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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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisor afford a 2BR apartment alone in Rapid City?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $56K, rent takes 34.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,336/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,200/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 Rapid City?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors typically earn — is $41K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,933/month. At HUD’s $1,336/month FMR, rent would take 46% 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 Rapid City?
Local pay runs 13% below the national median — $56K here vs. $64K nationally. Cost of living is 11% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Rapid City compare to the national average for educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors?
Rapid City pays $56K median vs. the U.S. average of $64K — that’s -13%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 89.16), the purchasing-power equivalent is $63K — below the national median.
How much do educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors make in Rapid City, SD?
The median is $56,040 a year, that works out to about $27 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $41,260, and experienced educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors can clear $76,910. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $56K enough to live in Rapid City?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,922/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,336/month, which eats 34.1% 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 Rapid City?
Rapid City has a Regional Price Parity of 89.16 (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 $62,853 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.