Marriage and Family Therapists Salary
The median pay for a marriage and family therapists in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA is $49,610/year ($23.85/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $42K at the entry level to $109K for experienced workers. Prices run high here (RPP 111.89), so that salary is closer to $44,338 in real purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $3,001/month, about 87.6% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $50K get you in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad’s Regional Price Parity (111.89). 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.
About marriage and family therapists
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What this looks like in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad
Pay for marriage and family therapists in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad runs about 26% below the U.S. median of $67K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $3,001/month, which is 88.6% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost-of-living overall is 12% above the national average (BEA RPP 111.89), so groceries and services cost more too. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for marriage and family therapistss.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for marriage and family therapists in metros near San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | $69K | $64K |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $77K | $67K |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura | $50K | $45K |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $71K | $63K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
Entry-level marriage and family therapists (10th percentile) start around $42K. Mid-career wages sit at $50K. Top earners bring in $109K or more, a $67K spread from bottom to top.
Marriage and Family Therapists pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Marriage and Family Therapists salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $142K | +112% | 220 |
| New Jersey | $92K | +38% | 4,040 |
| Georgia | $92K | +37% | N/A |
| Oregon | $92K | +37% | 850 |
| Connecticut | $86K | +29% | 260 |
| Utah | $85K | +27% | 2,390 |
| Virginia | $80K | +19% | 930 |
| Delaware | $77K | +14% | 400 |
| Minnesota | $72K | +8% | 4,870 |
| Maine | $72K | +7% | 180 |
| New Mexico | $71K | +6% | 160 |
| Ohio | $70K | +5% | 460 |
| Maryland | $70K | +4% | 460 |
| Kansas | $69K | +3% | 190 |
| Massachusetts | $67K | +1% | 600 |
| California | $67K | +1% | 34,970 |
| Iowa | $67K | +0% | 240 |
| Pennsylvania | $66K | -1% | 2,350 |
| Arizona | $65K | -2% | N/A |
| New York | $64K | -4% | 770 |
| Arkansas | $64K | -4% | 80 |
| Vermont | $63K | -6% | N/A |
| Idaho | $63K | -6% | 140 |
| Nebraska | $63K | -6% | 260 |
| Illinois | $61K | -9% | 860 |
| Colorado | $61K | -9% | 900 |
| Missouri | $60K | -10% | 390 |
| New Hampshire | $60K | -10% | 70 |
| Alaska | $60K | -10% | 60 |
| Washington | $60K | -10% | N/A |
| Oklahoma | $58K | -14% | N/A |
| Indiana | $57K | -15% | 510 |
| Florida | $56K | -16% | 930 |
| West Virginia | $56K | -17% | 90 |
| South Carolina | $55K | -17% | 380 |
| Kentucky | $52K | -22% | 330 |
| Michigan | $52K | -22% | 590 |
| Mississippi | $51K | -23% | 140 |
| Alabama | $50K | -25% | 190 |
| North Carolina | $48K | -28% | 1,400 |
| Montana | $47K | -30% | 100 |
| Tennessee | $47K | -30% | 1,440 |
| Texas | $46K | -31% | 1,380 |
| South Dakota | $45K | -33% | 80 |
| Wisconsin | $38K | -43% | 180 |
Showing 1–10 of 45 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track marriage and family therapists salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a marriage and family therapist afford a 2BR apartment alone in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $50K, rent takes 88.6% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $3,001/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,000/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for marriage and family therapists in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new marriage and family therapists typically earn — is $42K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,546/month. At HUD’s $3,001/month FMR, rent would take 118% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is marriage and family therapist a high-paying job in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad?
Local pay runs 26% below the national median — $50K here vs. $67K nationally.
How does San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad compare to the national average for marriage and family therapists?
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad pays $50K median vs. the U.S. average of $67K — that’s -26%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 111.89), the purchasing-power equivalent is $44K — below the national median.
How much do marriage and family therapists make in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
The median is $49,610 a year, that works out to about $24 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $42,430, and experienced marriage and family therapists can clear $109,200. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $50K enough to live in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,386/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $3,001/month, which eats 88.6% 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 marriage and family therapists salary go in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad?
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad has a Regional Price Parity of 111.89 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median marriage and family therapists salary is worth about $44,338 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do marriage and family therapists 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.