Marriage and Family Therapists Salary
The median pay for a marriage and family therapists in Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA is $84,080/year ($40.42/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $47K at the entry level to $153K for experienced workers. Prices run high here (RPP 107.78), so that salary is closer to $78,011 in real purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $2,827/month, about 53.5% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $84K actually covers in Santa Rosa-Petaluma, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Santa Rosa-Petaluma’s Regional Price Parity (107.78). 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 Santa Rosa-Petaluma
Santa Rosa-Petaluma sits well above the national pay line for marriage and family therapists, local pay runs about 26% higher than the U.S. median of $67K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $2,827/month, which is 53.4% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost-of-living overall is 8% above the national average (BEA RPP 107.78), so groceries and services cost more too. The pay premium is real, but so are the offsets.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for marriage and family therapists in metros near Santa Rosa-Petaluma, 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, Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA
Entry-level marriage and family therapists (10th percentile) start around $47K. Mid-career wages sit at $84K. Top earners bring in $153K or more, a $105K 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 annually. We'll email you when Santa Rosa-Petaluma numbers change.
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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a marriage and family therapist afford a 2BR apartment alone in Santa Rosa-Petaluma?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $84K, rent takes 53.4% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,827/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,600/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 Santa Rosa-Petaluma?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new marriage and family therapists typically earn — is $47K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,249/month. At HUD’s $2,827/month FMR, rent would take 87% 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 Santa Rosa-Petaluma?
Local pay is 26% above the national median — $84K here vs. $67K nationally. Keep in mind cost of living here is 8% above the national average, which offsets some of that premium.
How does Santa Rosa-Petaluma compare to the national average for marriage and family therapists?
Santa Rosa-Petaluma pays $84K median vs. the U.S. average of $67K — that’s +26%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 107.78), the purchasing-power equivalent is $78K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do marriage and family therapists make in Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA?
The median is $84,080 a year, that works out to about $40 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $47,390, and experienced marriage and family therapists can clear $152,880. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $84K enough to live in Santa Rosa-Petaluma?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,298/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,827/month, which eats 53.4% 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 Santa Rosa-Petaluma?
Santa Rosa-Petaluma has a Regional Price Parity of 107.78 (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 $78,011 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.