Rehabilitation Counselors Salary
Rehabilitation Counselors in New York make a median of $47,960 a year, or about $23.06 an hour. The range runs from $37K at the entry level to $77K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.21), that's roughly $48,834 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,917/month, about 57.9% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across New York. Jump to a metro for precise data:
Where the paycheck goes
What $48K actually covers in New York, month by month
About rehabilitation counselors
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What this looks like in New York
Rehabilitation counselors pay in New York tracks closely to the national median, $48K locally vs. $47K nationwide, a 2% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,917/month, which is 59.7% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 98.21) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, New York
Entry-level rehabilitation counselors (10th percentile) start around $37K. Mid-career wages sit at $48K. Top earners bring in $77K or more, a $39K spread from bottom to top.
Rehabilitation Counselors salary by metro in New York
11 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kingston | $52K | +9% | 50 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City | $50K | +4% | 2,800 |
| Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh | $50K | +3% | 110 |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy | $49K | +2% | 190 |
| Glens Falls | $48K | -0% | 40 |
| Rochester | $46K | -4% | 370 |
| Syracuse | $46K | -4% | 160 |
| Buffalo-Cheektowaga | $44K | -8% | 320 |
| Binghamton | $44K | -9% | 100 |
| Elmira | $37K | -23% | 40 |
| Utica-Rome | $36K | -25% | 250 |
Showing 1–10 of 11 metros
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BLS updates this data annually. We'll email you when New York numbers change.
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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a rehabilitation counselor afford a 2BR apartment alone in New York?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $48K, rent takes 59.7% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,917/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 rehabilitation counselors in New York?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new rehabilitation counselors typically earn — is $37K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,536/month. At HUD’s $1,917/month FMR, rent would take 76% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is rehabilitation counselor a high-paying job in New York?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $48K locally vs. $47K nationally, a 2% difference.
How does New York compare to the national average for rehabilitation counselors?
New York pays $48K median vs. the U.S. average of $47K — that’s +2%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.21), the purchasing-power equivalent is $49K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do rehabilitation counselors make in New York?
The median is $47,960 a year, that works out to about $23 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $37,130, and experienced rehabilitation counselors can clear $76,600. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $48K enough to live in New York?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,212/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,917/month, which eats 59.7% 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 rehabilitation counselors salary go in New York?
New York has a Regional Price Parity of 98.21 (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 rehabilitation counselors salary is worth about $48,834 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do rehabilitation counselors 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.