Rehabilitation Counselors Salary
Rehabilitation Counselors in Texas make a median of $49,990 a year, or about $24.04 an hour. The range runs from $30K at the entry level to $73K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 91.49), which stretches that salary to about $54,640 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,415/month, about 39.3% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Texas. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $50K get you in Texas?
About rehabilitation counselors
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What this looks like in Texas
Rehabilitation counselors pay in Texas tracks closely to the national median, $50K locally vs. $47K nationwide, a 7% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,415/month, which is 40.2% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 91.49 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 9% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Texas
Entry-level rehabilitation counselors (10th percentile) start around $30K. Mid-career wages sit at $50K. Top earners bring in $73K or more, a $43K spread from bottom to top.
Rehabilitation Counselors salary by metro in Texas
10 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Killeen-Temple | $69K | +38% | 40 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | $54K | +8% | 160 |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur | $51K | +2% | 30 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands | $51K | +2% | 300 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $51K | +1% | 390 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos | $48K | -3% | 260 |
| El Paso | $48K | -4% | 60 |
| Lubbock | $44K | -13% | 40 |
| Corpus Christi | $43K | -13% | 40 |
| Tyler | $41K | -18% | 50 |
Compare to other states
Track rehabilitation counselors salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Texas numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a rehabilitation counselor afford a 2BR apartment alone in Texas?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $50K, rent takes 40.2% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,415/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,100/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for rehabilitation counselors in Texas?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new rehabilitation counselors typically earn — is $30K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,804/month. At HUD’s $1,415/month FMR, rent would take 78% 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 Texas?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $50K locally vs. $47K nationally, a 7% difference.
How does Texas compare to the national average for rehabilitation counselors?
Texas pays $50K median vs. the U.S. average of $47K — that’s +7%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 91.49), the purchasing-power equivalent is $55K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do rehabilitation counselors make in Texas?
The median is $49,990 a year, that works out to about $24 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $30,070, and experienced rehabilitation counselors can clear $72,800. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $50K enough to live in Texas?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,517/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,415/month, which eats 40.2% 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 Texas?
Texas has a Regional Price Parity of 91.49 (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 $54,640 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.