Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $78K, rent takes 25.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,364/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors typically earn — is $52K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,093/month.

Local pay is 32% above the national median — $78K here vs. $59K nationally.

Alaska nonmetropolitan area pays $78K median vs. the U.S. average of $59K — that’s +32%.

The median is $78,420 a year, that works out to about $38 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $51,550, and experienced substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors can clear $108,270. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,296/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,364/month, which eats 25.8% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

Alaska nonmetropolitan area has a Regional Price Parity of 100 (100 is the national average). That's right at the national average. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors salary is worth about $78,420 in national-average purchasing power.

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.