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Marriage and Family Therapists Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks

SOC 21-1013 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data

Median Annual Salary
$66,934
$32.18/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026

Is this a competitive Marriage and Family Therapists salary in 2026?

Based on BLS OEWS wage percentiles, JOLTS June 2026 demand signals, and ECI Q2 2026 wage growth.

$Competitive · ~P50
P10$45K
P25$50K
P50$67K
P75$94K
P90$124K
Drag the dot or type an amount above.
🔥
Demand: HOT. Demand is hot -- professional & business services job openings are running at 5.5% (JOLTS, June 2026), a tight market. Candidates have leverage, so a competitive offer sits at or above the median; below-median offers often will not close.
📈
Merit budget: Wages in professional services are rising about 2.5% a year (BLS ECI, Q2 2026). Budget a 2.1-2.6% merit increase to hold this role at market.
Our read
For a competitive 2026 offer, target $66,934 to $93,850 (market median to the 75th percentile). Lean toward the top of the range for senior or hard-to-fill roles.
Figures are market benchmarks from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; apply professional judgment before making pay decisions.

How Marriage and Family Therapists pay is moving in 2026

Trend, demand, and spread context from BLS OEWS, JOLTS, and ECI

Pay trend

Median pay for this role rose 5.0% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, outpacing the 2.5% wage growth of Professional & Business Services (BLS ECI).

Hiring demand · HOT

Professional & Business Services is running a 5.5% job-openings rate with quits at 2.2% (BLS JOLTS). Demand has cooled for 2 straight months (6.2% down to 5.5%).

Pay spread

Top earners (P90) make about 2.8 times what entry-level (P10) workers make in this role. That spread is wider than typical, so expect large pay differences by experience, employer size, and geography; build generous ranges and differentiate strongly.

What changed recently
  • Aug 4, 2026JOLTS June 2026: sector openings eased to 5.5% (down 0.3pp), still the highest of any major sector. Quits held at 2.2%.
  • Jul 31, 2026ECI Q2 2026: sector wages growing 2.5% per year. Nationally, wages rose 3.2% while CPI hit 3.5%, so real wages turned negative.

Commentary is generated from published BLS figures (OEWS May 2025 vs May 2024, JOLTS June 2026, ECI Q2 2026) and refreshed each release. It is interpretation, not a BLS product.

Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
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The national median salary for Marriage and Family Therapists is $66,934 per year ($32.18/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $50,066 and $93,850 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $123,739 per year. There are approximately 66,740 marriage and family therapists employed in the United States.

About This Role

BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018

Diagnose and treat mental and emotional disorders, whether cognitive, affective, or behavioral, within the context of marriage and family systems. Apply psychotherapeutic and family systems theories and techniques in the delivery of services to individuals, couples, and families for the purpose of treating such diagnosed nervous and mental disorders.

Career Outlook

BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+12.6%
Much faster than average
Annual openings
8K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
78K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
13% from new growth87% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Master's degree
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Internship/residency

Industry Wage Breakdown

Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
IndustryWorkforce Median Pay
Offices of Other Health Practitioners
NAICS 621300
26K$64,430
Individual and Family Services
NAICS 624100
17K$61,060
Outpatient Care Centers
NAICS 621400
8K$75,560
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999200
4K$92,150
Offices of Physicians
NAICS 621100
4K$66,940
Wage range across top 5 industries: $61,060 to $92,150 (51% spread)

Wage Percentiles

Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
PercentileHourly RateAnnual Salary
P10$21.47$44,658
P25$24.07$50,066
P50MEDIAN$32.18$66,934
P75$45.12$93,850
P90$59.49$123,739

Market Context Signal

JOLTS · professional sector
Hot
Openings Rate
5.5%
Quits Rate
2.2%

Professional & Business Services openings eased to 1.30M in June (-71K), rate 5.5% -- still the highest of any major sector. Quits held at 2.2%. White-collar demand is cooling at the edges but remains the tightest market.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average marriage and family therapists salary?

The national median salary for Marriage and Family Therapists is $66,934 per year ($32.18/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $50,066 and $93,850 annually.

How much do top-earning marriage and family therapists make?

The 90th percentile salary for Marriage and Family Therapists is $123,739 per year ($59.49/hr). The 75th percentile is $93,850 per year.

What is the entry-level salary for marriage and family therapists?

Entry-level Marriage and Family Therapists (10th percentile) earn approximately $44,658 per year ($21.47/hr). The 25th percentile is $50,066 per year.

Related Salary Data

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Marriage and Family Therapists Salary by State

Top 5 states by employment
California34,970 workersMinnesota4,870 workersNew Jersey4,040 workersUtah2,390 workersPennsylvania2,350 workers

About This Data

Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.

P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.

Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.

Next OEWS release: May 2027Verify on BLS.gov →

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