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Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors Salary in Oregon

SOC 21-1018 · Oregon · BLS OEWS May 2025

Median Annual Salary
$74,589
$35.86/hr
25.7% higher than the US national median ($59,342)
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026

Is this a competitive Substance Abuse salary in Oregon in 2026?

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

$Competitive · ~P50
P10$50K
P25$60K
P50$75K
P75$87K
P90$103K
Drag the dot or type an amount above.
⚡
Demand: ACTIVE. Demand is active -- professional & business services openings are at 5.0% (JOLTS, August 2026). A balanced market where the median is a solid, competitive anchor.
📈
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 $74,589 to $86,798 (market median to the 75th percentile). The median-to-P75 range keeps offers competitive.
Figures are market benchmarks from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; apply professional judgment before making pay decisions.

How Substance Abuse pay is moving in 2026

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

Pay trend

Median pay for this role rose 0.2% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, trailing the 2.5% wage growth of Professional & Business Services (BLS ECI).

Hiring demand · MODERATE

Professional & Business Services is running a 5.0% job-openings rate with quits at 2.1% (BLS JOLTS). The openings rate has drifted down from 5.8% to 5.0% over the past quarter.

Pay spread

Top earners (P90) make about 2.5 times what entry-level (P10) workers make in this role. That spread is in the typical range for U.S. occupations; standard 80% to 120% pay bands around the median work well.

What changed recently
  • Sep 29, 2026JOLTS August 2026: sector openings eased to 5.0% (down 119K). BLS revised July up from 4.8% to 5.5%, so last month's third straight decline did not happen. Quits recovered to 2.1%; layoffs fell 56K.
  • Sep 1, 2026JOLTS July 2026: sector openings fell for a third month to 4.8% (June revised to 5.1%), and hires dropped 188K, the largest pullback of any sector. Quits slid to 1.8%.
  • 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%.

Commentary is generated from published BLS figures (OEWS May 2025 vs May 2024, JOLTS August 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 median salary for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors in Oregon is $74,589 per year ($35.86/hr). This is 25.7% higher than the national median of $59,342.

Wage Percentiles: Oregon

Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours) · National adjusted
PercentileHourly RateAnnual Salaryvs National
P10Entry level$23.97$49,858+28.0%
P25$28.91$60,133+27.6%
P50MEDIAN$35.86$74,589+25.7%
P75$41.73$86,798+13.4%
P90Top earners$49.44$102,835+5.4%

How Oregon compares for Substance Abuse

Computed from this state's own BLS distribution against national

Pay for Substance Abuse in Oregon sits above the national range at every level: +28.0% at entry, +25.7% at the median and +5.4% at the top. The gap is larger at entry than at the top.

An offer at the national median of $59,342 would sit at about the 24th percentile in Oregon.

The top of the range earns 2.06 times the bottom here against 2.51 times nationally, so pay for this role is more compressed between entry and senior levels in Oregon.

Oregon employs 8,160 people in this role, 1.7% of the national total.

Median for this role, nearby on the pay ladder
Oregon (this page)$74,589
Colorado$62,400
Ordered by BLS median. Shows only states with published local data for this role.
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P10–P90 breakdown, career outlook, industry wages, and JOLTS market signal for Substance Abuse
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Career Outlook

BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+16.8%
Much faster than average
Annual openings
48K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
484K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
17% from new growth83% 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 2 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
IndustryWorkforce Median Pay
Offices of Other Health Practitioners
NAICS 621300
107K$58,240
Outpatient Care Centers
NAICS 621400
98K$59,390
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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the median substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors salary in Oregon?

The median (P50) annual salary for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors in Oregon is approximately $74,589, based on BLS OEWS May 2025 data. This is 25.7% higher than the national median of $59,342. For the full P10–P90 breakdown and market context, open CompSignal.

Related Roles in Oregon

Same sector, top 5 by employment
Social and Human Service Assistants21-1093View salary →Child, Family, and School Social Workers21-1021View salary →Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors21-1012View salary →Healthcare Social Workers21-1022View salary →Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers21-1023View salary →Browse all 770+ occupations →
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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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