Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors in District of Columbia
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$48,269
after federal, FICA and District of Columbia tax
Tax takes
$12,181
20.2% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$43,562
District of Columbia costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in District of Columbia — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$60,450
Kept after tax
$48,269
Worth in national money
$43,562
State rank
21
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. District of Columbia is 21 of 51 states for this job, with a middle wage of $60,450. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 390 occupations District of Columbia reports figures for, this is number 277.
- The wage here flatters the reality. From $60,450 the take-home is $48,269. But District of Columbia costs more than the national average, so that money behaves more like $43,562 would elsewhere. Worth knowing before comparing offers across states. The average is higher, $69,180, because the best-paid pull it up.
- District of Columbia ranks 21 of 51 for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors at $60,450. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- In District of Columbia's occupational distribution, substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors sits at 277 of 390 — neither quartile. This local position is what a resident compares against, and it is determined by the state's own labor market rather than by national patterns for this occupation.
- Retained pay after federal, FICA and District of Columbia income tax is $48,269 for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors, from $60,450. The state's price level exceeds the national average, so the price-adjusted equivalent is $43,562. ⚠️ This is purchasing power and not a wage; cross-state offer comparisons that stop at the nominal figure systematically overvalue high-cost states. The mean of $69,180 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
Choose your filing status and local taxes, compare pay, and keep a shortlist.Compare wage and personal-pay outcomes by state, with selected resident local taxes and saved career choices.
Pay band: Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $43,060 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $60,450 |
| Top tenth earn over | $107,980 |
| This salary | $60,450 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in District of Columbia | $48,269 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $50,752 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$8,665 |
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $57,360 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$10,479 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 111 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- A median is the middle, not an offer. Half of substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors in District of Columbia earn under $60,450 and half over. The published range runs $43,060 at the tenth percentile to $107,980 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind District of Columbia's $48,269, worked from $60,450. That is on purpose. It lets states be compared with each other, not with each other's family circumstances. Local city taxes are left out. Locally this work ranks 277 of 390.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $43,562 uses one figure for the whole of District of Columbia. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 390 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 277.
- Figures are distribution medians for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors in District of Columbia, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $43,060 to $107,980; within-state dispersion of that width routinely exceeds the dispersion between states, so tenure, employer and metropolitan area predict an individual's pay better than geography does.
- The District of Columbia take-home of $48,269, on $60,450 for work ranking 277 of 390 locally, models the simplest household deliberately: holding it constant is what makes the interstate comparison meaningful. It also means the absolute figure overstates liability for most real filers, and municipal income taxes are outside the model entirely. The occupation ranks 277 of 390 in the state.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $43,562, worked from $60,450, deflates by a statewide parity that conceals substantial intra-state variation, concentrated in housing — so it supports comparison between states rather than the pricing of a move to a particular District of Columbia address, on work sitting at 277 of 390 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
No — it is the middle. Half of these workers earn more and half earn less. The average is $69,180, pulled upward by the top of the range, which is why the middle is the fairer number to plan against.
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
The label is broader than the work. From $43,060 at the bottom tenth to $107,980 at the top, the same title covers roles that share little beyond a name.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
A larger wage in a dearer place is not automatically more. Adjusted for local prices, this pay behaves like $43,562 of national purchasing power.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; District of Columbia then takes its own share, leaving $48,269.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
How does the published median differ from the mean for this occupation?
The median is the midpoint of the distribution; the mean for this occupation in District of Columbia is $69,180. Wage distributions are right-skewed, so the mean exceeds the median wherever a minority earn substantially more. BLS publishes both because substituting one for the other misstates a typical worker's pay.
What drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($43,060) and the ninetieth ($107,980) exceeds the family median dispersion. SOC codes aggregate roles differing in seniority, industry and specialisation, and BLS does not disaggregate below the detailed occupation level, so within-title variance is not separable from the published series.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
District of Columbia's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $43,562 in national-average terms. ⚠️ RPPs are an all-items index; housing parities vary far more widely than the headline figure.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $48,269 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and District of Columbia income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.