Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors Salary in Pittsburgh, PA
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors in the Pittsburgh, PA metro area earn a median $59,560 a year — 7% less than the national median. After 2026 taxes, that is $48,208 take-home, or $4,017 a month.
Take-home pay calculator
Pre-filled with the median educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors salary in Pittsburgh, PA. Enter your own offer to see your paycheck.
- Federal income tax$4,967
- Social Security (6.2%)$3,693
- Medicare (1.45%)$864
- Pennsylvania income tax$1,828
- Take-home pay$48,208
Marginal rate: 12% federal + 3.07% state
Living in Pittsburgh? City residents also pay Pittsburgh’s 1% city + 2% school district — about $1,787 a year on this salary — which lowers take-home pay to $46,421 ($3,868 a month). Choose “Pittsburgh” under City income tax in the calculator. Suburban residents usually don’t pay it.
Got an offer somewhere else? Compare it with this one after taxes and rent →
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors pay by experience in Pittsburgh, PA
| Percentile | Salary | Hourly | Take-home / yr | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile (entry level) | $44,920 | $21.60 | $36,894 | $3,075 |
| 25th percentile | $48,650 | $23.39 | $39,777 | $3,315 |
| Median (50th) | $59,560 | $28.63 | $48,208 | $4,017 |
| 75th percentile | $75,510 | $36.30 | $59,633 | $4,969 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $101,900 | $48.99 | $77,388 | $6,449 |
Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Take-home: single filer, Pennsylvania resident, 2026 tax rules.
What $59,560 buys in Pittsburgh, PA
Prices in Pittsburgh, PA are 5.3% lower than the U.S. average (housing costs are 28% below the national average). Adjusted for local prices, a median educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors's $48,208 take-home pay has the buying power of $50,922 in a typical American city.
Rents: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2026 (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities). Price levels: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors jobs are about as common in Pittsburgh, PA as in the U.S. overall (location quotient 1.04).
Best-paying cities for educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors, adjusted for cost of living
Pittsburgh, PA ranks #23 of 31 metro areas once taxes and local prices are taken into account.
| # | Metro area | Median salary | Take-home | Real value* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sacramento, CA | $100,930 | $73,365 | $68,778 |
| 2 | Riverside, CA | $96,780 | $70,886 | $66,596 |
| 3 | San Jose, CA | $95,390 | $70,055 | $63,442 |
| 4 | Seattle, WA | $87,280 | $70,231 | $63,196 |
| 5 | Houston, TX | $75,930 | $62,247 | $63,112 |
| 6 | Dallas, TX | $76,380 | $62,563 | $60,688 |
| 7 | San Francisco, CA | $94,600 | $69,583 | $60,186 |
| 8 | Boston, MA | $80,760 | $61,827 | $57,106 |
| 23 | Pittsburgh, PA | $59,560 | $48,208 | $50,922 |
*Take-home pay divided by the BEA price level, so every city is measured in U.S.-average dollars. See all 31 metros →
About the job: educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors
Advise and assist students and provide educational and vocational guidance services.
- Typical education
- Master's degree
- Work experience
- None required
- On-the-job training
- None
- Job outlook, 2025–35
- +2.9% (about average)
Source: BLS Standard Occupational Classification and Employment Projections, 2025–35.
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors salaries elsewhere in Pennsylvania
- Philadelphia, PA — $66,190
Frequently asked questions
How much does a educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors make in Pittsburgh, PA?
The median educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors salary in the Pittsburgh, PA metro area is $59,560 a year, or about $28.63 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). The middle half earn between $48,650 and $75,510.
What is a educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors’s take-home pay in Pittsburgh, PA?
On the median $59,560 salary, a single filer living in Pennsylvania takes home about $48,208 a year ($4,017 a month) after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and $1,828 in Pennsylvania taxes in 2026.
Is Pittsburgh, PA a good place to work as a educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors?
Pay here is 7% below the national median of $64,330. Local prices are 5.3% below the U.S. average, so the take-home pay buys what $50,922 would in a typical U.S. city. Pittsburgh, PA ranks #23 of 31 metro areas for cost-of-living-adjusted pay in this job.
Can a educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors afford rent in Pittsburgh, PA?
HUD’s fair market rent for a one-bedroom in Pittsburgh, PA is $1,058 a month ($1,281 for two bedrooms) — 26% of a median educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors’s monthly take-home pay. Financial planners usually suggest keeping rent under about 30%.