Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors Salary in Philadelphia, PA
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area earn a median $66,190 a year — 3% more than the national median. After 2026 taxes, that is $53,332 take-home, or $4,444 a month.
Take-home pay calculator
Pre-filled with the median educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors salary in Philadelphia, PA. Enter your own offer to see your paycheck.
- Federal income tax$5,763
- Social Security (6.2%)$4,104
- Medicare (1.45%)$960
- Pennsylvania income tax$2,032
- Take-home pay$53,332
Marginal rate: 12% federal + 3.07% state
Living in Philadelphia? City residents also pay Philadelphia’s Resident Wage Tax — about $2,476 a year on this salary — which lowers take-home pay to $50,856 ($4,238 a month). Choose “Philadelphia” under City income tax in the calculator. Suburban residents usually don’t pay it.
The Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro spans Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland. Pick the state you live in — state income tax follows your residence.
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 Philadelphia, PA
| Percentile | Salary | Hourly | Take-home / yr | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile (entry level) | $48,340 | $23.24 | $39,537 | $3,295 |
| 25th percentile | $56,820 | $27.32 | $46,090 | $3,841 |
| Median (50th) | $66,190 | $31.82 | $53,332 | $4,444 |
| 75th percentile | $86,860 | $41.76 | $67,269 | $5,606 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $100,910 | $48.51 | $76,722 | $6,394 |
Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Take-home: single filer, Pennsylvania resident, 2026 tax rules.
What $66,190 buys in Philadelphia, PA
Prices in Philadelphia, PA are 2.6% higher than the U.S. average (housing costs are 1.13× the national average). Adjusted for local prices, a median educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors's $53,332 take-home pay has the buying power of $52,003 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 Philadelphia, PA as in the U.S. overall (location quotient 1.07).
Best-paying cities for educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors, adjusted for cost of living
Philadelphia, PA ranks #21 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 |
| 21 | Philadelphia, PA | $66,190 | $53,332 | $52,003 |
*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
- Pittsburgh, PA — $59,560
Frequently asked questions
How much does a educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors make in Philadelphia, PA?
The median educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors salary in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area is $66,190 a year, or about $31.82 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). The middle half earn between $56,820 and $86,860.
What is a educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors’s take-home pay in Philadelphia, PA?
On the median $66,190 salary, a single filer living in Pennsylvania takes home about $53,332 a year ($4,444 a month) after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and $2,032 in Pennsylvania taxes in 2026.
Is Philadelphia, PA a good place to work as a educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors?
Pay here is 3% above the national median of $64,330. Local prices are 2.6% above the U.S. average, so the take-home pay buys what $52,003 would in a typical U.S. city. Philadelphia, PA ranks #21 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 Philadelphia, PA?
HUD’s fair market rent for a one-bedroom in Philadelphia, PA is $1,520 a month ($1,810 for two bedrooms) — 34% of a median educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors’s monthly take-home pay. Financial planners usually suggest keeping rent under about 30%.