Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors Salary in St. Louis, MO
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area earn a median $60,160 a year — 6% less than the national median. After 2026 taxes, that is $48,628 take-home, or $4,052 a month.
Take-home pay calculator
Pre-filled with the median educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors salary in St. Louis, MO. Enter your own offer to see your paycheck.
- Federal income tax$5,039
- Social Security (6.2%)$3,730
- Medicare (1.45%)$872
- Missouri income tax$1,890
- Take-home pay$48,628
Marginal rate: 12% federal + 4.70% state
Living in St. Louis? City residents also pay St. Louis’s Earnings Tax — about $602 a year on this salary — which lowers take-home pay to $48,027 ($4,002 a month). Choose “St. Louis” under City income tax in the calculator. Suburban residents usually don’t pay it.
The St. Louis, MO-IL metro spans Missouri, Illinois. 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 St. Louis, MO
| Percentile | Salary | Hourly | Take-home / yr | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile (entry level) | $45,400 | $21.83 | $37,462 | $3,122 |
| 25th percentile | $48,770 | $23.45 | $40,012 | $3,334 |
| Median (50th) | $60,160 | $28.92 | $48,628 | $4,052 |
| 75th percentile | $74,870 | $36.00 | $58,919 | $4,910 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $91,530 | $44.00 | $69,857 | $5,821 |
Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Take-home: single filer, Missouri resident, 2026 tax rules.
What $60,160 buys in St. Louis, MO
Prices in St. Louis, MO are 4.9% lower than the U.S. average (housing costs are 21% below the national average). Adjusted for local prices, a median educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors's $48,628 take-home pay has the buying power of $51,140 in a typical American city.
Rents: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2026 (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities). Price levels: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
St. Louis, MO has 1.2× the national concentration of educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors jobs — a strong local market for this occupation.
Best-paying cities for educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors, adjusted for cost of living
St. Louis, MO ranks #22 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 |
| 22 | St. Louis, MO | $60,160 | $48,628 | $51,140 |
*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.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors make in St. Louis, MO?
The median educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors salary in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area is $60,160 a year, or about $28.92 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). The middle half earn between $48,770 and $74,870.
What is a educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors’s take-home pay in St. Louis, MO?
On the median $60,160 salary, a single filer living in Missouri takes home about $48,628 a year ($4,052 a month) after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and $1,890 in Missouri taxes in 2026.
Is St. Louis, MO a good place to work as a educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors?
Pay here is 6% below the national median of $64,330. Local prices are 4.9% below the U.S. average, so the take-home pay buys what $51,140 would in a typical U.S. city. St. Louis, MO ranks #22 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 St. Louis, MO?
HUD’s fair market rent for a one-bedroom in St. Louis, MO is $989 a month ($1,211 for two bedrooms) — 24% of a median educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors’s monthly take-home pay. Financial planners usually suggest keeping rent under about 30%.