School Counselor.
Baltimore.
$68,000
median salary, 5% above the national average
$54,000 to $87,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
A School Counselor in Baltimore earns a median of $68,000 in 2026. That is 5% above the national average. The range runs from $54,000 to $87,000, and where you land depends on your experience, your skills, and how well you negotiate. State licensure requirements, school level assignment, and district funding levels drive pay variance. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page.
Salary range.
Where do you fall?
Orbyt estimate for School Counselor in Baltimore, modelled from national occupation wages adjusted for local cost of living. The published government benchmark for this occupation is below.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $74,740 for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors (SOC 21-1012) in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metropolitan area, based on 3,100 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$48,200
25th percentile
$61,030
Median
$74,740
75th percentile
$96,740
90th percentile
$106,320
Workers surveyed
3,100
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors (SOC 21-1012) rather than School Counselor specifically. The Baltimore range at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.
View the BLS source for SOC 21-1012Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $61,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$44,000
to $54,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$58,000
to $71,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$75,000
to $88,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$85,000
to $105,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $20,000 to the total package.
Base
$68,000
Equity
$12,000
Bonus
$7,000
Signing
$1,000
Estimated total: $88,000
How Baltimore compares.
Baltimore, MD
$68,000
Cost of living: 8% above average
National Average
$65,000
Baltimore is $3,000 above
School Counselor salary by city.
Salary by role in Baltimore.
What you should know.
The School Counselor landscape in Baltimore is not what most salary sites will tell you. Baltimore's economy is anchored by Johns Hopkins University and Hospital, one of the largest employers in the state. The city has strong cybersecurity, defense, and biotech sectors, benefiting from proximity to NSA, Fort Meade, and NIH. The port of Baltimore also drives significant logistics and trade employment. State licensure requirements, school level assignment, and district funding levels drive pay variance. Counselors in well-funded suburban districts or states with mandated counselor-to-student ratios earn significantly more. Advanced certifications in college counseling or trauma-informed care add salary value.
Entry-level School Counselors earn $46,000 to $52,000. Experienced counselors with five to ten years reach $58,000 to $70,000. Lead Counselors and Department Heads earn $72,000 to $85,000, while Directors of School Counseling and Student Services command $88,000 to $110,000. In Baltimore, cost of living sits near the national average, so the numbers you see are roughly what you keep.
Base salary is not the full picture. School counselors typically work 10 to 11 months, with optional summer employment adding $3,000 to $6,000. Pension benefits and comprehensive health insurance add $15,000 to $25,000 in effective value. Some districts offer tuition reimbursement for doctoral studies. And on the tax side: maryland's top income tax rate is 5.75%, and Baltimore City adds a local income tax of 3.2%. The combined burden is among the higher ones, but federal and defense salaries compensate. When someone quotes you $68,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: A security clearance is extremely valuable in the Baltimore corridor. Cleared professionals earn 20 to 30% more, and the NSA and defense contractor presence drives constant demand. The range for School Counselors in Baltimore runs from $54,000 to $87,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL). COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified July 1, 2026. Full methodology
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Common questions.
School Counselor salary in other cities.
Other salaries in Baltimore.
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Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"School Counselor Salary in Baltimore, MD." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/school-counselor/baltimore
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