2023 Marriage and Family Therapists Salary Report

2023 Salary Report for Marriage and Family Therapists

The average salary for Marriage and Family Therapists is $59,660. The three states that pay Marriage and Family Therapists the most are Utah ($86,490), New Jersey ($81,330) and Colorado ($73,040).

When adjusted for cost-of-living, the states that pay Marriage and Family Therapists the highest average annual salary are Utah ($90,736), New Jersey ($73,165) and Colorado ($71,002).

When adjusted for cost-of-living the three states that pay Marriage and Family Therapists the least are Louisiana ($41,048), Washington ($45,846) and Nebraska ($45,925).

The following table shows the average yearly salary for Marriage and Family Therapists in each state and the average yearly salary after being adjusted for the cost-of-living (COLA) in that state.

The three states with the highest positive cost-of-living gap are Kentucky ($6,512), Mississippi ($6,387) and West Virginia ($5,961).

State	Salary	COLA	Gap
Utah	$86,490	$90,736	$4,246
New Jersey	$81,330	$73,165	-$8,165
Colorado	$73,040	$71,002	-$2,038
Minnesota	$68,660	$69,621	$961
Nevada	$66,600	$68,617	$2,017
Connecticut	$64,190	$62,055	-$2,135
Hawaii	$62,440	$55,755	-$6,685
New York	$62,210	$56,447	-$5,763
Wisconsin	$60,190	$64,588	$4,398
California	$59,320	$53,742	-$5,578
Oregon	$59,300	$57,786	-$1,514
Arizona	$58,360	$58,908	$548
Oklahoma	$58,210	$63,743	$5,533
Kentucky	$57,210	$63,722	$6,512
Texas	$56,950	$57,213	$263
Maryland	$56,840	$53,386	-$3,454
South Carolina	$56,480	$61,626	$5,146
Michigan	$56,300	$59,868	$3,568
New Mexico	$56,070	$61,232	$5,162
Ohio	$54,600	$59,548	$4,948
Delaware	$54,540	$55,727	$1,187
Massachusetts	$53,940	$50,205	-$3,735
Idaho	$53,870	$59,068	$5,198
Illinois	$53,560	$53,304	-$256
Virginia	$53,550	$53,030	-$520
Indiana	$52,340	$56,584	$4,244
Pennsylvania	$51,260	$52,542	$1,282
North Dakota	$50,980	$55,389	$4,409
Wyoming	$50,950	$55,224	$4,274
New Hampshire	$50,370	$48,568	-$1,802
Iowa	$49,920	$54,827	$4,907
Washington	$49,220	$45,846	-$3,374
Georgia	$48,280	$51,068	$2,788
Missouri	$47,930	$51,822	$3,892
Kansas	$47,470	$51,397	$3,927
North Carolina	$46,900	$51,067	$4,167
Florida	$46,410	$46,083	-$327
Alabama	$46,220	$51,787	$5,567
Mississippi	$45,880	$52,267	$6,387
South Dakota	$45,020	$49,191	$4,171
Tennessee	$43,560	$47,271	$3,711
West Virginia	$43,550	$49,511	$5,961
Nebraska	$42,660	$45,925	$3,265
Louisiana	$38,060	$41,048	$2,988

Salary Range by Education and Experience

About 50% of Marriage and Family Therapists in the United States earn between $42,910 and $75,410 with an experience level that ranges between 5 to 14 years.

About 10% of Marriage and Family Therapists in the U.S. earn more than $96,520, a rate for highly educated and experienced Marriage and Family Therapists.

Approximately 10% of Marriage and Family Therapists in the United States earn under $37,050, a rate generally reserved for less experienced or entry level Marriage and Family Therapists.

%	Years	Employed	Annual Salary
10%	Less than a Year	5,480	Under $37,050
15%	2 – 4 years	8,220	$37,050 – $42,910
25%	5 – 9 years	13,700	$42,910 – $49,880
25%	10 – 14 years	13,700	$49,880 – $75,410
15%	15 – 20 years	8,220	$75,410 – $96,520
10%	20+ years	5,480	Above $96,520

Salary Compared to Related Professions

With an average annual salary of $59,660, Marriage and Family Therapists in the United States tend to earn less than Industrial Organizational Psychologists ($113,320), Clinical and Counseling Psychologists ($99,640), Forensic Psychologists ($98,010), Psychology Teachers ($88,390), School Psychologists ($82,770), and Health Care Social Workers ($62,310).

However, Marriage and Family Therapists tend to earn more than Substance Abuse Counselors ($53,490), and Social Workers ($54,880).

Title	Annual Salary
Industrial Organizational Psychologists	$113,320
Clinical and Counseling Psychologists	$99,640
Forensic Psychologists	$98,010
Psychology Teachers	$88,390
School Psychologists	$82,770
Health Care Social Workers	$62,310
Marriage and Family Therapists	$59,660
Social Workers	$54,880
Substance Abuse Counselors	$53,490

State-by-State Demand for Marriage and Family Therapists in 2030

The U.S. Department of Labor projects that by the year 2030, the total demand for Marriage and Family Therapists will be 85,100 with an average yearly openings of 8,500.

The three states needing the most Marriage and Family Therapists are California (32,700), New Jersey (4,840) and Pennsylvania (2,590).

The three states needing the highest percentage of new Marriage and Family Therapists are Arizona (39.2%), Colorado (38.4%) and Georgia (35.7%).

In the table below, find the states, sorted from highest to lowest, with the highest demand for Marriage and Family Therapists in 2030.

State	2020	2030	% Change	Yearly Openings
California	29,600	32,700	10.5%	3,170
New Jersey	5,000	4,840	-3.2%	440
Pennsylvania	2,300	2,590	12.6%	250
New York	1,740	2,230	28.2%	230
Illinois	2,070	2,220	7.2%	210
Minnesota	1,490	1,720	15.4%	170
Maryland	1,370	1,670	21.9%	170
Tennessee	1,190	1,490	25.2%	150
Arizona	1,020	1,420	39.2%	150
Utah	1,110	1,420	27.9%	150
Indiana	1,160	1,370	18.1%	140
Colorado	860	1,190	38.4%	120
Massachusetts	1,000	1,140	14%	110
Oklahoma	740	840	13.5%	80
Iowa	670	820	22.4%	80
Virginia	720	820	13.9%	80
Idaho	640	800	25%	80
Nevada	600	720	20%	70
North Carolina	450	560	24.4%	60
Kentucky	480	560	16.7%	60
Washington	380	480	26.3%	60
Wisconsin	410	460	12.2%	50
Oregon	350	440	25.7%	40
Nebraska	330	370	12.1%	40
Alabama	320	340	6.3%	30
Kansas	300	310	3.3%	30
New Mexico	240	270	12.5%	30
Ohio	240	270	12.5%	30
Michigan	210	240	14.3%	20
Hawaii	200	240	20%	20
Missouri	180	200	11.1%	20
Georgia	140	190	35.7%	20
North Dakota	130	160	23.1%	20
West Virginia	130	160	23.1%	20
South Dakota	140	150	7.1%	10
Mississippi	130	150	15.4%	10
Arkansas	100	120	20%	10
Louisiana	80	90	12.5%	10
New Hampshire	40	40	0%	0

Projected Demand for Psychology Professions to 2030

The U.S. Department of Labor projects that the three professions needing the most new psychologists in the United States by 2030 are Substance Abuse Counselors (402,600), Social Workers (377,400) and Health Care Social Workers (209,300).

The three professions needing the highest percentage of new psychologists in the United States by 2030 are Substance Abuse Counselors (22.9%), Marriage and Family Therapists (16.3%) and Health Care Social Workers (13.2%).

Title	2020	2030	Change	% Change	Avg. Yearly Openings
Social Workers	335,300	377,400	42,100	12.6%	36,700
Substance Abuse Counselors	327,500	402,600	75,100	22.9%	41,000
Health Care Social Workers	184,900	209,300	24,400	13.2%	20,400
Marriage and Family Therapists	73,200	85,100	11,900	16.3%	8,500
Forensic Psychologists	55,200	56,300	1,100	2%	3,700
Psychology Teachers	44,100	48,600	4,500	10.2%	4,700
Industrial Organizational Psychologists	4,900	5,000	100	2%	300

10 Highest-Paying Cities

The top ten cities where Marriage and Family Therapists are paid the highest average yearly salary in the United States are shown in the table below.

The top three cities with the highest Marriage and Family Therapists salary in the United States are are Kingston ($114,090), Salt Lake City ($90,670) and Provo-Orem ($86,260).

When adjusted for the cost-of-living (COLA) the three cities that pay psychologists the most in the United States are are Kingston ($112,315), Salt Lake City ($92,786) and Provo-Orem ($89,976).

City / Metro	Average Yearly Salary	Cost-of-Living Adjusted
Kingston	$114,090	$112,315
Salt Lake City	$90,670	$92,786
Provo-Orem	$86,260	$89,976
Ogden-Clearfield	$85,450	$89,740
Trenton	$83,940	$80,867
St. George	$81,270	$86,503
Yuba City	$79,560	$79,960
Boulder	$79,440	$77,442
Vallejo-Fairfield	$78,350	$72,265
Atlantic City-Hammonton	$78,120	$79,771

10 Highest-Paying Rural Areas

The top ten nonmetropolitan areas where Marriage and Family Therapists are paid the highest average annual salary in the United States are shown in the table below.

The three rural areas in the United States with the highest Marriage and Family Therapists salary are Southeast Minnesota ($68,660), Northwest Colorado ($65,120) and Southeast Oklahoma ($64,030).

When adjusted for the cost-of-living (COL) the three rural areas in the United States with the highest annual salary are Southeast Minnesota ($77,494), Southeast Oklahoma ($73,547) and Northwest Minnesota ($69,470).

Rural Areas	Yearly Salary	COL Adjusted
Southeast Minnesota	$68,660	$77,494
Northwest Colorado	$65,120	$68,117
Southeast Oklahoma	$64,030	$73,547
Southwest Colorado	$63,130	$66,036
Northwest Minnesota	$61,550	$69,470
Eastern New Mexico	$60,430	$69,110
South Central Kentucky	$58,850	$68,414
Central Kentucky	$58,540	$68,054
Southeast Coastal North Carolina	$56,110	$64,920
Southwest Minnesota	$55,050	$62,133

State-by-State Marriage and Family Therapists Salary Summaries

See state-by-state summaries for the average annual salary, average hourly salary, cost-of-living adjusted salaries, current employment, 2030 projected employment, and the state’s current cost of living index.

Find links to the highest paid city reports and state salary reports.

Frequently Asked Questions About Marriage and Family Therapists Salaries

Official Data Sources for Marriage and Family Therapists: Salary Data | Projected Employment | Cost of Living Data