Occupation salary profile

Credit Counselors

SOC 13-2071 BLS OEWS May 2025 H-1B LCAs, last 12 months

Advise and educate individuals or organizations on acquiring and managing debt. May provide guidance in determining the best type of loan and explain loan requirements or restrictions. May help develop debt management plans or student financial aid packages. May advise on credit issues, or provide budget, mortgage, bankruptcy, or student financial aid counseling.

National median · BLS
$52,230
▲ +3.47% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
$60,000
▲ +4.81% YoY · 20 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$57,210
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
27,770
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.

Pay range for Credit Counselors

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 20 certified Labor Condition Applications filed by sponsoring employers in the last 12 months.

Percentile All U.S. workers (BLS) H-1B sponsored
10th — entry pay$38,350$43,583
25th$45,720$57,200
Median (50th)$52,230$60,000
75th$64,080$68,612
90th — top pay$80,440$72,780
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $60,000 for Credit Counselors — 14.9% above the BLS national median of $52,230.

Hourly ⇄ annual pay

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Based on hrs/week × weeks/year = 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Credit Counselors

BLS projects employment of credit counselors to grow 3.3% from 2025 to 2035, about the same as the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 2,000 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
31,200 → 32,300
+1,000 jobs
Projected change
+3.3%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
2,000
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Self-employed
0.9% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 4)
Considerable Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Fastest-growing jobs → Best-paying jobs that need a bachelor's degree →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035 · BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook →

H-1B sponsored pay

Pay by H-1B wage level

Employers assign every H-1B filing a Department of Labor prevailing-wage level, from Level I (entry) to Level IV (fully competent). Pay rises steeply with level.

H-1B median $60,000
Change vs prior year +4.81%
After inflation (CPI-U) +1.63%
Wage level LCAs Share P25 Median P75
Level I 14 70% $56,400 $58,000 $60,240
Skills & tools

Skills needed for Credit Counselors

How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.

Top skills
  • Active Listening3.9
  • Critical Thinking3.9
  • Reading Comprehension3.9
  • Speaking3.9
  • Active Learning3.8
  • Complex Problem Solving3.8
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.8
  • Writing3.8
  • Service Orientation3.6
  • Persuasion3.3
Top knowledge areas
  • Customer and Personal Service4.5
  • English Language3.9
  • Administrative3.8
  • Education and Training3.5
  • Economics and Accounting3.5
  • Mathematics3.3
  • Administration and Management3.0
  • Computers and Electronics3.0
Software and technology used
Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft WordMicrosoft AccessOracle PeopleSoftSAP softwareChat softwareCooperative Processing Resources DMS Professional SuiteCoreLogic DebtorTraceEmail softwareFreddie Mac Loan ProspectorICCO CreditSoftIntegrant DebtLogicLexisNexisLexisNexis AccurintMerlin Information Services databases

Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

About the job

What credit counselors do

  • Create debt management plans, spending plans, or budgets to assist clients to meet financial goals.
  • Assess clients' overall financial situations by reviewing income, assets, debts, expenses, credit reports, or other financial information.
  • Calculate clients' available monthly income to meet debt obligations.
  • Recommend strategies for clients to meet their financial goals, such as borrowing money through loans or loan programs, declaring bankruptcy, making budget adjustments, or enrolling in debt management plans.
  • Advise clients or respond to inquiries about financial matters in person or via phone, email, Web site, or Internet chat.
  • Explain general financial topics to clients, such as credit report ratings, bankruptcy laws, consumer protection laws, wage attachments, or collection actions.
  • Interview clients by telephone or in person to gather financial information.
  • Maintain or update records of client account activity, including financial transactions, counseling session notes, correspondence, document images, or client inquiries.
Also called
Accredited Financial CounselorCertified Credit CounselorFinancial CoachHousing CounselorBudget Credit CounselorCertified Consumer Credit and Housing CounselorCertified Credit ConsultantCertified Financial CoachCertified Personal Finance CounselorFinancial Health Counselor
More job titles for this occupation (22)
Branch Credit CounselorBudget CounselorConsumer Credit CounselorCredit Balance SpecialistCredit Card SpecialistCredit RepresentativeCredit Services RepresentativeCredit Services SpecialistCredit SpecialistCredit Support CounselorCredit Support SpecialistDebt CounselorDebt Management CounselorFinancial Aid CounselorHome Lending AdvisorLoan AdvisorLoan ServicerMortgage AdvisorMortgage CounselorMortgage Loan CounselorStudent Financial Aid CounselorStudent Loan Counselor

Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.