Occupation salary profile

Genetic Counselors

SOC 29-9092 BLS OEWS May 2025 H-1B LCAs, last 12 months

Assess individual or family risk for a variety of inherited conditions, such as genetic disorders and birth defects. Provide information to other healthcare providers or to individuals and families concerned with the risk of inherited conditions. Advise individuals and families to support informed decisionmaking and coping methods for those at risk. May help conduct research related to genetic conditions or genetic counseling.

National median · BLS
$100,040
▲ +1.14% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
$93,558
▲ +2.6% YoY · 37 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$104,620
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
3,740
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 Genetic Counselors

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 37 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$78,270$74,485
25th$88,900$81,203
Median (50th)$100,040$93,558
75th$116,140$102,211
90th — top pay$138,760$114,738
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $93,558 for Genetic Counselors — 6.5% below the BLS national median of $100,040.

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

Job outlook for Genetic Counselors

BLS projects employment of genetic counselors to grow 10.4% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 300 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
4,200 → 4,600
+400 jobs
Projected change
+10.4%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
300
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Master's degree
No related experience required
Self-employed
7.6% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 5)
Extensive Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Fastest-growing jobs → Best-paying jobs that need a master'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 $93,558
Change vs prior year +2.6%
After inflation (CPI-U) -0.51%
Wage level LCAs Share P25 Median P75
Level I 19 51.4% $76,970 $81,453 $100,362
Level II 12 32.4% $84,905 $93,558 $95,831
H-1B job titles

Salaries by job title in Genetic Counselors

The 1 most-filed job titles inside SOC 29-9092, from 37 H-1B filings. Seniority words and level numbers are grouped (“Senior Data Engineer II” counts as Data Engineer). Tap a title for its full range, wage levels and the exact titles employers used.

Job title LCAs Share P25 Median P75 YoY
Genetic Counselor 24 64.86% $81,390 $93,568 $107,892 +2.72%

Titles are cleaned from the employer's own LCA text (codes and typos removed, nothing invented). Rows need 10+ filings in this SOC.

Skills & tools

Skills needed for Genetic 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 Listening4.1
  • Reading Comprehension4.1
  • Active Learning4.0
  • Complex Problem Solving4.0
  • Critical Thinking4.0
  • Social Perceptiveness4.0
  • Speaking4.0
  • Writing4.0
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.4
  • Coordination3.1
Top knowledge areas
  • Biology4.8
  • Therapy and Counseling4.6
  • English Language4.5
  • Medicine and Dentistry4.5
  • Psychology4.5
  • Customer and Personal Service4.0
  • Education and Training3.6
  • Mathematics3.5
Software and technology used
Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft AccessMicrosoft WordBenetech PRABRCAPROBreast Cancer Risk Assessment ToolCancerGeneCyrillicSoftware CyrillicDatabase softwareFileMaker ProFtreeJurek Software Pedigree-DrawMedgen PEDPedHunterPediDraw

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 genetic counselors do

  • Provide counseling to patient and family members by providing information, education, or reassurance.
  • Analyze genetic information to identify patients or families at risk for specific disorders or syndromes.
  • Provide genetic counseling in specified areas of clinical genetics, such as obstetrics, pediatrics, oncology and neurology.
  • Discuss testing options and the associated risks, benefits and limitations with patients and families to assist them in making informed decisions.
  • Interview patients or review medical records to obtain comprehensive patient or family medical histories, and document findings.
  • Provide patients with information about the inheritance of conditions such as cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, and various forms of cancer.
  • Interpret laboratory results and communicate findings to patients or physicians.
  • Write detailed consultation reports to provide information on complex genetic concepts to patients or referring physicians.
Also called
Certified Genetic Counselor (CGC)Clinical Genetic CounselorGenetic Services CoordinatorLab Genetic Counselor (Laboratory Genetic Counselor)Cardiovascular Genetics CounselorHereditary Cancer Program CoordinatorMedical Science LiaisonPediatric Genetics Clinical CoordinatorPrenatal Genetic CounselorReproductive Genetic Counseling Coordinator
More job titles for this occupation (8)
Cancer Genetic CounselorCancer Program ConsultantChromosomal Disorders CounselorClinical ReviewerGenetic CoordinatorGenetic Counseling Medical SpecialistMitochondrial Disorders CounselorPediatric Genetic 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.