Quick answer: The Jacksonville metro employs about 1,390 educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors (BLS OEWS, May 2025), and licensing is set at the state level, through your state education agency and counseling licensure board.
Compare school and career counseling programs enrolling now:
Licensing is a state matter, not a city one. School counselor certification is issued by state education agencies rather than by a single national body, which makes this one of the more state-bound credentials on the site. The common reference point is a master’s degree from a CACREP-accredited program. Some states additionally require teaching experience or a teaching credential first, and reciprocity between states varies, so the order of steps matters.
See the Florida licensing and pay overview for the statewide picture, and confirm current requirements with your state education agency and counseling licensure board.
Schools in our database near this area, ranked by BOC Score. The list favors schools with a related program on record, but program availability and delivery format change, so confirm directly with any school that it currently offers the program you want.
This page lists 6 schools within 163 miles, closest group first, then ordered by BOC Score with the highest at the top. 6 of them carry a score.
Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal about the institution rather than about this subject. Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors in the Jacksonville area earn a median $55,520 per year, below the national median of $64,330 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
| Metric | Jacksonville metro | Florida | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual wage | $55,520 | $53,140 | $64,330 |
| 10th percentile | $40,200 | $38,290 | $45,020 |
| 25th percentile | $48,060 | $46,800 | $51,270 |
| 75th percentile | $73,730 | $66,800 | $82,870 |
| 90th percentile | $76,760 | $82,780 | $104,770 |
| Employment | 1,390 | 22,800 | 353,310 |
| Location quotient | 0.8 | - | 1.00 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Metro figures cover the Jacksonville, FL metropolitan statistical area.
The Jacksonville median of $55,520 is below the national median of $64,330, and above the Florida statewide median of $53,140 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
The metro’s location quotient of 0.8 means educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors are less concentrated here than in the average U.S. labor market (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Higher concentration generally means more employers competing for the same people, and an easier job change later.
Counselor and advisor demand tracks school-age population, district staffing levels and the number of colleges and workforce agencies in the area.
| Metro area | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Miami | $57,110 | 6,250 |
| Orlando | $48,840 | 3,620 |
| Tampa | $56,060 | 3,230 |
| Gainesville | $47,600 | 1,540 |
| Tallahassee | $46,900 | 1,120 |
| Lakeland | $58,320 | 640 |
| North Port | $61,670 | 550 |
| Cape Coral | $56,760 | 480 |
Figures: BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Wage and employment figures describe the occupation as measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, not the graduates of any particular program, and individual outcomes may vary. Licensing rules change; confirm current requirements with the responsible state board before enrolling.
The median annual wage for educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors in the Jacksonville, FL metro area is $55,520, below the national median of $64,330 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
The Jacksonville, FL metro area employs about 1,390 educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Licensing is handled at state level rather than by city. School counselor certification is issued by state education agencies rather than by a single national body, which makes this one of the more state-bound credentials on the site. The common reference point is a master's degree from a CACREP-accredited program. Some states additionally require teaching experience or a teaching credential first, and reciprocity between states varies, so the order of steps matters. Confirm current requirements with your state education agency and counseling licensure board.
The academic portion of these programs is widely available online for working adults, while labs, clinical hours or supervised field work are completed in person. Check that the program's accreditation satisfies your state education agency and counseling licensure board.
The Jacksonville metro median is $55,520 against a statewide median of $53,140 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Compare that gap with the difference in living costs before treating it as a raise.
About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.
