Quick answer: The Trenton metro employs about 440 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
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 New Jersey licensing and pay overview for the statewide picture, and confirm current requirements with your state education agency and counseling licensure board.
Schools Near You
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.
How we rank schools – graduation rate, graduate earnings, cost and retention.
Advertising plays no part.
This page lists 10 schools
within 50 miles, closest group first, then ordered by
BOC Score with the highest at the top.
10 of them carry a score.
LOCAL RANK
Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate how often students finish
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry whether it paid off
25%
Average net price what students actually pay after aid; lower ranks higher
20%
Retention rate how many come back for year two
15%
Fully online availability whether you can study while working
10%
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.
#1
Rutgers University-New Brunswick
📍
New Brunswick, NJ
•25.3 miles away•BOC Score
79.1
What Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors Earn in Trenton
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors in the Trenton area earn a median $77,320 per year, above the national median of $64,330 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
School and Career Counseling Pay in Trenton, NJ
Metric
Trenton metro
New Jersey
National
Median annual wage
$77,320
$77,910
$64,330
10th percentile
$49,670
$57,850
$45,020
25th percentile
$60,380
$64,160
$51,270
75th percentile
$97,300
$98,490
$82,870
90th percentile
$102,840
$108,500
$104,770
Employment
440
8,190
353,310
Location quotient
0.8
-
1.00
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Metro figures cover the Trenton-Princeton, NJ metropolitan statistical area.
What the Numbers Say About This Market
The Trenton median of $77,320 is above the national median of $64,330, and below the New Jersey statewide median of $77,910 (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.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors make in Trenton?
The median annual wage for educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors in the Trenton-Princeton, NJ metro area is $77,320, above the national median of $64,330 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
How many educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors work in the Trenton area?
The Trenton-Princeton, NJ metro area employs about 440 educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Do educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors in Trenton need a license?
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.
Can I study school and career counseling online from Trenton?
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.
Is Trenton a better market than the rest of New Jersey?
The Trenton metro median is $77,320 against a statewide median of $77,910 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Compare that gap with the difference in living costs before treating it as a raise.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 - Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors (SOC 21-1012), national, state and metropolitan estimates
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2024-34
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook - education and licensing requirements
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/.
