Quick answer: The Charleston metro employs about 1,080 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 South Carolina 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 4 schools
within 209 miles, closest group first, then ordered by
BOC Score with the highest at the top.
4 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.
What Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors Earn in Charleston
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors in the Charleston area earn a median $62,140 per year, below the national median of $64,330 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
School and Career Counseling Pay in Charleston, SC
Metric
Charleston metro
South Carolina
National
Median annual wage
$62,140
$60,340
$64,330
10th percentile
$46,450
$39,800
$45,020
25th percentile
$51,660
$47,970
$51,270
75th percentile
$80,080
$75,780
$82,870
90th percentile
$96,790
$86,250
$104,770
Employment
1,080
6,460
353,310
Location quotient
1.21
-
1.00
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Metro figures cover the Charleston-North Charleston, SC metropolitan statistical area.
What the Numbers Say About This Market
The Charleston median of $62,140 is below the national median of $64,330, and above the South Carolina statewide median of $60,340 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
The metro’s location quotient of 1.21 means educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors are more 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 Charleston?
The median annual wage for educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors in the Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro area is $62,140, below the national median of $64,330 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
How many educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors work in the Charleston area?
The Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro area employs about 1,080 educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Do educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors in Charleston 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 Charleston?
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 Charleston a better market than the rest of South Carolina?
The Charleston metro median is $62,140 against a statewide median of $60,340 (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/.
