Marriage and Family Therapy: What You’ll Earn

Read about salary and job outlook predictions for marriage and family therapists.

therapist hands with pen and client hands explaining issues

Median Annual Marriage and Family Therapist Salary

Marriage and family therapists focus on how people interact within marriage and family units, rather than the traditional emphasis on the individual. A marriage and family therapist generally takes a holistic, or mind-body, approach to his or her duties, working together with clients to solve issues and establish a plan of action for resolution of domestic problems. Here are some statistics on salaries, job growth, and employers.

Take a look at median annual salaries for MFTs, as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, by state.

Marriage and Family Therapists

National data

Median Salary: $63,780

Projected job growth: 12.6%

10th Percentile: $42,610

25th Percentile: $48,600

75th Percentile: $85,020

90th Percentile: $111,610

Projected job growth: 12.6%

State data

State	Median Salary	Bottom 10%	Top 10%
Alabama	$54,280	$37,820	$79,920
Alaska	$62,220	$46,040	$88,590
Arizona	$52,420	$48,580	$64,450
Arkansas	$47,090	$41,120	$71,020
California	$63,780	$44,430	$121,700
Colorado	$69,990	$43,750	$126,700
Connecticut	$76,930	$45,910	$163,810
Delaware	$63,360	$49,840	$81,830
Florida	$50,220	$34,860	$156,570
Georgia	$58,830	$28,910	$98,100
Hawaii	$135,870	$48,660	N/A
Illinois	$60,140	$50,210	$102,850
Indiana	$51,710	$43,420	$77,720
Iowa	$61,450	$42,120	$169,590
Kansas	$66,620	$44,320	$78,020
Kentucky	$60,190	$36,250	$95,350
Maine	$68,670	$52,160	$90,740
Maryland	$65,300	$48,550	$141,420
Massachusetts	$62,290	$47,760	$90,070
Michigan	$52,890	$38,970	$82,400
Minnesota	$72,370	$48,020	$99,130
Mississippi	$51,260	$49,520	$58,550
Missouri	$64,900	$38,080	$116,840
Montana	$37,150	$32,290	$72,900
Nebraska	$68,550	$37,020	$112,120
Nevada	N/A	N/A	N/A
New Hampshire	$57,220	$44,490	$80,300
New Jersey	$89,030	$60,050	$107,240
New Mexico	$67,990	$52,250	$85,060
New York	$65,020	$47,450	$87,040
North Carolina	$53,910	$42,000	$81,440
North Dakota	$58,180	$35,090	$113,040
Ohio	$63,880	$40,230	$154,770
Oklahoma	$56,450	$39,100	$83,480
Oregon	$79,890	$59,770	$137,950
Pennsylvania	$64,570	$48,000	$90,800
South Carolina	$51,440	$33,270	$73,540
South Dakota	$51,190	$37,670	$59,930
Tennessee	$45,660	$31,000	$60,820
Texas	$45,690	$36,830	$79,220
Utah	$81,170	$39,240	$116,680
Vermont	$61,060	$53,840	$76,840
Virginia	$80,670	$42,790	$121,780
Washington	$59,660	$52,710	$100,250
West Virginia	$48,180	$27,280	$64,880
Wisconsin	$34,700	$34,250	$70,200

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) 2024 median salary; projected job growth through 2034. Actual salaries vary depending on location, level of education, years of experience, work environment, and other factors. Salaries may differ even more for those who are self-employed or work part time.

How does a marriage and family therapist’s salary compare to other counseling careers?

Career	Median Annual Salary
Marriage and Family Therapists	$63,780
Rehabilitation Counselors	$46,110
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors	$59,190
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors	$65,140

What is my earning potential?

Marriage and family therapists in the top 10% may earn more than $111,610 annually according to the BLS. Those working in private practice generally earn a higher income than their counterparts, but the BLS reports that most MFTs are employed within individual and family services industries and organizations.

Is there demand for this career?

According to the BLS, career employment for marriage and family therapists is expected to grow much faster than average as more people turn to professionals to help them cope with relationship and family issues and the stress of daily obstacles such as depression, substance abuse, behavioral problems and infidelity, among others.

What is the job growth for the field?

Employment of marriage and family therapists is expected to grow 12.6% through 2034, which is much faster than the national average for all occupations. National long-term projections of employment growth may not reflect local and/or short-term economic or job conditions, and do not guarantee actual job growth. Take a look at what some of the other counseling occupations can expect as far as job growth:

Job Outlook Comparison through 2034

School and Career Counselors—3.5%
Mental Health Counselors—16.8%
Substance Abuse Counselors—16.8%
Rehabilitation Counselors—1.4%

How much competition will I face for a job?

Although states such as California have suffered layoffs and budget cuts in health care, the Veteran’s Administration has been hiring MFTs. So finding a job may largely depend on where you seek employment.

What kinds of companies hire MFTs?

According to the BLS, marriage and family therapists are most frequently employed by the following types of industries or offices:

Individual and family services
State Government
Outpatient Care Centers
Offices of Other Health Practitioners

How do I advance in my MFT career?

Some MFTs go on and earn a Licensed Clinical Social Work (LCSW) degree. This allows them to move past therapy-only practice and attain the flexibility to become an administrator.

Other MFTs may decide to earn a Doctor of Marriage and Family Therapy (DMFT), which is similar to a PhD but is a practitioner-oriented program that differs in that it prepares professionals to contribute to their chosen specialty in the clinical rather than academic arena. Degree-holders can then work as top-level practitioners, agency administrators, clinical supervisors or senior clinicians.

To learn more about the education required before becoming a therapist, read more about marriage and family degrees.