Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors
Also called: Addictions Counselor, Chemical Dependency Counselor (CD Counselor), Counselor, SA Counselor (Substance Abuse Counselor)Counsel and advise individuals with alcohol, tobacco, drug, or other problems, such as gambling and eating disorders. May counsel individuals, families, or groups or engage in prevention programs.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 9 of its 23 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 18.4% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
BLS figures cover the broader occupation “Substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors”, which includes this one and others.
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 2.1% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 5.0 hires for every 10 job openings in health care and social assistance, which employs about 82% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.5.0 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $47,310 | $39,430 to $62,670 | not published |
| Alaska | $80,770 | $65,710 to $97,960 | 1,290 |
| Arizona | $65,300 | $51,510 to $78,110 | 9,990 |
| Arkansas | $51,580 | $38,940 to $67,240 | 2,570 |
| California | $59,250 | $47,640 to $80,570 | 75,610 |
| Colorado | $62,390 | $49,920 to $80,980 | 14,920 |
| Connecticut | $63,590 | $49,250 to $80,040 | 7,540 |
| Delaware | $56,020 | $43,760 to $64,790 | 1,700 |
| District of Columbia | $60,450 | $46,920 to $83,570 | 1,260 |
| Florida | $56,790 | $46,590 to $73,030 | 29,750 |
| Georgia | $58,960 | $46,340 to $72,500 | 9,600 |
| Hawaii | $60,090 | $50,290 to $77,200 | 2,110 |
| Idaho | $63,360 | $47,060 to $81,800 | 2,990 |
| Illinois | $60,730 | $47,390 to $80,070 | 20,250 |
| Indiana | $53,760 | $42,210 to $66,340 | 11,890 |
| Iowa | $60,880 | $48,420 to $77,220 | 3,530 |
| Kansas | $59,470 | $44,370 to $73,630 | 2,600 |
| Kentucky | $54,190 | $41,730 to $72,590 | 7,690 |
| Louisiana | $37,910 | $33,970 to $55,370 | 6,420 |
| Maine | $59,970 | $48,090 to $73,410 | 1,930 |
| Maryland | $59,530 | $50,030 to $73,220 | 9,730 |
| Massachusetts | $59,890 | $47,540 to $76,950 | 18,190 |
| Michigan | $61,690 | $47,990 to $77,650 | 10,100 |
| Minnesota | $58,780 | $48,910 to $65,430 | 7,110 |
| Mississippi | $46,990 | $38,760 to $58,560 | 2,090 |
| Missouri | $56,910 | $44,140 to $72,280 | 8,130 |
| Montana | $59,000 | $46,170 to $74,010 | 1,820 |
| Nebraska | $63,770 | $47,040 to $81,740 | 2,170 |
| Nevada | $57,210 | $48,170 to $77,120 | 1,810 |
| New Hampshire | $54,840 | $46,580 to $69,420 | 3,690 |
| New Jersey | $62,820 | $49,290 to $81,900 | 14,210 |
| New Mexico | $74,100 | $60,300 to $89,800 | 2,420 |
| New York | $59,450 | $48,160 to $73,710 | 26,770 |
| North Carolina | $55,490 | $45,100 to $68,610 | 10,300 |
| North Dakota | $68,630 | $55,450 to $77,320 | 1,290 |
| Ohio | $58,360 | $47,660 to $68,850 | 18,020 |
| Oklahoma | $59,350 | $41,930 to $79,620 | 5,150 |
| Oregon | $74,590 | $60,130 to $86,800 | 8,160 |
| Pennsylvania | $52,010 | $43,210 to $65,280 | 30,620 |
| Puerto Rico | $46,790 | $35,740 to $47,950 | 100 |
| Rhode Island | $65,120 | $47,470 to $79,300 | 2,170 |
| South Carolina | $52,370 | $43,070 to $65,070 | 6,300 |
| South Dakota | $53,650 | $45,650 to $62,660 | 1,710 |
| Tennessee | $49,580 | $39,160 to $61,160 | 9,040 |
| Texas | $62,630 | $45,290 to $79,200 | 21,400 |
| Utah | $63,890 | $39,040 to $93,560 | 6,320 |
| Vermont | $61,810 | $56,730 to $72,020 | 1,120 |
| Virginia | $59,880 | $47,390 to $77,870 | 17,940 |
| Washington | $68,910 | $56,280 to $90,970 | 14,250 |
| West Virginia | $49,430 | $42,730 to $61,560 | 2,100 |
| Wisconsin | $62,220 | $52,420 to $77,520 | 8,340 |
| Wyoming | $62,980 | $46,300 to $80,310 | 910 |
Nationally: $59,350. State figures are for BLS's “Substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors”. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 9 of its 23 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI alone | Attend training sessions to increase knowledge and skills. | Not published |
| Not much | Counsel clients or patients, individually or in group sessions, to assist in overcoming dependencies, adjusting to life, or making changes. | Not published |
| AI + software | Complete and maintain accurate records or reports regarding the patients' histories and progress, services provided, or other required information. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Intervene as an advocate for clients or patients to resolve emergency problems in crisis situations. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Review and evaluate clients' progress in relation to measurable goals described in treatment and care plans. | Not published |
| AI + software | Plan or implement follow-up or aftercare programs for clients to be discharged from treatment programs. | Not published |
See all 23 tasks
| Not much | Participate in case conferences or staff meetings. | Not published |
| AI + software | Develop client treatment plans based on research, clinical experience, and client histories. | 0.01% |
| Not much | Coordinate counseling efforts with mental health professionals or other health professionals, such as doctors, nurses, or social workers. | Not published |
| Not much | Interview clients, review records, and confer with other professionals to evaluate individuals' mental and physical condition and to determine their suitability for participation in a specific program. | Not published |
| AI alone | Provide clients or family members with information about addiction issues and about available services or programs, making appropriate referrals when necessary. | Not published |
| Not much | Modify treatment plans to comply with changes in client status. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Supervise or direct other workers providing services to clients or patients. | Not published |
| AI alone | Instruct others in program methods, procedures, or functions. | Not published |
| Not much | Counsel family members to assist them in understanding, dealing with, and supporting clients or patients. | Not published |
| AI + software | Develop, implement, or evaluate public education, prevention, or health promotion programs, working in collaboration with organizations, institutions, or communities. | Not published |
| Not much | Act as liaisons between clients and medical staff. | Not published |
| Not much | Coordinate activities with courts, probation officers, community services, or other post-treatment agencies. | Not published |
| Not much | Confer with family members or others close to clients to keep them informed of treatment planning and progress. | Not published |
| Not much | Train or supervise student interns or new staff members. | Not published |
| AI alone | Conduct chemical dependency program orientation sessions. | Not published |
| Not much | Assess individuals' degree of drug dependency by collecting and analyzing urine samples. | Not published |
| AI + software | Follow progress of discharged patients to determine effectiveness of treatments. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 4 of the 23 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 23 tasks fall under 19 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #4 Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise
- #5 Provide information or assistance to the public
- #20 Present research or technical information
- and 1 more, in the table below
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Confer with healthcare or other professionals about patient care | |||
| Counsel others about personal matters | |||
| Develop patient or client care or treatment plans | |||
| Monitor health conditions of humans or animals | |||
| Train others on operational or work procedures | |||
| Supervise personnel activities | |||
| Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise | |||
| Provide information or assistance to the public |
Show all 19 activities
| Present research or technical information | |||
| Assist others to access additional services or resources | |||
| Teach academic or vocational subjects | |||
| Evaluate programs, practices, or processes | |||
| Explain medical information to patients or family members | |||
| Advocate for individual or community needs | |||
| Interview people to obtain information | |||
| Collaborate in the development of educational programs | |||
| Develop public or community health programs | |||
| Maintain health or medical records | |||
| Administer diagnostic tests to assess patient health |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- A document or report46%
- A plan or strategy18%
- Advice or a recommendation9%
- A recipe or meal plan4%
- Data or a spreadsheet3%
How they worked with Claude
46% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Education and training for the occupation
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 1% less than high school
- 4% high school
- 8% some college
- 4% associate's
- 22% bachelor's
- 56% master's
- 2% professional degree
- 2% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 3,781 people surveyed.
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
98.9% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a certification | 2.6% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | 14.3% | 2.8% |
| a license | not published |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 2 registered apprenticeships in this occupation (Certified Drug and Alcohol Counselor; Substance Use Counselor (NOF)). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/21-1011.00