Careers / Credit Counselors

Credit Counselors — Career Decision Dashboard

United States

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Median annual wage

$52,230

United States, 2025

Employment

27,770

United States, 2025

Typical education

Not recorded

Job Zone 4

Skills identified

35

10 related careers

Career overview

Advise and educate individuals or organizations on acquiring and managing debt. May provide guidance in determining the best type of loan and explain loan requirements or restrictions. May help develop debt management plans or student financial aid packages. May advise on credit issues, or provide budget, mortgage, bankruptcy, or student financial aid counseling.

O*NET code
13-2071.00
Job zone
4
Experience required
Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years

Typical tasks

  • Create debt management plans, spending plans, or budgets to assist clients to meet financial goals.
  • Assess clients' overall financial situations by reviewing income, assets, debts, expenses, credit reports, or other financial information.
  • Calculate clients' available monthly income to meet debt obligations.
  • Recommend strategies for clients to meet their financial goals, such as borrowing money through loans or loan programs, declaring bankruptcy, making budget adjustments, or enrolling in debt management plans.
  • Advise clients or respond to inquiries about financial matters in person or via phone, email, Web site, or Internet chat.
  • Explain general financial topics to clients, such as credit report ratings, bankruptcy laws, consumer protection laws, wage attachments, or collection actions.
  • Interview clients by telephone or in person to gather financial information.
  • Maintain or update records of client account activity, including financial transactions, counseling session notes, correspondence, document images, or client inquiries.

Choose a location

Salary analysis — United States

$38,350
10th
$45,720
25th
$52,230
Median
$64,080
75th
$80,440
90th

10th percentile

$38,350

25th percentile

$45,720

75th percentile

$64,080

90th percentile

$80,440

Most important skills

  • Active Listening3.9
  • Reading Comprehension3.9
  • Critical Thinking3.9
  • Speaking3.9
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.8
  • Writing3.8
  • Complex Problem Solving3.8
  • Active Learning3.8
  • Service Orientation3.6
  • Social Perceptiveness3.3
  • Persuasion3.3
  • Learning Strategies3.1

What skills do you need?

Select the skills you already have

Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.

Skill coverage

0%

0 of 18 identified skills

Matched

0

Missing

18

Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.

Skills to develop

SkillImportanceRequired levelYour levelGap
Active Listening3.94.0Not selected4.0
Reading Comprehension3.94.0Not selected4.0
Critical Thinking3.94.0Not selected4.0
Speaking3.94.0Not selected4.0
Writing3.83.8Not selected3.8
Active Learning3.83.8Not selected3.8
Service Orientation3.63.6Not selected3.6
Judgment and Decision Making3.83.4Not selected3.4
Complex Problem Solving3.83.4Not selected3.4
Social Perceptiveness3.33.6Not selected3.6
Persuasion3.33.6Not selected3.6
Learning Strategies3.13.1Not selected3.1
Systems Evaluation3.13.1Not selected3.1
Negotiation3.13.1Not selected3.1
Mathematics3.13.1Not selected3.1
Time Management3.03.1Not selected3.1
Coordination3.03.1Not selected3.1
Monitoring3.03.0Not selected3.0

Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.

Related careers

How salary varies by location

LocationMedianEmploymentYear
San Francisco, CA$82,5702102025
San Jose, CA$80,6801202025
Sacramento, CA$76,9301102025
San Diego, CA$67,1202002025
CA$67,1202,1602025
Fresno, CA$66,660602025
Boulder, CO$65,540402025
Los Angeles, CA$65,2108302025
Riverside, CA$64,7501902025
Seattle, WA$64,3803502025
Atlanta, GA$64,0803802025
Boston, MA$64,0806202025
GA$64,0804602025
DC$63,5801102025
MA$63,2407702025
New York, NY$63,1701,6102025
NY$63,0302,0202025
Ithaca, NY$62,750402025
Omaha, NE$62,5201902025
NE$62,5102602025
All locations with published data

Career transition paths

Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Credit Counselors to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.

Build a transition comparison

Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0.

Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).

Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.