Careers / Marriage and Family Therapists
Marriage and Family Therapists — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$66,940
United States, 2025
Employment
66,740
United States, 2025
Typical education
Not recorded
Job Zone 5
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
Diagnose and treat mental and emotional disorders, whether cognitive, affective, or behavioral, within the context of marriage and family systems. Apply psychotherapeutic and family systems theories and techniques in the delivery of services to individuals, couples, and families for the purpose of treating such diagnosed nervous and mental disorders.
- O*NET code
- 21-1013.00
- Job zone
- 5
- Experience required
- Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years
Typical tasks
- Ask questions that will help clients identify their feelings and behaviors.
- Encourage individuals and family members to develop and use skills and strategies for confronting their problems in a constructive manner.
- Develop and implement individualized treatment plans addressing family relationship problems, destructive patterns of behavior, and other personal issues.
- Maintain case files that include activities, progress notes, evaluations, and recommendations.
- Counsel clients on concerns, such as unsatisfactory relationships, divorce and separation, child rearing, home management, or financial difficulties.
- Determine whether clients should be counseled or referred to other specialists in such fields as medicine, psychiatry, or legal aid.
- Supervise other counselors, social service staff, and assistants.
- Confer with other counselors, doctors, and professionals to analyze individual cases and to coordinate counseling services.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$44,650
25th percentile
$50,070
75th percentile
$93,840
90th percentile
$123,730
Most important skills
- Active Listening4.8
- Social Perceptiveness4.4
- Speaking4.3
- Service Orientation4.1
- Judgment and Decision Making4.0
- Reading Comprehension4.0
- Complex Problem Solving4.0
- Active Learning3.9
- Monitoring3.9
- Writing3.9
- Critical Thinking3.9
- Coordination3.8
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 20 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
20
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
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Perceptiveness | 4.4 | 5.6 | Not selected | 5.6 |
| Active Listening | 4.8 | 4.9 | Not selected | 4.9 |
| Speaking | 4.3 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Service Orientation | 4.1 | 4.3 | Not selected | 4.3 |
| Reading Comprehension | 4.0 | 4.3 | Not selected | 4.3 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 4.0 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 4.0 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Active Learning | 3.9 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Writing | 3.9 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.9 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Monitoring | 3.9 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Negotiation | 3.8 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Coordination | 3.8 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Persuasion | 3.8 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Instructing | 3.5 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Learning Strategies | 3.4 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.3 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.1 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Time Management | 3.1 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
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Compare with Marriage and Family TherapistsHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| HI | $141,960 | 220 | 2025 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | $141,960 | 190 | 2025 |
| Greensboro, NC | $109,200 | 90 | 2025 |
| Eugene, OR | $102,910 | 130 | 2025 |
| St. George, UT | $101,510 | 140 | 2025 |
| Atlanta, GA | $101,460 | — | 2025 |
| New Haven, CT | $99,070 | 30 | 2025 |
| Washington, DC | $95,460 | 260 | 2025 |
| San Jose, CA | $95,110 | 1,180 | 2025 |
| Bend, OR | $94,140 | 80 | 2025 |
| Vallejo, CA | $93,810 | 150 | 2025 |
| NJ | $92,150 | 4,040 | 2025 |
| Atlantic City, NJ | $92,150 | 270 | 2025 |
| Trenton, NJ | $92,150 | 370 | 2025 |
| GA | $91,550 | — | 2025 |
| OR | $91,520 | 850 | 2025 |
| Logan, UT | $91,260 | 110 | 2025 |
| New York, NY | $91,130 | 2,800 | 2025 |
| Waterbury, CT | $90,900 | 40 | 2025 |
| Provo, UT | $88,810 | 730 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Marriage and Family Therapists to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer 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.