Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors Salary — Riverside, California

The average Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors in Riverside, California earns $98,450 a year.

$98,450 / year, mean
↑ 35.0% above national average 60th percentile in California

Riverside sits roughly in the middle of the pack for this role within California — neither a standout nor a laggard. That's a substantial premium — this metro pays far more for educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors than the U.S. average. Cost of living here is close to the national average — not a major factor either way. This is a high-confidence estimate, based on a large sample of reported wages.

Percentile within California

0th 50th 100th
Employment (this metro)
3,800
Estimate confidence
RSE 1.7%
Cost of living 106 #19 most expensive of 188 cities in this dataset 100 = U.S. average · Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
Crime index 2124 #140 safest of 188 cities in this dataset Per 100k residents · Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer
Median home value $585,378 #18 priciest of 188 cities in this dataset Source: zillow_real
Median household income $86,031 #35 highest of 188 cities in this dataset Source: Census Bureau ACS 5-year

Combining these four figures gives a fuller picture than salary alone: Riverside ranks #19 for cost of living and #18 for home prices among the 188 cities in this pilot dataset, which matters as much as the headline salary number when comparing where to live.

El Centro $130,820 Napa $103,800 Bremerton $103,720 Oxnard $102,220 San Jose $101,010 Santa Rosa $100,610 Sacramento $100,190 Hanford $100,040 Salinas $99,630 Yuba City $99,480 Fresno $98,540 Riverside $98,450 San Francisco $97,610 Visalia $95,880 San Luis Obispo $95,660 Vallejo $94,080 Mount Vernon $93,990 Bakersfield $93,780 Modesto $93,680 San Diego $92,410 Kennewick $92,300 Yakima $92,290 Chico $91,470 Seattle $90,420 Santa Maria $90,180 Los Angeles $89,980 Stockton $88,260 Odessa $87,600 Merced $87,530 Bend $87,160 Santa Cruz $85,700 Eagle Pass $85,360 Wenatchee $84,630 Longview $83,650 New York $83,390 Olympia $82,680 Bloomington $82,420 Portland $81,960 Kingston $81,780 Naples $81,310 Kiryas Joel $81,180 Bellingham $80,800 Salem $80,010 Atlantic City $80,000 McAllen $78,850 Trenton $78,260 Spokane $77,780 Medford $77,660 Baltimore $77,560 Albany $76,340 Redding $75,950 York $75,560 Brownsville $75,290 Dallas $74,780 Lexington Park $74,770 Sebastian $74,690 Gettysburg $74,620 Louisville $74,500 Vineland $74,440 Houston $74,310 Chicago $74,160 Midland $73,870 Elizabethtown $73,630 Killeen $73,130 Chambersburg $72,540 Victoria $72,330 Philadelphia $72,190 Sherman $72,100 Virginia Beach $71,750 Eugene $71,330 Walla Walla $71,070 Winchester $70,660 Salisbury $70,520 Wichita Falls $70,420 Albany $70,190 Richmond $70,100 Allentown $69,750 Lubbock $69,540 Syracuse $69,430 Dover $69,050 Glens Falls $68,500 Lancaster $68,070 Tyler $68,020 El Paso $68,000 Buffalo $67,710 Binghamton $67,410 Waco $67,220 Lansing $67,190 Hagerstown $67,100 Lebanon $66,980 Harrisburg $66,730 Detroit $66,650 Charlottesville $66,310 Williamsport $66,160 Utica $66,020 Lafayette $65,800 Lexington $65,770 Fort Myers $65,680 Ithaca $65,640 Longview $65,510 Crestview $65,310 Pittsburgh $65,300 Panama City $65,270 Staunton $65,230 Battle Creek $65,060 Corvallis $65,060 Laredo $65,020 Watertown $64,940 Roanoke $64,760 Rockford $64,360 Saginaw $64,300 Austin $64,140 Reading $64,030 Amarillo $63,990 Beaumont $63,740 Texarkana $63,700 Sarasota $63,590 Altoona $63,550 Palm Bay $63,450 Ann Arbor $63,400 Rochester $63,390 Port St. Lucie $63,260 Blacksburg $62,980 Indianapolis $62,930 Monroe $62,650 Corpus Christi $62,580 San Antonio $62,540 State College $62,540 Springfield $62,500 Peoria $62,410 Owensboro $62,160 Muskegon $62,070 Ocala $62,030 Paducah $61,810 Kalamazoo $61,760 Champaign $61,620 Tampa $61,180 Fort Wayne $60,950 Bowling Green $60,900 Traverse City $60,840 Scranton $60,590 San Angelo $60,530 Miami $60,470 Harrisonburg $60,170 Erie $60,150 Huntington $59,320 Bay City $59,310 Jacksonville $59,220 Sebring $58,910 Abilene $58,870 Lynchburg $58,860 Deltona $58,570 Elmira $58,540 Decatur $58,210 Kankakee $58,140 Terre Haute $58,070 South Bend $57,540 Evansville $57,530 Wheeling $57,380 Midland $57,340 Flint $56,730 Lakeland $56,670 Grand Rapids $56,620 Bloomington $56,390 Jackson $56,160 Parkersburg $56,080 Weirton $55,980 Johnstown $55,880 Elkhart $55,870 Beckley $55,660 Niles $55,620 Morgantown $55,410 Kokomo $54,600 Pensacola $54,510 Orlando $52,980 Charleston $51,330 Muncie $51,260 College Station $50,850 Michigan City $50,600 Gainesville $49,810 Tallahassee $47,550
CityMean salaryvs. Riverside
Abilene, Texas$58,870-40.2%
Albany, Oregon$76,340-22.5%
Albany, New York$70,190-28.7%
Allentown, Pennsylvania$69,750-29.2%
Altoona, Pennsylvania$63,550-35.4%
Amarillo, Texas$63,990-35.0%
Ann Arbor, Michigan$63,400-35.6%
Atlantic City, New Jersey$80,000-18.7%
Austin, Texas$64,140-34.9%
Bakersfield, California$93,780-4.7%
Baltimore, Maryland$77,560-21.2%
Battle Creek, Michigan$65,060-33.9%
Bay City, Michigan$59,310-39.8%
Beaumont, Texas$63,740-35.3%
Beckley, West Virginia$55,660-43.5%
Bellingham, Washington$80,800-17.9%
Bend, Oregon$87,160-11.5%
Binghamton, New York$67,410-31.5%
Blacksburg, Virginia$62,980-36.0%
Bloomington, Illinois$56,390-42.7%
Bloomington, Indiana$82,420-16.3%
Bowling Green, Kentucky$60,900-38.1%
Bremerton, Washington$103,720+5.4%
Brownsville, Texas$75,290-23.5%
Buffalo, New York$67,710-31.2%
Fort Myers, Florida$65,680-33.3%
Chambersburg, Pennsylvania$72,540-26.3%
Champaign, Illinois$61,620-37.4%
Charleston, West Virginia$51,330-47.9%
Charlottesville, Virginia$66,310-32.6%
Chicago, Illinois$74,160-24.7%
Chico, California$91,470-7.1%
College Station, Texas$50,850-48.3%
Corpus Christi, Texas$62,580-36.4%
Corvallis, Oregon$65,060-33.9%
Crestview, Florida$65,310-33.7%
Dallas, Texas$74,780-24.0%
Decatur, Illinois$58,210-40.9%
Deltona, Florida$58,570-40.5%
Detroit, Michigan$66,650-32.3%
Dover, Delaware$69,050-29.9%
Eagle Pass, Texas$85,360-13.3%
El Centro, California$130,820+32.9%
Elizabethtown, Kentucky$73,630-25.2%
Elkhart, Indiana$55,870-43.3%
Elmira, New York$58,540-40.5%
El Paso, Texas$68,000-30.9%
Erie, Pennsylvania$60,150-38.9%
Eugene, Oregon$71,330-27.5%
Evansville, Indiana$57,530-41.6%
Flint, Michigan$56,730-42.4%
Fort Wayne, Indiana$60,950-38.1%
Fresno, California$98,540+0.1%
Gainesville, Florida$49,810-49.4%
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania$74,620-24.2%
Glens Falls, New York$68,500-30.4%
Grand Rapids, Michigan$56,620-42.5%
Hagerstown, Maryland$67,100-31.8%
Hanford, California$100,040+1.6%
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania$66,730-32.2%
Harrisonburg, Virginia$60,170-38.9%
Houston, Texas$74,310-24.5%
Huntington, West Virginia$59,320-39.7%
Indianapolis, Indiana$62,930-36.1%
Ithaca, New York$65,640-33.3%
Jackson, Michigan$56,160-43.0%
Jacksonville, Florida$59,220-39.8%
Johnstown, Pennsylvania$55,880-43.2%
Kalamazoo, Michigan$61,760-37.3%
Kankakee, Illinois$58,140-40.9%
Kennewick, Washington$92,300-6.2%
Killeen, Texas$73,130-25.7%
Kingston, New York$81,780-16.9%
Kiryas Joel, New York$81,180-17.5%
Kokomo, Indiana$54,600-44.5%
Lafayette, Indiana$65,800-33.2%
Lakeland, Florida$56,670-42.4%
Lancaster, Pennsylvania$68,070-30.9%
Lansing, Michigan$67,190-31.8%
Laredo, Texas$65,020-34.0%
Lebanon, Pennsylvania$66,980-32.0%
Lexington, Kentucky$65,770-33.2%
Lexington Park, Maryland$74,770-24.1%
Longview, Texas$65,510-33.5%
Longview, Washington$83,650-15.0%
Los Angeles, California$89,980-8.6%
Louisville, Kentucky$74,500-24.3%
Lubbock, Texas$69,540-29.4%
Lynchburg, Virginia$58,860-40.2%
McAllen, Texas$78,850-19.9%
Medford, Oregon$77,660-21.1%
Merced, California$87,530-11.1%
Miami, Florida$60,470-38.6%
Michigan City, Indiana$50,600-48.6%
Midland, Michigan$57,340-41.8%
Midland, Texas$73,870-25.0%
Modesto, California$93,680-4.8%
Monroe, Michigan$62,650-36.4%
Morgantown, West Virginia$55,410-43.7%
Mount Vernon, Washington$93,990-4.5%
Muncie, Indiana$51,260-47.9%
Muskegon, Michigan$62,070-37.0%
Napa, California$103,800+5.4%
Naples, Florida$81,310-17.4%
New York, New York$83,390-15.3%
Niles, Michigan$55,620-43.5%
Sarasota, Florida$63,590-35.4%
Ocala, Florida$62,030-37.0%
Odessa, Texas$87,600-11.0%
Olympia, Washington$82,680-16.0%
Orlando, Florida$52,980-46.2%
Owensboro, Kentucky$62,160-36.9%
Oxnard, California$102,220+3.8%
Paducah, Kentucky$61,810-37.2%
Palm Bay, Florida$63,450-35.6%
Panama City, Florida$65,270-33.7%
Parkersburg, West Virginia$56,080-43.0%
Pensacola, Florida$54,510-44.6%
Peoria, Illinois$62,410-36.6%
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania$72,190-26.7%
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania$65,300-33.7%
Portland, Oregon$81,960-16.7%
Port St. Lucie, Florida$63,260-35.7%
Reading, Pennsylvania$64,030-35.0%
Redding, California$75,950-22.9%
Richmond, Virginia$70,100-28.8%
Roanoke, Virginia$64,760-34.2%
Rochester, New York$63,390-35.6%
Rockford, Illinois$64,360-34.6%
Sacramento, California$100,190+1.8%
Saginaw, Michigan$64,300-34.7%
Salem, Oregon$80,010-18.7%
Salinas, California$99,630+1.2%
Salisbury, Maryland$70,520-28.4%
San Angelo, Texas$60,530-38.5%
San Antonio, Texas$62,540-36.5%
San Diego, California$92,410-6.1%
San Francisco, California$97,610-0.9%
San Jose, California$101,010+2.6%
San Luis Obispo, California$95,660-2.8%
Santa Cruz, California$85,700-13.0%
Santa Maria, California$90,180-8.4%
Santa Rosa, California$100,610+2.2%
Scranton, Pennsylvania$60,590-38.5%
Seattle, Washington$90,420-8.2%
Sebastian, Florida$74,690-24.1%
Sebring, Florida$58,910-40.2%
Sherman, Texas$72,100-26.8%
South Bend, Indiana$57,540-41.6%
Spokane, Washington$77,780-21.0%
Springfield, Illinois$62,500-36.5%
State College, Pennsylvania$62,540-36.5%
Staunton, Virginia$65,230-33.7%
Stockton, California$88,260-10.4%
Syracuse, New York$69,430-29.5%
Tallahassee, Florida$47,550-51.7%
Tampa, Florida$61,180-37.9%
Terre Haute, Indiana$58,070-41.0%
Texarkana, Texas$63,700-35.3%
Traverse City, Michigan$60,840-38.2%
Trenton, New Jersey$78,260-20.5%
Tyler, Texas$68,020-30.9%
Utica, New York$66,020-32.9%
Vallejo, California$94,080-4.4%
Victoria, Texas$72,330-26.5%
Vineland, New Jersey$74,440-24.4%
Virginia Beach, Virginia$71,750-27.1%
Visalia, California$95,880-2.6%
Waco, Texas$67,220-31.7%
Walla Walla, Washington$71,070-27.8%
Watertown, New York$64,940-34.0%
Weirton, West Virginia$55,980-43.1%
Wenatchee, Washington$84,630-14.0%
Wheeling, West Virginia$57,380-41.7%
Wichita Falls, Texas$70,420-28.5%
Williamsport, Pennsylvania$66,160-32.8%
Winchester, Virginia$70,660-28.2%
Yakima, Washington$92,290-6.3%
York, Pennsylvania$75,560-23.3%
Yuba City, California$99,480+1.0%
Gross salary
98,450/yr
Estimated take-home
73,026/yr
Est. total withheld
25.8%

Single filer, federal + California state tax + FICA, 2025 rates. Does not include state-specific payroll withholdings beyond income tax (see Data transparency). Not tax advice — verify with a professional for your specific situation.

View cost of living in this state All Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors salaries in California → All Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors salaries →
Community reality check

Community reality check for Riverside

These notes add local color around Riverside, California: comfort ranges, budget constraints and location trade-offs reported in public discussions.

Relocation gap2.0× calculator gap
City comparison anecdotal

Discussion highlights that calculators may imply roughly 2x gross income for comparable standard of living, while some employers offer only about 10% location premiums. Tech total compensation can be an exception, so the page should distinguish salary from total compensation.

2.0×calculator multiplier10%HCOL premium cited$200KAtlanta TC example$450KBay Area TC example

Anecdotal public-discussion signals, not official salary data, rent data or financial advice. Read this alongside the official figures on the page.

Data transparency

Sources used for this page

Official occupation and area metadata behind the visible salary, cost, housing and safety signals.

Occupation 21-1012 SOC code
Official area Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA BLS metro/geographic area
Area code 40140 Stable geographic key
Reference year 2025 BLS OEWS
Cost: bea_realHousing: zillow_realCrime: latest availableNet-pay source: ca_ftb_verificado 2025
Metro also includes
San BernardinoOntario
No additional caveats are attached to this row.
Methodology

How this page is built

The salary figure is the mean annual wage reported by the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program for this occupation and metro area. Percentile and national-average comparisons are calculated directly from the 188 cities currently in this dataset, not from a fixed external benchmark. Cost of living, crime and housing figures come from BEA, FBI and Zillow respectively — see "Data transparency" above for the exact sources and reference years used on this specific page.

Confidence: the RSE (relative standard error) shown under Overview indicates how reliable the salary estimate is for this metro — a lower RSE means a larger underlying sample.

On this page

Where this is

AK HI

Highlighted: California

Population (metro area)
4,637,725