Utah School Counselor
School counselors in Utah earn a median salary of $62,500 per year and work with students from kindergarten through 12th grade. The state projects 490 job openings annually through 2032, with a 29.2% growth rate. You’ll need a master’s degree in school counseling, supervised fieldwork, and a Utah School Counselor (K-12) license to practice.
Utah Links
Utah has 3,680 school counselors working across its K-12 public and private schools. The state’s approach to school counseling is structured and framework-driven, with a strong emphasis on college and career readiness — and demand for qualified counselors is growing fast. You’ll need a school counseling master’s program aligned with Utah’s licensure requirements before you can practice.
What School Counselors Do in Utah
Utah school counselors work within the Utah College and Career Readiness School Counseling Program Model, a framework developed through the Utah State Board of Education and the Utah School Counselor Association. It organizes the role around four core areas: academic development, career planning, social-emotional support, and responsive services — language aligned with both the ASCA National Model and Utah’s own framework.
In practice, a counselor’s week looks different from day to day. Take Mia, a junior at a high school in West Jordan. She’s been cutting class and her grades have slipped. Her counselor doesn’t just send a warning notice — she sits down with Mia, learns that her part-time job expanded after a parent’s hours were cut, and works with her teachers to arrange a temporary adjusted schedule while connecting the family to district support resources. That’s what responsive services look like on the ground.
Beyond individual student support, Utah counselors run data-driven programs. They track academic trends across their caseload, identify students who’ve fallen behind on graduation requirements, and develop targeted interventions to close equity gaps. The USBE framework requires counselors to demonstrate program effectiveness through data, which means this role involves more planning and documentation than it might have a decade ago.
Caseload sizes vary significantly by district. In larger urban districts, counselors may manage 400 or more students. That volume makes the prioritization work demanding, and it’s worth going in with realistic expectations about what any one counselor can accomplish in a day.
Job Outlook in Utah
Utah’s job market for school counselors is notably strong. The state projects 490 annual job openings through 2032, driven by a 29.2% employment growth rate from 2022 to 2032. That’s well above the national average and reflects Utah’s ongoing population growth and expanding K-12 enrollment.
There were 3,680 school counselors employed in Utah as of May 2024. Districts along the Wasatch Front, Salt Lake, Davis, Jordan, and Canyons, tend to post the most openings given their size, and some rural districts have actively recruited to fill open positions.
School Counselor Salary in Utah
Utah’s median salary for school counselors is $62,500 per year, modestly below what school counselors nationally earn at a median of $65,140. The gap narrows in the Salt Lake City metro, where the median reaches $71,440. The full range across the state runs from under $39,000 at the 10th percentile to just over $100,000 at the 90th.
| Percentile | Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $38,990 |
| 25th | $49,400 |
| Median (50th) | $62,500 |
| 75th | $82,780 |
| 90th | $100,940 |
| Metro Area | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | $71,440 |
| Ogden, UT | $65,280 |
| Logan, UT-ID | $60,290 |
| Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT | $59,680 |
| St. George, UT | $59,270 |
- Strong job growth — Utah projects 490 annual openings through 2032, with a 29.2% growth rate that ranks among the highest in the country.
- Framework-driven work — Utah counselors follow the state’s College and Career Readiness model, which structures the role around data, student planning, and equity.
- Salary varies by region — The statewide median is $62,500, but Salt Lake City counselors earn a median of $71,440.
- High caseloads are common — Especially in larger districts, counselors may manage 400 or more students. It’s demanding work, and worth going in with realistic expectations.
Ready to explore your path to becoming a Utah school counselor?
