Marriage and Family Therapists
SOC 21-1013 · 2024-2034
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.
How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.
The job this trains for
- Typical pay in California
- $69,184per year
- Projected openings
- 46,570
- Projected change
- +30.7%
- Usually needs
- Master's degree
Bright Outlook — a U.S. Department of Labor designation
Rapid Growth
The Department's own designation, made from its national projections. It is not this project's assessment and it is not California's: every other figure on this page comes from California's projection, which can point the other way and for some occupations does.
Skills this work uses most
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, rates how important each of these is to this work, and they are listed in that order, most important first. The ratings themselves are not shown, because the data carries the number without the scale it was measured on. The names are as published, in English.
- Active Listening
- Social Perceptiveness
- Speaking
- Service Orientation
- Complex Problem Solving
- Judgment and Decision Making
Pay by region
| Region | Typical pay in California | Projected openings |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (San Benito and Santa Clara Counties) | $91,367 | 1,490 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma MSA (Sonoma County) | $82,657 | 380 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA (Santa Cruz County) | $80,839 | 90 |
| Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) | $79,739 | 2,160 |
| Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region (Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Inyo, Mariposa, Mono, and Tuolumne Counties) | $78,466 | 50 |
| San Rafael MD (Marin County) | $76,490 | 230 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region (Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Plumas, Sierra, Siskiyou, Tehama, and Trinity Counties) | $76,360 | 110 |
| North Coast Region (Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, and Mendocino Counties) | $76,186 | 200 |
| El Centro MSA (Imperial County) | $76,021 | 80 |
| Merced MSA (Merced County) | $75,436 | 90 |
| Modesto MSA (Stanislaus County) | $75,436 | 310 |
| Bakersfield-Delano MSA (Kern County) | $75,415 | 430 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo Counties) | $74,789 | 1,630 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara MSA (Santa Barbara County) | $74,111 | 290 |
| San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD (San Francisco and San Mateo Counties) | $73,379 | 1,660 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles MSA (San Luis Obispo County) | $73,371 | 210 |
| Hanford-Corcoran MSA (Kings County) | $73,156 | 30 |
| Redding MSA (Shasta County) | $72,282 | 180 |
| Chico MSA (Butte County) | $71,902 | 160 |
| Yuba City MSA (Sutter and Yuba Counties) | $68,513 | 40 |
| Napa MSA (Napa County) | $68,287 | 160 |
| Fresno MSA (Fresno and Madera Counties) | $67,886 | 830 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) | $66,339 | 10,780 |
| Salinas MSA (Monterey County) | $65,976 | 150 |
| Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD (Orange County) | $65,510 | 3,950 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties) | $62,432 | 2,660 |
| Stockton-Lodi MSA (San Joaquin County) | $61,867 | 420 |
| Visalia MSA (Tulare County) | $59,350 | 180 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA (Ventura County) | $50,619 | 1,240 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County) | $50,280 | 5,860 |
Similar work
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, names these as occupations involving work similar to this one — its own reading of the job, not a grouping by code. They keep O*NET's order, and only those California publishes a projection for are shown.
| The job this trains for | Typical pay in California | Projected openings | Projected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers | $81,211 | 22,620 | +20.1% |
| Clinical and Counseling Psychologists | $119,247 | 9,800 | +24% |
| Child, Family, and School Social Workers | $67,025 | 60,640 | +14.1% |
| Healthcare Social Workers | $92,170 | 19,610 | +19.4% |
| Rehabilitation Counselors | $45,725 | 17,450 | +14.8% |
| Social and Human Service Assistants | $52,520 | 73,580 | +16.1% |