# Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors

US SOC code 21-1012. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/21-1012

Also called: School counselor, Guidance counselor, Career counselor, Educational counselor, Academic advisor.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **353,310** US educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors, with median pay of **$64,330** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2021, the May 2025 count is the highest. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Counseling_Association) of **5,000** from 1920, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era in this work: Naviance + NCLB accountability squeeze, 2002 to 2018. NCLB reduced professional autonomy (counselors became test-prep and scheduling support staff in many schools), while Naviance and similar platforms automated the college information delivery workflow.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 2.9% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=21-1012&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **32.5%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)
- **0.0085** estimated probability that the whole occupation could be computerised, over an unspecified number of years. Not a forecast of job losses. [Frey and Osborne, 2013](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend.

## Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1908
- Latest US employment: 353,310 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [4]
- Latest US median pay: $64,330 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [8]
- Outlook: +2.9% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [20]

### In other countries

The latest figure each country's statistics agency publishes for this job. Each uses its own occupation definition, survey basis and currency, so the numbers are not directly comparable with each other or with the US figures.

- **Canada** (NOC 41320)
  - Employment, 2020: 38,550. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [5]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021: number of persons with employment income, the EXACT SUM of the cited cells for NOC 41320 + 41321 (this US occupation has no single NOC unit-group equivalent), combined as Educational and career counsellors, Canada, reference year 2020. A recipients basis (anyone with employment income during the year), slightly broader than a point-in-time employed count. A sum of cited cells, not an estimate. Statistics Canada Open Licence.
  - Median pay, 2020: C$73,500. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [10]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021 (Table 98-10-0586): median employment income for NOC 41320 Educational counsellors, the dominant constituent of the combined Educational and career counsellors (NOC 41320 + 41321), Canada, reference year 2020, full-year full-time workers (the basis comparable to the US OEWS full-time median). This is the cited median of the dominant group, not a blend of the constituent medians. Statistics Canada Open Licence.

### All 27 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1920 | 5,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Wikipedia [1] |
| 1960 | 45,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Wikipedia [2] |
| 1980 | 100,000 (estimate) | $16,000 (estimate) | Est., Wikipedia (employment) [1]; Est., BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook (pay) [6] |
| 2000 | 188,000 | $42,110 | BLS OEWS 2000 [3] |
| 2003 | 214,360 | $44,640 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [4] |
| 2004 | 220,690 | $45,570 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [4] |
| 2005 | 214,160 | $46,440 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [4] |
| 2006 | 226,720 | $47,530 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [4] |
| 2007 | 232,260 | $49,450 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [4] |
| 2008 | 243,100 | $51,050 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [4] |
| 2009 | 251,050 | $52,550 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [4] |
| 2010 | 246,890 | $53,380 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [4] |
| 2011 | 244,560 | $54,130 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [4] |
| 2012 | 237,480 | $53,610 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [4] |
| 2013 | 241,870 | $53,600 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [4] |
| 2014 | 246,280 | $53,370 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [4] |
| 2015 | 253,460 | $53,660 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [4] |
| 2016 | 260,670 | $54,560 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [4] |
| 2017 | 271,350 | $55,410 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [4] |
| 2018 | 285,460 | $56,310 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [4] |
| 2019 | 296,460 | $57,040 | BLS OEWS May 2019 (employment) [4]; BLS OEWS 2019 (pay) [6] |
| 2020 | 292,230 | $58,120 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [4] |
| 2021 | 296,370 | $60,510 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [4] |
| 2022 | 308,000 | $60,140 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [4] |
| 2023 | 327,660 | $61,710 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [4] |
| 2024 | 342,350 | $65,140 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [4] |
| 2025 | 353,310 | $64,330 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [4] |

## Sources (88)

### Employment series

1. [Wikipedia — American Counseling Association (1952 APGA founding via merger of NVGA and three other organizations — reflecting pre-1952 organizational growth)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Counseling_Association), Wikipedia
2. [Wikipedia — National Defense Education Act (September 2, 1958; Title V guidance counselor training grants)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Defense_Education_Act), Wikipedia
3. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
4. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
5. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada

### Wage series

6. [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — School and Career Counselors (historical wage context, 1980s era); inflation adjustment via BLS CPI-U calculator](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/school-and-career-counselors.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
7. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
8. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
9. [BLS OEWS May 2024, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
10. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada

### Tool eras

11. [Wikipedia — Frank Parsons (1854-1908, "Choosing a Vocation" 1909 posthumous publication, Vocation Bureau of Boston)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Parsons_%28social_reformer%29), Wikipedia
12. [Wikipedia — American Counseling Association (founding history: NVGA 1913, merger into APGA 1952)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Counseling_Association), Wikipedia
13. [Wikipedia — Elementary and Secondary Education Act (federal education funding context; Smith-Hughes 1917 vocational education precedent)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elementary_and_Secondary_Education_Act), Wikipedia
14. [Wikipedia — National Defense Education Act (September 2, 1958; Title V guidance counselor training grants; Sputnik response)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Defense_Education_Act), Wikipedia
15. [Wikipedia — School counselor (ASCA National Model framework; counselor-to-student ratio data)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_counselor), Wikipedia
16. [Wikipedia — Naviance (founded 2002; acquired by Hobsons 2007; reached 7M+ students at 8,500+ schools; acquired by PowerSchool 2021)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naviance), Wikipedia
17. [Wikipedia — No Child Left Behind Act (signed January 8, 2002; test-score accountability framework; replaced by ESSA 2015)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Child_Left_Behind_Act), Wikipedia
18. [Wikipedia — American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ($1.9T total; $122B for K-12 schools; $3.5B mental health block grants)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Rescue_Plan_Act_of_2021), Wikipedia
19. [O\*NET 21-1012.00 — BLS 2024-34 projected growth (+3.5%, average; 31,000 projected annual openings)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/21-1012.00), O\*NET / BLS

### Forecasts and exposure studies

20. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 21-1012 Educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors (2025: 389.5 thousand; 2035: 400.9 thousand; +2.9%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=21-1012&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
21. [Frey & Osborne (2013), "The Future of Employment: How Susceptible Are Jobs to Computerisation?", Appendix (SOC 21-1012 Educational, Guidance, School, and Vocational Counselors: probability 0.0085, rank 44 of 702)](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf), Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford
22. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 21-1012.00, human-rated β 0.325)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

23. [Wikipedia — Frank Parsons (November 14, 1854 – September 26, 1908; "Choosing a Vocation" 1909; Vocation Bureau of Boston)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Parsons_%28social_reformer%29), Wikipedia
24. [Wikipedia — American Counseling Association (APGA 1952 via NVGA merger; 1983 AACD; 1992 ACA; 60,000 members)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Counseling_Association), Wikipedia
25. [Wikipedia — National Defense Education Act (September 2, 1958; Title V guidance counselor training; Sputnik October 1957)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Defense_Education_Act), Wikipedia
26. [Wikipedia — No Child Left Behind Act (signed January 8, 2002; accountability framework; ESSA 2015 replacement)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Child_Left_Behind_Act), Wikipedia
27. [Wikipedia — School counselor (ASCA 1:250 recommended ratio; 2014-15 actual average 1:482; NCES data)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_counselor), Wikipedia
28. [Wikipedia — American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ($1.9T total; $122B K-12; $3.5B mental health block grants; December 2026 spending deadline)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Rescue_Plan_Act_of_2021), Wikipedia
29. [Wikipedia — Naviance (Common App integration; college essay and application workflow context)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naviance), Wikipedia
30. [BLS National Employment Matrix — 21-1012 Educational Counselors (2024-34: +3.5%, 376,300 → 389,600; 89% in educational services)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=21-1012&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Predecessors & successors

31. [Wikipedia — Frank Parsons (Civic Service House settlement funding for Vocation Bureau of Boston, 1908)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Parsons_%28social_reformer%29), Wikipedia

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors (21-1012.00): tasks, work activities, technology skills, knowledge domains, employment data](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/21-1012.00), accessed 2026-05-24
- [BLS OOH 2024-2034 — School and Career Counselors and Advisors: 354,710 employed; +4% growth 2024-2034; median annual wage $61,710; highest employment in K-12 schools (52%) and higher education (21%)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/school-and-career-counselors.htm), accessed 2026-05-24
- [ASCA — "School Counselor and AI" position statement (2025): AI supports data-driven student support but cannot replace relational, advocacy, and crisis-response roles; national average counselor-to-student ratio 1:415 vs. recommended 1:250; ASCA National Model 4th Edition](https://www.schoolcounselor.org/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [PowerSchool Naviance — AI college list recommendations, career pathway AI, and predictive college scattergrams; 10M+ student records; 12,000+ high schools; AI features added 2024-2025](https://www.powerschool.com/products/college-career-life-readiness/cclr/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [EAB Navigate — AI student success platform for higher education; 850+ institutions; 10M+ students; AI risk modeling identifies at-risk students 6-8 weeks in advance; advising appointment automation (Inside Higher Ed, Mar 2025)](https://eab.com/solutions/navigate360/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Panorama Education — AI student support analytics; 20,000+ schools; predictive chronic absenteeism flags 4-6 weeks early; SEL survey analytics; MTSS tier recommendations (2025)](https://www.panoramaed.com/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [YouScience — AI-powered career aptitude assessment; deployed in 4,500+ schools; brain-based aptitude games; Labor Market Information integration; ASCA-endorsed career exploration tool (2025)](https://www.youscience.com/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [MagicSchool AI — AI writing platform for K-12 counselors; drafts letters of recommendation, 504 accommodation letters, MTSS documentation, parent communication templates; 3M+ educators (Education Week, Jan 2026)](https://www.magicschool.ai/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Care Solace — AI-assisted mental health referral navigation for K-12 school districts; 2,500+ school districts; 24/7 navigation team reduces referral logistics from hours to minutes for school counselors](https://www.caresolace.org/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Ellucian Degree Works — AI degree audit and academic planning; AI degree completion pathway recommendations, what-if major change modeling, transfer credit evaluation automation; widely deployed across higher education (2025)](https://www.ellucian.com/solutions/ellucian-degree-works), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science): occupational LLM exposure framework; educational and career counselors at moderate LLM β-exposure due to text-production tasks; relational and contextual advisory tasks underweighted by the metric](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-24
- [McKinsey — "The Future of Work After COVID-19" (2021 updated 2025): high-wage, high-social-interaction occupations (including counselors and advisors) have highest resilience to automation displacement; social and emotional skill premium continues to grow](https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/future-of-work/the-future-of-work-after-covid-19), accessed 2026-05-24
- [EdSurge — ongoing 2025 coverage of AI tools in academic advising and K-12 counseling: EAB Navigate AI pilots at 100+ institutions (Feb 2025); Naviance AI college match rollout (Oct 2024); AI essay tools and school counselor academic integrity role (Dec 2024)](https://www.edsurge.com/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Common App — AI-powered essay feedback features for applicants (2024-2025 admissions cycle); school counselor role in guiding students on authentic college essay authorship in an AI-assisted environment (ASCA 2025)](https://www.commonapp.org/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Teal — AI resume builder and job search platform; ATS keyword optimization, cover letter generation, job tracking; consumer-accessible without career counselor intermediary (2025)](https://www.tealhq.com/), accessed 2026-05-24

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.