A clinical supervisor listening to a supervisee across a break-room table.

    Salary / LPC / LMHC / Missouri

    LPC / LMHC salary in Missouri

    What LPC / LMHC roles are advertised at, and the Missouri factors that change the number.

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    How much does a LPC / LMHC earn in Missouri?

    Federal wage data for Missouri puts the median for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors at $56,910 a year, with the middle of the market between $37,650 and $89,400 and about 8,130 people employed in the state (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). Federal figures group substance abuse, behavioral disorder and mental health counselors together. Two distinct metro markets that rarely share candidates; searches need to be run separately. Nationally, the LPC / LMHC roles we recruit are advertised at roughly $55k – $85k; the national LPC / LMHC salary guide sets out the entry, mid-career and senior figures behind that.

    LPC / LMHC advertised pay by experience

    Entry
    $55k
    First role after certification
    Mid-career
    $70k
    Two to five years, full caseload
    Senior
    $85k
    Supervisory scope or specialist skill

    Official Missouri wage data

    Federal wage data for Missouri puts the median for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors at $56,910 a year, with the middle of the market between $37,650 and $89,400 and about 8,130 people employed in the state (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). Federal figures group substance abuse, behavioral disorder and mental health counselors together.

    Median
    $56,910
    Mean
    $60,670
    10th percentile
    $37,650
    90th percentile
    $89,400

    Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. State wage tables

    What changes a LPC / LMHC offer in Missouri

    • LPC, LCSW and LMFT are licensed by the Division of Professional Registration.
    • Setting: Outpatient clinics, Community mental health, Substance use treatment price differently for the same credential.
    • Caseload cap and billable or productivity target, which decide whether a bonus is real.
    • Metro cost of living within the state; a city premium is not the same as a better offer.
    • Scarcity: High volume nationally, with the tightest markets wherever associate-level clinicians cannot find paid supervision.

    How to read the MO figures

    The federal estimates above are the official Missouri picture for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors, published annually and lagging the market by about a year. What we publish alongside them is what we actually see advertised on roles we recruit today. Use the federal median as a floor for negotiation and the advertised range as the live signal.

    Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data

    Last reviewed August 2026.

    Live LPC / LMHC roles in Missouri

    No live LPC / LMHC roles in Missouri right now. Tell us your license status and target setting and we will contact you when the next Missouri search opens.

    Open LPC / LMHC roles elsewhere in the US

    How to work as a LPC / LMHC in Missouri

    1. 1

      Confirm the credential

      State licensure (LPC, LMHC, LPCC, LCPC depending on state). This is the baseline every Missouri employer screens on before anything else.

    2. 2

      Check the MO requirement

      LPC, LCSW and LMFT are licensed by the Division of Professional Registration.

    3. 3

      Check the multi-state routes

      PSYPACT: member; Counseling Compact: enacted Compact participation changes, so confirm the current position with the Missouri board rather than a secondary source.

    4. 4

      Build board processing into your start date

      Processing time, not eligibility, is the usual cause of a delayed start. Agree a start date with the licensing timeline already in it.

    5. 5

      Match the credential to open work

      Compare the advertised range for LPC / LMHC roles, roughly $55k – $85k, against the live Missouri vacancies on this page, or join the talent network to be contacted when the next Missouri search opens.

    LPC / LMHC pay and licensure in Missouri: common questions

    Do you need a license to work as a LPC / LMHC in Missouri?
    LPC, LCSW and LMFT are licensed by the Division of Professional Registration. Confirm the current position with the Missouri board before you accept a start date, as processing time is the usual cause of a delayed start.
    What is the average LPC / LMHC salary in Missouri?
    Federal wage data for Missouri puts the median for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors at $56,910 a year, with the middle of the market between $37,650 and $89,400 and about 8,130 people employed in the state (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). Federal figures group substance abuse, behavioral disorder and mental health counselors together. Advertised pay on the LPC / LMHC roles we recruit nationally sits at roughly $55k – $85k, and offers land inside that band according to setting, caseload and metro cost of living.
    Does LPC / LMHC pay in Missouri differ from the rest of the US?
    We publish advertised pay on the roles we recruit, not a Missouri average. Across the US those LPC / LMHC roles are advertised at roughly $55k – $85k, and where a Missouri offer lands inside that band is driven by setting, caseload and metro cost of living. For an official comparison, Missouri median pay for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors is $56,910; treat that as a negotiating floor.
    Where are the LPC / LMHC jobs in Missouri?
    Two distinct metro markets that rarely share candidates; searches need to be run separately. The live LPC / LMHC vacancies we hold in Missouri are listed on this page; when nothing is open there today, the national LPC / LMHC board carries every role we currently hold.
    Who employs LPC / LMHCs in Missouri?
    The employers hiring this credential are outpatient clinics, community mental health, substance use treatment, schools and colleges, telehealth. Which of those dominates in Missouri follows the local funding and provider mix rather than any national pattern, and it is the single biggest driver of what an offer looks like: the same LPC / LMHC is priced differently by a center-based provider, a school district and a hospital system.
    What do employers look for when hiring a LPC / LMHC in Missouri?
    First, the credential and the right to practise: state licensure (lpc, lmhc, lpcc, lcpc depending on state). LPC, LCSW and LMFT are licensed by the Division of Professional Registration. After that, hiring managers screen on the specifics of the work — caseload size you have carried, the settings you have worked in, supervision responsibility, and documentation or payer experience. Availability matters too: a realistic start date that accounts for board processing usually beats a stronger resume that cannot start.
    What does the salary range on this page actually mean?
    Two different things, kept separate on purpose. $55k – $85k is what LPC / LMHC roles we recruit are advertised at across the US — a live market signal, not a survey. The federal figures are official Missouri estimates for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors: $56,910 median, with $37,650 at the 10th percentile and $89,400 at the 90th. They cover the whole occupation in the state, are published annually and lag the market by roughly a year, so read the median as a negotiating floor rather than a target. Neither number is an offer; where you land inside a range is set by setting, caseload and metro cost of living.
    A clinical director and a hiring lead shaking hands across a meeting-room table.

    Hiring LPC / LMHCs in Missouri

    Pay is the last thing that fixes a stalled search

    Title portability is the trap. Moving state usually means a new application, sometimes new coursework. We map it before a candidate commits.

    Take a Seat People
    • Behavioral health only
    • Recruiting across all 50 states
    • Pay published on every role
    • Recruitment partnerships, not job spam