Take a Seat
    People
    Search jobs
    A clinical supervisor listening to a supervisee across a break-room table.

    Salary / LPC / LMHC / North Carolina

    LPC / LMHC salary in North Carolina

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

    North Carolina LPC / LMHC rolesGet matched
    Take a Seat People

    How much does a LPC / LMHC earn in North Carolina?

    Federal wage data for North Carolina puts the median for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors at $55,490 a year, with the middle of the market between $37,440 and $86,010 and about 10,300 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. Rapid multi-site ABA and pediatric therapy expansion, with clinical director searches growing faster than clinician searches. 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 North Carolina wage data

    Federal wage data for North Carolina puts the median for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors at $55,490 a year, with the middle of the market between $37,440 and $86,010 and about 10,300 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
    $55,490
    Mean
    $59,160
    10th percentile
    $37,440
    90th percentile
    $86,010

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

    What changes a LPC / LMHC offer in North Carolina

    • LCMHC, LCSW and LMFT are separately licensed, with associate routes available.
    • 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 NC figures

    The federal estimates above are the official North Carolina 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 North Carolina

    How to work as a LPC / LMHC in North Carolina

    1. 1

      Confirm the credential

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

    2. 2

      Check the NC requirement

      LCMHC, LCSW and LMFT are separately licensed, with associate routes available.

    3. 3

      Check the multi-state routes

      PSYPACT: member; Counseling Compact: enacted Compact participation changes, so confirm the current position with the North Carolina 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 North Carolina vacancies on this page, or join the talent network to be contacted when the next North Carolina search opens.

    Continue with LPC / LMHC in North Carolina

    LPC / LMHC pay and licensure in North Carolina: common questions

    Do you need a license to work as a LPC / LMHC in North Carolina?
    LCMHC, LCSW and LMFT are separately licensed, with associate routes available. Confirm the current position with the North Carolina 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 North Carolina?
    Federal wage data for North Carolina puts the median for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors at $55,490 a year, with the middle of the market between $37,440 and $86,010 and about 10,300 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 North Carolina differ from the rest of the US?
    We publish advertised pay on the roles we recruit, not a North Carolina average. Across the US those LPC / LMHC roles are advertised at roughly $55k – $85k, and where a North Carolina offer lands inside that band is driven by setting, caseload and metro cost of living. For an official comparison, North Carolina median pay for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors is $55,490; treat that as a negotiating floor.
    Where are the LPC / LMHC jobs in North Carolina?
    Rapid multi-site ABA and pediatric therapy expansion, with clinical director searches growing faster than clinician searches. The live LPC / LMHC vacancies we hold in North Carolina 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 North Carolina?
    The employers hiring this credential are outpatient clinics, community mental health, substance use treatment, schools and colleges, telehealth. Which of those dominates in North Carolina 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 North Carolina?
    First, the credential and the right to practise: state licensure (lpc, lmhc, lpcc, lcpc depending on state). LCMHC, LCSW and LMFT are separately licensed, with associate routes available. 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 North Carolina estimates for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors: $55,490 median, with $37,440 at the 10th percentile and $86,010 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.

    LPC / LMHC pay in other states

    A clinical director and a hiring lead shaking hands across a meeting-room table.

    Hiring LPC / LMHCs in North Carolina

    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.

    Join the LPC / LMHC talent networkHire a LPC / LMHC in North Carolina
    Take a Seat People
    • Behavioral health only
    • Recruiting across all 50 states
    • Pay published on every role
    • Recruitment partnerships, not job spam