SOC 21-1013.00Bright outlook

    Marriage and Family Therapists

    Diagnose and treat mental and emotional disorders, whether cognitive, affective, or behavioral, within the context of marriage and family systems.

    Median pay
    $66,940
    Growth
    +13.5%
    Much faster than average
    Openings a year
    6,900
    Typical education
    Master's degree

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $44,650
    Median
    $66,940
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $123,730
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    66,740 people work in this occupation.

    In short

    Marriage and family therapists diagnose and treat mental and emotional disorders within couples and family systems. The career offers a median annual pay of $66,940, with strong projected job growth.

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What marriage and family therapists do

    Job Zone 5: Extensive preparation

    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.

    Most need a graduate degree, such as a master's, PhD, MD or JD.

    What the work is like

    These professionals help individuals, couples, and families navigate mental, behavioral, and cognitive challenges. On a daily basis, they focus on assisting and caring for others by establishing strong interpersonal relationships, gathering information, and resolving conflicts. Therapists must interpret complex behavioral information, make decisions, and think creatively to develop effective treatment strategies.

    Success in this field requires a strong social interest and a deep knowledge of therapy, counseling, psychology, and sociology. Key skills include active listening, social perceptiveness, clear speaking, and critical thinking. Therapists must manage their daily tasks with empathy, sincerity, cooperation, and high stress tolerance. They also spend time documenting client progress and updating their professional knowledge to provide the best possible care.

    How to get there

    Entering this career typically requires extensive preparation. Most professionals need a graduate degree, and a master's degree is the typical education required to enter the field. Students often prepare by majoring in social work or mental and social health services and allied professions.

    Depending on where they plan to practice, aspiring therapists should research local regulations, as some states list a license for this work. Additionally, practitioners can pursue professional credentials to demonstrate their expertise, such as the Certification in Cognitive Therapy from the Academy of Cognitive Therapy.

    Pay and outlook explained

    The median annual pay for marriage and family therapists is $66,940. Earnings vary based on experience and location, with the lowest 10 percent earning less than $44,650 and the highest 10 percent earning more than $123,730.

    With 66,740 people currently employed in this field, the occupation is growing rapidly. Employment is projected to change by 13.5 percent from 2025 to 2035, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. This growth is expected to result in 6,900 job openings each year.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R)
    8 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    72 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    43 / 100
    Social (S) · strongest
    87 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    13 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    32 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code SIA. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
    92
    Getting Information
    89
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    89
    Documenting/Recording Information
    89
    Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
    87
    Assisting and Caring for Others
    85
    Thinking Creatively
    84
    Developing Objectives and Strategies
    81
    Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others
    78
    Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others
    78
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Active Listening
    • Social Perceptiveness
    • Speaking
    • Service Orientation
    • Complex Problem Solving
    • Judgment and Decision Making
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Active Learning
    • Critical Thinking
    • Monitoring

    Knowledge

    • Therapy and Counseling
    • Psychology
    • Sociology and Anthropology
    • Customer and Personal Service
    • English Language
    • Education and Training
    • Administrative
    • Philosophy and Theology
    • Law and Government
    • Administration and Management

    Abilities

    • Oral Comprehension
    • Oral Expression
    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Deductive Reasoning
    • Inductive Reasoning
    • Speech Clarity
    • Written Comprehension
    • Written Expression
    • Speech Recognition
    • Fluency of Ideas

    Work styles

    • Empathy
    • Sincerity
    • Cooperation
    • Integrity
    • Dependability
    • Self-Control
    • Social Orientation
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Adaptability
    • Intellectual Curiosity

    Also called

    ABA Behavior Therapist (Applied Behavior Analysis Behavior Therapist) · Child and Adolescent Therapist · Child and Family Counselor · Child and Family Therapist · Clinical Therapist · Couple and Family Therapist · Couples Therapist · Family Counselor · Family Service Counselor · Family Services Counselor

    Career pathway

    From your interests to marriage and family therapists

    Interests that fit the work, the career, majors that lead there and colleges whose graduates in those majors earn the most. Hover or focus a step to follow one path.

    1. Interests

    2. This career

      • Marriage and Family Therapists$66,940 median pay

    3. Majors

    4. Colleges

    College Scorecard program outcomes

    Colleges with strong outcomes

    Programs that lead to this career, ranked by what their graduates earn four years after finishing. Earnings are for graduates who received federal aid.

    1. 1University of Pennsylvania UPENN logo
      University of Pennsylvania UPENN

      Philadelphia, PA · Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $70,054
      4 yrs after
      $76,395
      Median debt
      $13,021
    2. 2Providence College logo
      Providence College

      Providence, RI · Social Work · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $70,356
      Median debt
      Not reported
    3. 3
      CUNY Hunter College

      New York, NY · Social Work · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $46,845
      4 yrs after
      $70,273
      Median debt
      $11,000
    4. 4California State University-San Bernardino logo
      California State University-San Bernardino

      San Bernardino, CA · Social Work · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $59,991
      4 yrs after
      $69,201
      Median debt
      $11,000
    5. 5
      San Francisco State University

      San Francisco, CA · Social Work · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $44,889
      4 yrs after
      $68,524
      Median debt
      $21,763
    6. 6
      California State University-Long Beach

      Long Beach, CA · Social Work · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $45,614
      4 yrs after
      $68,448
      Median debt
      $11,000
    7. 7Pacific Lutheran University logo
      Pacific Lutheran University

      Tacoma, WA · Social Work · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $67,458
      Median debt
      $18,862
    8. 8University of California-Berkeley CAL logo
      University of California-Berkeley CAL

      Berkeley, CA · Social Work · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $51,615
      4 yrs after
      $67,393
      Median debt
      $8,893

    Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025. Programs with few graduates are not listed.

    NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk

    Majors that lead here

    Related programs by four-digit CIP code. They are common routes in, not the only ones.

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What marriage and family therapists may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Certifications

    Core certifications employers recognise for this work.

    Search all certifications on CareerOneStop

    Training

    Programs of study that prepare people for this work.

    • Clinical Pastoral Counseling/Patient Counseling
    • Infant/Toddler Mental Health Services
    • Marriage and Family Therapy/Counseling
    • Medical Family Therapy/Therapist
    • Social Work

    Find training near you on CareerOneStop

    Licenses by state

    53 states list a license for this work. Open your state for the license and the agency that issues it.

    Check license requirements on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Your plan

    Build my pathway plan

    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

    All careers

    Questions about marriage and family therapists

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What are some alternative job titles for this career?

    People in this field are also called child and family therapists, couple and family therapists, clinical therapists, and family service counselors. Some may work under titles like ABA behavior therapist or child and adolescent therapist.

    What college majors are recommended for this path?

    Students interested in this career typically major in social work or mental and social health services and allied professions. A master's degree is the standard entry-level requirement.

    What is the job outlook for marriage and family therapists?

    The field is expanding much faster than average, with a projected employment growth of 13.5 percent between 2025 and 2035. This growth is expected to generate about 6,900 job openings annually.

    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.