Marriage and Family Therapist Salary and Career Outlook

Marriage and family therapists are mental health care practitioners who diagnose and treat people with marital or other family issues. Marriage and family therapy (MFT) relies on psychotherapeutic best practices to help individuals, couples, and families address challenges related to behavioral, cognitive, social, and emotional issues.

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As with many careers in therapy, marriage and family therapist careers will remain well above the average for all other occupations over the next ten years. The median annual salary for all marriage and family therapists as of May 2024 was $63,780.location.

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Marriage and Family Therapist Careers

Becoming a marriage and family therapist typically does not require a PhD or other doctoral-level degree, but it still entails a substantial educational commitment. Like many other careers in therapy, the marriage and family therapy field requires practitioners to hold a master’s degree, complete supervised fieldwork, pass a state-issued licensing exam, and continue their education.

Once credentialed, an MFT’s career varies depending on where they practice and the types of patients they see.

Marriage and Family Therapists in Outpatient Care Centers

Many marriage and family therapists practice in private or nonprofit outpatient care centers as part of a team. Many of these centers have programs dedicated to addiction, abuse, and behavioral disorders, as well as traditional individual and group therapy sessions. In outpatient care settings, counselors play a key role in addressing the social, emotional, and mental health needs of families, couples, children, and adults. Therapy is usually just one part of a more substantial patient care plan.

Self Employed Marriage and Family Therapists

With a state-issued business license and appropriate MFT credentials, therapists can open a private practice. Successful marriage and family therapists market themselves well, handle their own accounting, and coordinate with insurance companies. Private practice is a popular option for many marriage and family therapists. As of 2024, about 13% of the MFT workforce was registered as self-employed.

Marriage and Family Therapists for Individual and Family Services

Over 3.41 million people work in the individual and family services industry, and approximately 77,800 are marriage and family therapists.

In this industry, therapists work in environments such as:

  • Schools
  • Social assistance services for children, the elderly, or disabled adults
  • Foster care services
  • Homeless shelters
  • Food, clothing, and related assistance centers
  • Rehabilitation facilities
  • Employee assistance programs (EAPs)

Marriage and Family therapists primarily provide a combination of social assistance and mental health care to ensure the welfare of those they serve.

How Much Do Marriage and Family Therapists Make?

According to Bureau of Labor Statistics data from May 2024, the median annual marriage and family therapist salary differs significantly by industry:

IndustryMedian Salary (2024)
State government (excluding education and hospitals)
$89,030
Outpatient care centers
$73,230
Offices of other health practitioners
$59,550
Individual and family services
$59,010

Average marriage and family therapist salaries vary by state as well. Therapists working in Hawaii, Connecticut, Oregon, New Jersey, and Colorado can earn over $89,000 per year, while the average salary is $72,720, according to the BLS. The median annual income of a marriage and family therapist ranges from $42,610 for the lowest 10% to $111,610 for the highest 10%.

The median annual income of a marriage and family therapist ranges from $31,850 for the lowest 10% to $82,240 for the highest 10%.

Job Outlook for Marriage and Family Therapists

Employment of marriage and family therapists is expected to grow by 13% over 2024-2034, which is much faster than the average for all other occupations. BLS expects job growth for marriage and family therapists, in part because of the increasing use of integrated care, in which teams of specialists treat multiple issues simultaneously, and because MFTs collaborate with other behavioral health providers. In addition, BLS projects about 7,700 openings per year (on average), many of which result from the need to replace therapists who retire, leave the labor force, or transfer to other occupations.

Information Last Updated: January 2026