Career
Credit counselors
Help people get out of debt and manage their money.
$52,230
Median pay
+3.3%
Job growth, 2025–35
2,000
Openings a year
Bachelor's degree
Typical education
4 years
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Create debt management plans, spending plans, or budgets to assist clients to meet financial goals.
- Assess clients' overall financial situations by reviewing income, assets, debts, expenses, credit reports, or other financial information.
- Calculate clients' available monthly income to meet debt obligations.
- Recommend strategies for clients to meet their financial goals, such as borrowing money through loans or loan programs, declaring bankruptcy, making budget adjustments, or enrolling in debt management plans.
- Advise clients or respond to inquiries about financial matters in person or via phone, email, Web site, or Internet chat.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on information & systems, then people & care?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Create debt management plans, spending plans, or budgets to assist clients to meet financial goals.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
4 years of education after high school (bachelor's degree), for a median of $52,230 a year and 2,000 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- FinanceSee the degree →
- Banking and Financial Support ServicesCIP 52.0803
- Financial Planning and ServicesCIP 52.0804
- Credit ManagementCIP 52.0809
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Personal Financial Advisors$105,070 · +1.4%
- Loan Officers$76,690 · +1.1%
- Credit Authorizers, Checkers, and Clerks$50,080 · -7.4%
- Credit Analysts$83,510 · -4.3%
- Loan Interviewers and Clerks$50,020 · -2.4%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.