Career
Rehabilitation counselors
Help people with disabilities live and work independently.
$46,850
Median pay
+2.2%
Job growth, 2025–35
8,200
Openings a year
Master's degree
Typical education
6 years
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Develop rehabilitation plans that fit clients' aptitudes, education levels, physical abilities, and career goals.
- Confer with clients to discuss their options and goals so that rehabilitation programs and plans for accessing needed services can be developed.
- Prepare and maintain records and case files, including documentation, such as clients' personal and eligibility information, services provided, narratives of client contacts, or relevant correspondence.
- Locate barriers to client employment, such as inaccessible work sites, inflexible schedules, or transportation problems, and work with clients to develop strategies for overcoming these barriers.
- Analyze information from interviews, educational and medical records, consultation with other professionals, and diagnostic evaluations to assess clients' abilities, needs, and eligibility for services.
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 people & care, then persuasion & leadership?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Develop rehabilitation plans that fit clients' aptitudes, education levels, physical abilities, and career goals.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, Speaking, Monitoring.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
6 years of education after high school (master's degree), for a median of $46,850 a year and 8,200 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling/CounselorCIP 51.2310
- Assistive/Augmentative Technology and Rehabilitation EngineeringCIP 51.2312
- Rehabilitation ScienceCIP 51.2314
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers$60,280 · +10.3%
- Mental Health Counselors
- Healthcare Social Workers$67,880 · +8.5%
- Child, Family, and School Social Workers$59,550 · +4.4%
- Occupational Therapy Aides$39,160 · +3.6%
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.