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Job outlook for mentors in the United States
Mentor job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected mentor job growth rate is 12% from 2018-2028.
About 52,400 new jobs for mentors are projected over the next decade.
Mentor salaries have increased 6% for mentors in the last 5 years.
There are over 35,081 mentors currently employed in the United States.
There are 3,625 active mentor job openings in the US.
The average mentor salary is $35,581.
Are mentor jobs in demand?
Mentor job and salary trends over time
Mentor jobs over time
Mentor job growth rate over time
Year  | # Of Jobs | % Of Population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 35,081 | 0.01% |
| 2020 | 43,787 | 0.01% |
| 2019 | 73,661 | 0.02% |
| 2018 | 104,942 | 0.03% |
| 2017 | 104,342 | 0.03% |
Average mentor salary over time
Mentor salary by year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $35,581 | $17.11 | +2.5% |
| 2024 | $34,711 | $16.69 | +0.3% |
| 2023 | $34,617 | $16.64 | +1.8% |
| 2022 | $33,999 | $16.35 | +1.7% |
| 2021 | $33,423 | $16.07 | +3.7% |
Mentor jobs by state
Most common states for mentors
| Rank | State | Population | # of Jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 254 | 4% |
| 2 | Alaska | 739,795 | 31 | 4% |
| 3 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 25 | 4% |
| 4 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 36 | 3% |
| 5 | Delaware | 961,939 | 28 | 3% |
| 6 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 22 | 3% |
| 7 | Vermont | 623,657 | 20 | 3% |
| 8 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 88 | 2% |
| 9 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 43 | 2% |
| 10 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 36 | 2% |
| 11 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 33 | 2% |
| 12 | Hawaii | 1,427,538 | 25 | 2% |
| 13 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 24 | 2% |
| 14 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 16 | 2% |
| 15 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 16 | 2% |
| 16 | New York | 19,849,399 | 177 | 1% |
| 17 | Ohio | 11,658,609 | 115 | 1% |
| 18 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 112 | 1% |
| 19 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 70 | 1% |
| 20 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 24 | 1% |
Most common cities for mentors
| Rank | City | # of Jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wakefield | 2 | 8% | $48,011 |
| 2 | Mentor | 3 | 6% | $45,974 |
| 3 | Utica | 3 | 5% | $47,744 |
| 4 | Miramar | 2 | 1% | $29,406 |
| 5 | Alameda | 1 | 1% | $39,034 |
| 6 | Brockton | 1 | 1% | $49,071 |
| 7 | Carson | 1 | 1% | $37,715 |
| 8 | Chino | 1 | 1% | $37,251 |
| 9 | Clarksville | 1 | 1% | $37,078 |
| 10 | New York | 9 | 0% | $52,658 |
| 11 | Chicago | 5 | 0% | $42,867 |
| 12 | Washington | 3 | 0% | $50,938 |
| 13 | Indianapolis | 2 | 0% | $38,646 |
| 14 | Los Angeles | 2 | 0% | $37,838 |
| 15 | Anchorage | 1 | 0% | $25,726 |
| 16 | Aurora | 1 | 0% | $28,995 |
| 17 | Boston | 1 | 0% | $48,440 |
Mentor job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of mentor experts
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
AAMFT
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Vanguard University
Professor Purvi Shah
Associate Professor of MarketingWhat general advice would you give to a Mentor?
Professor Purvi Shah: These were the questions lined up: 1. What general advice would you give to a graduate beginning their career? 2. What skills do you think will become more important and prevalent in the field in the next 3-5 years? 3. How can you maximize your salary potential when starting your career?
What Mentor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Professor Purvi Shah: We will be sure to feature your response in the article and send a draft over for your review before we promote it.
What will help Mentors increase their earning potential?
Professor Purvi Shah: We've found we get better responses over email than the phone because it gives you some time to think about it.
What general advice would you give to a Mentor?
David Dunning: The classic skills people overlook are the soft ones: communication, time management, self-awareness of strengths and weaknesses, writing, and leadership. The important secret of life is that the better you are at technical skills, the more likely you are to be promoted to positions where they are less important. For the next 3-5 years, see what your mentors talk about and what your peers encounter. Get creative with new things. AI is entering the picture and the question is not how it can make your life easier but how it can help you do new and better things.
What Mentor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
David Dunning: The classic skills people overlook are the soft ones: communication, time management, self-awareness of strengths and weaknesses, writing, and leadership. The important secret of life is that the better you are at technical skills, the more likely you are to be promoted to positions where they are less important. For the next 3-5 years, see what your mentors talk about and what your peers encounter. Get creative with new things. AI is entering the picture and the question is not how it can make your life easier but how it can help you do new and better things.
What will help Mentors increase their earning potential?
David Dunning: Always good to have mentors--more than one--and a network of people (and perhaps university alumni) to talk to and compare notes. Get out, be seen.
What will help Mentors increase their earning potential?
Emily Yowell Ph.D.: Psychologists should be aware of what others in their field are making for similar positions. It is important to ask for what your work is worth in an initial position to assure raises are based on a solid starting salary. Newer psychologists may also consider asking for an early review that prompts an early conversation around potential raises, bonus, or other job benefits.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Mentors?
Shelley Hanson: As the mental health field braces for the tsunami-of-need that is beginning to surge due to COVID-19 death, illness, and stress (uncertainty of healthcare, employment, isolation, parenting and schooling children while working full time), racial injustice and trauma - including generational trauma, and substance use, graduates can expect to enter the workforce in the "deep end of the pool." Systemically, emerging clinicians are personally living with the realities of the pandemic while they assist the public through the strain. Thus, all clinicians will be and are shaped by this reality.
Additionally, the pandemic has created extreme challenges for employment throughout our nation. Families may need to work 2 or 3 jobs to provide for themselves; mental health access must be affordable for these families, while also providing a living wage for the professional themselves so they can do the work. New graduates may find themselves navigating the complexity of the confluence of these effects.
How do you envision technology impacting Mentors in the next 5 years?
Shelley Hanson: Technology is opening doors to innovative methods of training - such as simulation wherein students can practice their skill-building through avatar sessions - to online learning and association connectivity and community. Additionally, the confluence of technology and a global pandemic has shed light on what is possible in addressing the much-needed access to mental health. It is clear that there is a great need for license portability - crossing state lines - so that through the use of teletherapy, any person needing access can choose their mental health provider. Insurance companies must re-envision coverage of mental health so that under-addressed - or unaddressed - mental health does not result in physical health issues, which are much more costly. As a couple and family therapist, technology provides a seamless path to connecting persons across geographical locals to do their relational health work through teletherapy, which addresses and promotes mental health.
The use of non-traditional approaches to mental health - such as apps - is also bringing opportunities and challenges. Mental health professionals, such as Marriage and Family Therapists, go through rigorous education, training, and years of supervision to be fully qualified to address mental health needs in individuals, couples, and families. Through the new venues of technology, the public may be receiving "help" through unqualified persons who may help or actually do harm. Additionally, the costs of some of these access points undermine the living wage required for a professional.
What type of skills will young Mentors need?
Dr. Thomas Dearden Ph.D.: Indeed, the way we work is changing. The skills that young graduates will need are diverse. Transferable skills and soft skills will certainly be marketable. These include traditional crafts such as communication, but I also think the world expects more empathy from its employees. Young graduates with an understanding of racism, sexism, and environmental responsibility will become increasingly important.
Dr. Tommy Casarez Ph.D.
Dr., Assistant Professor of Historical and Systematic TheologyVanguard University
Religion, Undergraduate Religion
What general advice would you give to a Mentor?
Dr. Tommy Casarez Ph.D.: Opportunities come in many different shapes and sizes, but they are still out there. Whether you are seeking to land a job in education or the non-profit sector, you will need to familiarize yourself and get used to all things digital, for the sake of communicating effectively. The younger your student or service partner's mindset, the more digitally savvy you will need to be, especially in the classroom and in the non-profit world.