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Role hub · Genetic Counselors

Genetic Counselor: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

Maid DizdarevicCareer coach · 8x LinkedIn Top Voice
Updated Nov 2, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
Pay ladder · select a percentile
Median percentile pay

Half of genetic counselors earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$100,040
Hourly
$48.09
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Genetic Counselors assess individual or family risk for a variety of inherited conditions, such as genetic disorders and birth defects. The median pay is $100,040 a year ($48.09 an hour) (BLS, May 2025). The most commonly reported education requirement is a master's degree (90% of workers surveyed by O*NET).

Median pay
$100,040
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
3,740
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 5 of 5
extensive preparation
Most common education
Master's Degree
90% of workers
Key facts

Genetic Counselors at a glance

  • Genetic counselors in the United States earned a median annual wage of $100,040 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

  • In its 2025–35 employment projections, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a master's degree as the typical entry-level education for genetic counselors in the United States.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS projects employment of genetic counselors in the United States to grow 10.4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 300 openings a year on average, including replacement openings.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS estimated that 3,740 people were employed as genetic counselors in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

Explore the role

Every page for Genetic Counselors

SalaryGenetic Counselor salary

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The work

What genetic counselors do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. Provide counseling to patient and family members by providing information, education, or reassurance.
  2. Analyze genetic information to identify patients or families at risk for specific disorders or syndromes.
  3. Provide genetic counseling in specified areas of clinical genetics, such as obstetrics, pediatrics, oncology and neurology.
  4. Discuss testing options and the associated risks, benefits and limitations with patients and families to assist them in making informed decisions.
  5. Interview patients or review medical records to obtain comprehensive patient or family medical histories, and document findings.
  6. Provide patients with information about the inheritance of conditions such as cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, and various forms of cancer.
  7. Interpret laboratory results and communicate findings to patients or physicians.
  8. Write detailed consultation reports to provide information on complex genetic concepts to patients or referring physicians.
Where this career works

Industries that employ it

Data Share of all genetic counselor jobs in each industry, 2025 (BLS Employment Matrix).

  1. Ambulatory healthcare services38.9% of all jobs in this occupation · +11.6% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $105,790
  2. Hospitals; state, local, and private37.2% of all jobs in this occupation · +9.4% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $104,030
  3. Educational services; state, local, and private8.3% of all jobs in this occupation · +7.6% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $101,510
  4. Professional, scientific, and technical services1.9% of all jobs in this occupation · +21.8% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $101,030
  5. Insurance carriers and related activities1.4% of all jobs in this occupation · +11.1% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $108,180
  6. Management of companies and enterprises1.4% of all jobs in this occupation · +9.9% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $122,530

Sources: BLS 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (share of the occupation's jobs, projected change) and BLS OEWS May 2025 industry estimates (mean wage). Different industry estimates are not a pay forecast for any person.

Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

Reading ComprehensioncoreActive ListeningcoreSocial PerceptivenesscoreComplex Problem SolvingWritingSpeakingCritical ThinkingActive LearningJudgment and Decision Making

Knowledge areas: Biology, Therapy and Counseling, Psychology, Medicine and Dentistry, English Language, Customer and Personal Service.

Tools and technology

Software genetic counselors use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • BRCAPROMedical software
  • Benetech PRAMedical software
  • Breast Cancer Risk Assessment ToolMedical software
  • CancerGeneMedical software
  • CyrillicSoftware CyrillicMedical software
  • FtreeAnalytical or scientific software
  • Jurek Software Pedigree-DrawMedical software
  • Medgen PEDMedical software
  • PedHunterMedical software
  • PediDrawMedical software
  • Pedigree drawing and management softwareAnalytical or scientific software
  • Progeny Software Progeny ClinicalMedical software

Also called: Cardiovascular Genetics Counselor, Certified Genetic Counselor (CGC), Clinical Genetic Counselor, Genetic Services Coordinator, Hereditary Cancer Program Coordinator, Lab Genetic Counselor (Laboratory Genetic Counselor).

Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the cosine similarity of the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level and subtract the average across all occupations, then compare the direction of the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 means unrelated or opposite (negative values are shown as 0). Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).

How TryHired builds this data: sources, methods and downloads. Spotted an error? Report a correction.