What does it cost to hire a credit counselor in Phoenix?

Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role and never by salary or location. A contingency firm billing 20 to 30% of this role's $54,110 median wage in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $10,822 to $16,233 on the first year salary alone.

Is the talent for this role already in Phoenix?

This is a job zone 4 occupation, which usually calls for a bachelor's degree, and 32.3% of Phoenix adults hold one or higher (Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501). That is a workable pool, though the search will reach beyond the city line.

Hiring a credit counselor in Phoenix, AZ

Employers in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ area pay credit counselors a median of $54,110 a year, with the middle half of the market between $48,130 and $60,140 (BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 13-2071). Filling it through recruitlocalpros runs Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role rather than by salary or location, and our vetted recruiting partner handles sourcing, screening and placement end to end.

Do Phoenix residents in business and financial operations work earn more than employers in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ area pay?

Phoenix residents working in business and financial operations occupations earn a median of $70,247 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $77,740 as the median of the 27 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 10%, with the employers figure the higher of the two.

Both sides of that figure describe the whole business and financial operations group, not this one role. In the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ area the group covers 27 occupations BLS publishes a wage for, from tax preparers at $44,770 to personal financial advisors at $103,680 (BLS OEWS, May 2025), with credit counselors at $54,110 inside it.

That comparison is between two different measures, not a pay gap. The two weight the same occupation group differently: the Census figure is the midpoint across the people who actually hold those jobs, so a group carrying a few very well paid occupations is pulled toward them, while the BLS figure is the midpoint across the 27 published occupation wages, which counts each of those occupations once whatever its headcount. Census also counts where people live and BLS counts where the jobs are, and the two cover different populations, Census the civilian employed population 16 and over, BLS wage-and-salary jobs only. Read the number against other cities, where the same definitional difference applies on both sides, rather than as a shortfall.

The two sit within 10% of each other, so residents of Phoenix and employers across the metro are priced about the same in this field, and pay alone is unlikely to be what wins or loses this hire.

What does a credit counselor earn here?

Place of work

What employers pay

Annual wages paid to credit counselors by employers in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ area. BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 13-2071.
25th percentile	$48,130
Median	$54,110
75th percentile	$60,140

Half of credit counselors in this area earn between $48,130 and $60,140 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $48,130 competes for the bottom quarter of the market. Occupation detail for SOC 13-2071 at O*NET OnLine.

Place of residence

What Phoenix residents earn

$70,247

Median annual earnings of Phoenix residents working in business and financial operations occupations, 53,935 people (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011). An occupation group rather than this one role, and where people live rather than where they work, so it is not the same measurement as the wages beside it.

What does the role actually involve?

Core tasks

Calculate clients' available monthly income to meet debt obligations.
Explain services or policies to clients, such as debt management program rules, advantages and disadvantages of using services, or creditor concession policies.
Create debt management plans, spending plans, or budgets to assist clients to meet financial goals.
Prioritize client debt repayment to avoid dire consequences, such as bankruptcy or foreclosure or to reduce overall costs, such as by paying high-interest or short-term loans first.
Assess clients' overall financial situations by reviewing income, assets, debts, expenses, credit reports, or other financial information.

Task statements for SOC 13-2071, O*NET OnLine 29.1.

Tools and technologies in demand

Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Dynamics, Oracle PeopleSoft.

Flagged in demand or hot for SOC 13-2071 by O*NET OnLine 29.1. Useful as a screen, not as a checklist.

Is the talent actually in Phoenix?

This is a job zone four: considerable preparation needed occupation. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not. O*NET OnLine, SOC 13-2071.

That matters here, because 32.3% of Phoenix adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. That is a workable pool, but the search will reach beyond the city line. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501, residents of Phoenix aged 25 and over.

The average Phoenix commute runs 25.7 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 16.9% of Phoenix workers already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that. Census ACS 5-year 2023, place-level commuting characteristics for Phoenix.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In Maricopa County, accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll services employs 17,728 and turns over 12.4% a quarter, with 3,575 hires against 2,688 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $6,520 a month. Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2024 Q1, NAICS 5412.

That figure covers every occupation in the industry, not this role alone, so read it as the local churn rate rather than as a number about credit counselors. It still tells you what you are hiring into: a high-churn market, where speed matters more than a perfect fit.

What does the search cost?

The fee is set by the seniority of the role, never by salary and never by location. Across all six tiers it runs $6,240 to $54,340 per search. A contingency firm hiring at this role's $54,110 median in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would bill roughly $10,822 to $16,233 on the first year salary alone.

One owner runs the search from market map to signed offer. Searches typically fill in 23 to 35 days, which is a typical window rather than a promise, and the replacement guarantee runs 45 days at 50% off.

Questions employers ask about hiring a credit counselor in Phoenix

What does it cost to hire a credit counselor in Phoenix?: Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role and never by salary or location. A contingency firm billing 20 to 30% of this role's $54,110 median wage in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $10,822 to $16,233 on the first year salary alone.
What should an offer for a credit counselor in Phoenix look like?: Employers in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ area pay credit counselors a median of $54,110, with the middle half of the market between $48,130 and $60,140 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $48,130 competes for the bottom quarter of that market.
Do Phoenix residents in business and financial operations work earn more than employers in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ area pay?: Phoenix residents working in business and financial operations occupations earn a median of $70,247 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $77,740 as the median of the 27 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 10%. Both figures cover the whole occupation group rather than this one role, and one counts where people live while the other counts where the jobs are, so the percentage is not a pay gap.
Is the talent for this role already in Phoenix?: This is a job zone 4 occupation, which usually calls for a bachelor's degree, and 32.3% of Phoenix adults hold one or higher (Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501). That is a workable pool, though the search will reach beyond the city line.

Price this search

Eight questions about the role. Your tier range appears on screen.

Hiring a credit counselor somewhere else?

Same role, different market. The wage band moves with the metro.

Other business and financial operations roles in Phoenix

Phoenix is the largest of 8 Arizona cities in this dataset.