Mental Health Services — Salary, ROI & AI-Proof Rating at 61 Schools

What Mental Health Services Graduates Do

Your career in this field is about direct human impact. As a psychiatric technician, one of the fastest-growing roles, you’ll work in hospitals or residential centers, monitoring patients, assisting with daily activities, and de-escalating crises. Or you might become a social worker, meeting with families in their homes or schools to connect them with vital services like housing or food assistance, or working in a hospital to help patients navigate complex healthcare decisions. Your initial roles may involve assisting senior staff, with earnings starting in the $40,000s.

With experience and licensure, you can advance to manage your own caseload as a licensed social worker, earning closer to $60,000-$70,000. Demand is high across the board, with tens of thousands of new openings each year. For top earners, paths can lead to supervisory roles or teaching health specialties at the postsecondary level, where median salaries exceed $100,000. While AI tools may assist with administrative tasks like organizing case files or researching resources, the core of your job—building trust and providing empathetic, in-person support—remains a uniquely human skill, ensuring your expertise stays in demand.

Registered Apprenticeship Pathways

The U.S. Department of Labor recognizes 5 registered apprenticeship occupations related to Mental Health Services. Apprenticeships let you earn while you learn — most have zero tuition costs and pay wages from day one.

Apprenticeship	Training Hours	Type	Salary RangeSalary	Growth
Behavioral Health Aide (Existing Title: Counselor) RAPIDS 0569CB	Competency	Competency	$37K – $42,590 – $49K	20.0%
Certified Drug And Alcohol Counselor RAPIDS 2068	3100 hrs ~1.6 yrs	Time	—	—
Community Health Worker RAPIDS 2002CB	Competency	Competency	$50K – $63,000 – $84K	4.5%
Community Health Worker RAPIDS 2002HY	2000-2200 hrs	Hybrid	$50K – $63,000 – $84K	4.5%
Wellness Coach RAPIDS 2016HY	2000 hrs ~1.0 yrs	Hybrid	$44K – $51,030 – $63K	11.3%

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Registered Apprenticeship Partners Information Database (RAPIDS). Wages and job growth from Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034 projections.

Best Schools for Mental Health Services

Top 20 of 61 schools ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score. Click any row for full earnings projections and AI-proof analysis.

#	School	Score	EarningsEarn	ROI
1	Coalinga College Coalinga, CA	85 81–86	$72,116/yr	259.5x
2	Coalinga College Coalinga, CA	85 81–86	$71,517/yr	510.1x
3	Lemoore College Lemoore, CA	85 80–85	$71,182/yr	256.2x
4	Lemoore College Lemoore, CA	85 80–86	$69,125/yr	498.5x
5	Mt San Antonio College Walnut, CA	83 79–84	$59,278/yr	548.1x
6	Pueblo Community College Pueblo, CO	80 76–81	$59,198/yr	120.2x
7	Minneapolis Community and Technical College Minneapolis, MN	75 71–76	$49,629/yr	89.3x
8	Spokane Falls Community College Spokane, WA	69 66–70	$45,849/yr	44.0x
9	Forsyth Technical Community College Winston-Salem, NC	69 66–70	$31,072/yr	127.7x
10	Pima Community College Tucson, AZ	68 65–68	$36,004/yr	68.0x
11	Fox Valley Technical College Appleton, WI	67 63–67	$43,548/yr	50.2x
12	Sinclair Community College Dayton, OH	67 65–68	$40,665/yr	51.4x
13	Hillsborough Community College Tampa, FL	67 64–68	$35,956/yr	70.7x
14	Oakland Community College Auburn Hills, MI	67 62–68	$35,726/yr	75.5x
15	Kennebec Valley Community College Fairfield, ME	66 63–67	$39,351/yr	55.9x
16	Central Virginia Community College Lynchburg, VA	66 61–67	$32,649/yr	80.3x
17	Washburn University Topeka, KS	65 62–66	$42,402/yr	46.5x
18	Forsyth Technical Community College Winston-Salem, NC	65 62–66	$32,928/yr	65.1x
19	Northcentral Technical College Wausau, WI	65 62–66	$31,249/yr	78.9x
20	Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts San Jose, CA	64 60–65	$53,451/yr	—
21	Anne Arundel Community College Arnold, MD	64 61–65	$39,370/yr	39.5x
22	CUNY Hostos Community College Bronx, NY	63 58–64	$38,336/yr	46.4x
23	Southside Virginia Community College Alberta, VA	63 61–64	$31,975/yr	65.5x
24	Austin Community College District Austin, TX	63 60–63	$31,821/yr	61.4x
25	J Sargeant Reynolds Community College Richmond, VA	62 60–63	$39,904/yr	38.3x
26	Mountain Empire Community College Big Stone Gap, VA	62 58–63	$29,551/yr	69.8x
27	Southwest Virginia Community College Cedar Bluff, VA	62 58–63	$29,501/yr	67.6x
28	Palm Beach State College Lake Worth, FL	61 58–62	$32,260/yr	51.9x
29	Northern Essex Community College Haverhill, MA	61 54–62	$27,799/yr	67.0x
30	Milwaukee Area Technical College Milwaukee, WI	60 58–61	$37,325/yr	36.1x
31	Northcentral Technical College Wausau, WI	60 56–61	$32,481/yr	50.1x
32	Cincinnati State Technical and Community College Cincinnati, OH	60 57–61	$29,883/yr	54.3x
33	Paul D Camp Community College Franklin, VA	60 52–61	$24,556/yr	80.5x
34	Connecticut State Community College Hartford, CT	59 56–60	$36,043/yr	38.3x
35	InterCoast Colleges-Riverside Riverside, CA	58 54–59	$37,997/yr	—
36	InterCoast Colleges-West Covina West Covina, CA	58 54–59	$37,997/yr	—
37	InterCoast Colleges-Rancho Cordova Rancho Cordova, CA	58 54–59	$37,997/yr	—
38	InterCoast Colleges-Fairfield Fairfield, CA	58 54–59	$37,997/yr	—
39	InterCoast Colleges-Riverside Riverside, CA	57 53–58	$35,338/yr	—
40	InterCoast Colleges-West Covina West Covina, CA	57 53–58	$35,338/yr	—
41	InterCoast Colleges-Fairfield Fairfield, CA	57 53–58	$35,338/yr	—
42	Indiana University-East Richmond, IN	57 55–57	$31,575/yr	37.6x
43	CUNY Kingsborough Community College Brooklyn, NY	57 51–58	$31,072/yr	39.5x
44	Skagit Valley College Mount Vernon, WA	56 54–57	$34,290/yr	29.5x
45	CUNY LaGuardia Community College Long Island City, NY	56 48–57	$28,402/yr	41.3x
46	Southeast Community College Area Lincoln, NE	56 49–57	$25,644/yr	51.9x
47	Ivy Tech Community College Indianapolis, IN	55 51–56	$29,954/yr	36.1x
48	Brightpoint Community College Chester, VA	54 46–55	$26,277/yr	41.6x
49	SUNY Broome Community College Binghamton, NY	53 49–54	$32,418/yr	22.5x
50	East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania East Stroudsburg, PA	53 50–54	$30,550/yr	26.7x
51	Northwood Technical College Rice Lake, WI	53 47–54	$25,557/yr	41.8x
52	Virginia Peninsula Community College Hampton, VA	53 45–54	$25,271/yr	40.3x
53	Southside Virginia Community College Alberta, VA	52 50–53	$28,796/yr	31.7x
54	Western Technical College La Crosse, WI	52 46–53	$25,442/yr	37.1x
55	Sinclair Community College Dayton, OH	52 50–53	$18,958/yr	54.2x
56	Texas State Technical College Waco, TX	51 47–52	$29,779/yr	24.4x
57	Gateway Technical College Kenosha, WI	51 49–52	$28,094/yr	27.9x
58	Summit Academy Opportunities Industrialization Center Minneapolis, MN	48 44–49	$22,875/yr	—
59	Tidewater Community College Norfolk, VA	47 42–48	$23,509/yr	25.2x
60	Huntington Junior College Huntington, WV	45 42–46	$26,687/yr	12.3x
61	Lackawanna College Scranton, PA	44 39–44	$26,499/yr	7.7x

Highest Earning Mental Health Services Programs

Schools where Mental Health Services graduates earn the most in their first year after graduation.

School	1-Year Earnings	Score
Coalinga College	$72,116/yr	85
Coalinga College	$71,517/yr	85
Lemoore College	$71,182/yr	85
Lemoore College	$69,125/yr	85
Mt San Antonio College	$59,278/yr	83
Pueblo Community College	$59,198/yr	80
Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts	$53,451/yr	64
Minneapolis Community and Technical College	$49,629/yr	75
Spokane Falls Community College	$45,849/yr	69
Fox Valley Technical College	$43,548/yr	67

Best ROI for Mental Health Services

Schools with the highest earnings-to-tuition ratio for Mental Health Services.

School	ROI Multiple	Earnings	Score
Mt San Antonio College	548.1x	$59,278/yr	83
Coalinga College	510.1x	$71,517/yr	85
Lemoore College	498.5x	$69,125/yr	85
Coalinga College	259.5x	$72,116/yr	85
Lemoore College	256.2x	$71,182/yr	85
Forsyth Technical Community College	127.7x	$31,072/yr	69
Pueblo Community College	120.2x	$59,198/yr	80
Minneapolis Community and Technical College	89.3x	$49,629/yr	75
Paul D Camp Community College	80.5x	$24,556/yr	60
Central Virginia Community College	80.3x	$32,649/yr	66

Related Majors

Explore similar fields of study.

Considering a 4-Year Degree?

Compare the trade route with a bachelor's degree. See how Mental Health Services degree programs stack up on earnings, AI disruption risk, and ROI.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Mental Health Services graduates earn?

The median first-year salary across 61 Mental Health Services programs is $36,448. School selection matters — the gap between the lowest ($18,958) and highest ($72,116) earning programs is significant.

How AI-proof is a career in Mental Health Services?

AI resilience for Mental Health Services is classified as "Resilient." Approximately 60% of typical job tasks are hands-on — most the daily work involves skills that current AI technology cannot perform.

What's the top-ranked school for Mental Health Services?

Coalinga College leads all 61 programs with a TradeSchoolOutlook Score of 85/100. Graduates earn $72,116/yr — the ranking weighs earnings, ROI, AI resilience, and job market size equally.

Is Mental Health Services worth it?

The average 10-year earnings multiple is 86.4x tuition. This is a strong return on investment. The spread between the best and worst programs is wide, so individual school selection has a major impact.