South Plainfield, New Jersey has 48 accredited schools offering mental health counseling programs, with tuition ranging from $7,382 to $53,290 per year for indexed programs. South Plainfield has a population of about 24,231. Median household income is $126,063 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 42.0% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area, the top-earning mental health counseling-related role is Clinical and Counseling Psychologist at a median $120,510 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Mental Health Counseling Schools to South Plainfield
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer mental health counseling programs near South Plainfield, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from South Plainfield city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
- Graduation rate 30%
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
- Average net price (lower is better) 20%
- Retention rate 15%
- Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
On this page, schools are ordered by distance from South Plainfield.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
60%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$57,237
Avg net price
$12,447/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 76%
- Programs offered: 41
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$70,196
Avg net price
$31,446/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 83%
- Programs offered: 40
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$62,208
Avg net price
$24,792/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 80%
- Programs offered: 56
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
83%
Graduation rate
56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$53,726
Avg net price
$20,503/yr
TuitionIn‑state$37,732
Out‑of‑state$37,732
Key stats- Retention rate: 76%
- Programs offered: 23
Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher Education · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
72%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$67,991
Avg net price
$30,988/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 81%
- Programs offered: 29
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
78%
Graduation rate
68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$59,988
Avg net price
$22,408/yr
TuitionIn‑state$16,574
Out‑of‑state$26,932
Key stats- Retention rate: 82%
- Programs offered: 89
Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher Education · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
76%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$57,602
Avg net price
$20,670/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 78%
- Programs offered: 25
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all New Jersey schools on the New Jersey mental health counseling page.
Mental Health Counseling Wages Near South Plainfield
South Plainfield is part of the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area (BLS area code 35620). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to New Jersey statewide.
| Occupation | Median Wage | Source | COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
|---|
| Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor | $61,020 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $54,192 |
| Marriage and Family Therapist | $91,130 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $80,933 |
| Clinical and Counseling Psychologist | $120,510 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $107,025 |
| Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker | $82,450 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $73,224 |
Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.
South Plainfield at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 24,231 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $126,063 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 42.0% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 112.6 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other South Plainfield-Area Cities With Mental Health Counseling Programs
- Plainfield, NJ – 2.8 mi away (50,636 pop)
- North Plainfield, NJ – 3.4 mi away (22,073 pop)
- New Brunswick, NJ – 6.3 mi away (56,910 pop)
- Westfield, NJ – 6.5 mi away (30,206 pop)
- Rahway, NJ – 7.4 mi away (29,451 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited mental health counseling schools are near South Plainfield, NJ?
Our directory has 48 accredited schools offering mental health counseling programs near South Plainfield. The closest is Kean University in Union, NJ (11.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is CUNY Hunter College (27.1 miles). 8 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying mental health counseling roles near South Plainfield?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying mental health counseling-related roles near South Plainfield are: Clinical and Counseling Psychologist ($120,510), Marriage and Family Therapist ($91,130), Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker ($82,450). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with New Jersey statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Plainfield instead of South Plainfield?
Plainfield, NJ is 2.8 miles from South Plainfield and has its own set of local mental health counseling programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is South Plainfield an affordable place to study mental health counseling?
South Plainfield’s median household income of $126,063 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in South Plainfield while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and New Jersey public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.
How do I verify a program is accredited?
Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.
Learn More About Mental Health Counseling Programs
Other Programs Available in South Plainfield
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for South Plainfield:
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- Taxation programs in South Plainfield, NJ
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- Crime Analysis programs in South Plainfield, NJ
- Criminal Justice Administration programs in South Plainfield, NJ
- Criminology programs in South Plainfield, NJ
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- Emergency Management programs in South Plainfield, NJ
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- Legal Services programs in South Plainfield, NJ
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- User Experience programs in South Plainfield, NJ
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- Artificial Intelligence programs in South Plainfield, NJ
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- Public Health programs in South Plainfield, NJ
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- Project Management programs in South Plainfield, NJ
- Special Education programs in South Plainfield, NJ
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- Marketing programs in South Plainfield, NJ
- Finance programs in South Plainfield, NJ
- Kinesiology programs in South Plainfield, NJ
- Sports Management programs in South Plainfield, NJ
- Early Childhood Education programs in South Plainfield, NJ
- Elementary Education programs in South Plainfield, NJ
- Biology programs in South Plainfield, NJ
- Communications programs in South Plainfield, NJ
- Graphic Design programs in South Plainfield, NJ
- Human Services programs in South Plainfield, NJ
- MBA programs in South Plainfield, NJ
- Criminal Justice programs in South Plainfield, NJ
- Nursing programs in South Plainfield, NJ
- Business Administration programs in South Plainfield, NJ
- Computer Science programs in South Plainfield, NJ
- Psychology programs in South Plainfield, NJ
- Education programs in South Plainfield, NJ
- Engineering programs in South Plainfield, NJ
- Technology programs in South Plainfield, NJ
- Liberal Arts programs in South Plainfield, NJ
- Healthcare programs in South Plainfield, NJ
- Cybersecurity programs in South Plainfield, NJ
- Accounting programs in South Plainfield, NJ
- Healthcare Administration programs in South Plainfield, NJ
- Social Work programs in South Plainfield, NJ
- Counseling programs in South Plainfield, NJ
Data verified: August 11, 2026.
Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
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