Wilmington, North Carolina is home to about 118,578 residents. Median household income is $63,900 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 45.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Wilmington, NC metro area, the top-earning mental health counseling-related role is Clinical and Counseling Psychologist at a median $76,700 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Mental Health Counseling Schools to Wilmington
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer mental health counseling programs near Wilmington, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Wilmington 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 Wilmington.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
66%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$55,146
Avg net price
$15,739/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 82%
- Programs offered: 83
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
91%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$72,200
Avg net price
$11,655/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 97%
- Programs offered: 34
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$42,968
Avg net price
$15,359/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 74%
- Programs offered: 27
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
58%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$48,793
Avg net price
$17,879/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 75%
- Programs offered: 17
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
85%
Graduation rate
49%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$45,543
Avg net price
$20,689/yr
TuitionIn‑state$31,900
Out‑of‑state$31,900
Key stats- Retention rate: 73%
- Programs offered: 26
Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
77%
Graduation rate
59%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$48,039
Avg net price
$17,674/yr
TuitionIn‑state$34,760
Out‑of‑state$34,760
Key stats- Retention rate: 62%
- Programs offered: 27
Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
37%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$45,151
Avg net price
$27,061/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 61%
- Programs offered: 20
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all North Carolina schools on the North Carolina mental health counseling page.
Mental Health Counseling Wages Near Wilmington
Wilmington is part of the Wilmington, NC metro area (BLS area code 48900). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to North Carolina statewide.
| Occupation | Median Wage | Source | COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
|---|
| Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor | $48,970 | Wilmington, NC | $50,799 |
| Marriage and Family Therapist | $48,100 | NC statewide | $49,896 |
| Clinical and Counseling Psychologist | $76,700 | Wilmington, NC | $79,564 |
| Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker | $54,990 | Wilmington, NC | $57,044 |
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.
Wilmington at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 118,578 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $63,900 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 45.8% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 96.4 (below U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Wilmington-Area Cities With Mental Health Counseling Programs
- Jacksonville, NC – 45.6 mi away (101,865 pop)
- Myrtle Beach, SC – 66.9 mi away (256,079 pop)
- Lumberton, NC – 70.8 mi away (29,681 pop)
- Conway, SC – 70.9 mi away (22,761 pop)
- Havelock, NC – 74.0 mi away (21,083 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the highest-paying mental health counseling roles near Wilmington?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying mental health counseling-related roles near Wilmington are: Clinical and Counseling Psychologist ($76,700), Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker ($54,990), Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor ($48,970). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with North Carolina statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Jacksonville instead of Wilmington?
Jacksonville, NC is 45.6 miles from Wilmington 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 Wilmington an affordable place to study mental health counseling?
Wilmington’s median household income of $63,900 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Wilmington while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and North Carolina 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 Wilmington
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Wilmington:
- Behavioral Health Science programs in Wilmington, NC
- Substance Abuse Counseling programs in Wilmington, NC
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- Communication Disorders programs in Wilmington, NC
- Speech Pathology programs in Wilmington, NC
- Technical Communication programs in Wilmington, NC
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- Business Development programs in Wilmington, NC
- Construction Management programs in Wilmington, NC
- Economics programs in Wilmington, NC
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- Hospitality Management programs in Wilmington, NC
- International Business programs in Wilmington, NC
- Organizational Leadership programs in Wilmington, NC
- Management Information Systems programs in Wilmington, NC
- Nonprofit Management programs in Wilmington, NC
- Operations Management programs in Wilmington, NC
- Public Administration programs in Wilmington, NC
- Real Estate programs in Wilmington, NC
- Recreation Management programs in Wilmington, NC
- Retail Management programs in Wilmington, NC
- Risk Management programs in Wilmington, NC
- Statistics programs in Wilmington, NC
- Taxation programs in Wilmington, NC
- Corrections programs in Wilmington, NC
- Crime Analysis programs in Wilmington, NC
- Criminal Justice Administration programs in Wilmington, NC
- Criminology programs in Wilmington, NC
- Cybercrime programs in Wilmington, NC
- Emergency Management programs in Wilmington, NC
- Fire Science programs in Wilmington, NC
- Forensic Science programs in Wilmington, NC
- Legal Services programs in Wilmington, NC
- Legal Studies programs in Wilmington, NC
- Paralegal programs in Wilmington, NC
- Security Management programs in Wilmington, NC
- Cloud Computing programs in Wilmington, NC
- Computer Engineering programs in Wilmington, NC
- Innovation programs in Wilmington, NC
- Mobile App Development programs in Wilmington, NC
- Software Development programs in Wilmington, NC
- User Experience programs in Wilmington, NC
- Web Development programs in Wilmington, NC
- Artificial Intelligence programs in Wilmington, NC
- Machine Learning programs in Wilmington, NC
- Supply Chain Management programs in Wilmington, NC
- Data Analytics programs in Wilmington, NC
- Public Health programs in Wilmington, NC
- Human Resources programs in Wilmington, NC
- Project Management programs in Wilmington, NC
- Special Education programs in Wilmington, NC
- Homeland Security programs in Wilmington, NC
- Marketing programs in Wilmington, NC
- Finance programs in Wilmington, NC
- Kinesiology programs in Wilmington, NC
- Sports Management programs in Wilmington, NC
- Early Childhood Education programs in Wilmington, NC
- Elementary Education programs in Wilmington, NC
- Biology programs in Wilmington, NC
- Communications programs in Wilmington, NC
- Graphic Design programs in Wilmington, NC
- Human Services programs in Wilmington, NC
- MBA programs in Wilmington, NC
- Criminal Justice programs in Wilmington, NC
- Nursing programs in Wilmington, NC
- Business Administration programs in Wilmington, NC
- Computer Science programs in Wilmington, NC
- Psychology programs in Wilmington, NC
- Education programs in Wilmington, NC
- Engineering programs in Wilmington, NC
- Technology programs in Wilmington, NC
- Liberal Arts programs in Wilmington, NC
- Healthcare programs in Wilmington, NC
- Cybersecurity programs in Wilmington, NC
- Accounting programs in Wilmington, NC
- Healthcare Administration programs in Wilmington, NC
- Social Work programs in Wilmington, NC
- Counseling programs in Wilmington, NC
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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