Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers — Average Employee Salary
The average employee in the outpatient mental health and substance abuse centers industry earns $55,361 per year ($26.62/hour), according to Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW data.
What Do Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers Workers Earn?
At $55,361/year (equivalent to $26.62/hour for a full-time worker), outpatient mental health and substance abuse centers wages are below the national average of ~$65,000.
Lower wages in this industry are common in service-oriented or retail-adjacent sectors where entry barriers are lower. This can be an advantage for business owners managing payroll costs, but may contribute to higher turnover.
The typical outpatient mental health and substance abuse centers business employs 18 people. These are mid-sized operations where payroll is a significant but manageable expense.
Wages as a Percentage of Revenue
For the average outpatient mental health and substance abuse centers business generating $3.2M/year with 18 employees at $55,361 each, total payroll represents roughly 31.6% of revenue. Labor is a significant cost but leaves room for other expenses and profit.
What This Means for Business Owners
If you're starting or running a outpatient mental health and substance abuse centersbusiness, here's what the wage data means for your bottom line:
- Per-employee cost: Budget approximately $71,969/year per employee (salary + ~30% for benefits, taxes, and insurance).
- Typical team size: 18 employees = ~$996,498/year in base payroll.
- Hourly equivalent: $26.62/hour base — factor this into pricing and project estimates.
- Revenue needed: With average revenue of $3.2M/business, you need strong utilization rates to maintain healthy margins after payroll.
See how these wages compare to total revenue and profit margins.
View full Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers revenue benchmarks →Frequently Asked Questions
- How much do outpatient mental health and substance abuse centers employees make?
- The average outpatient mental health and substance abuse centers employee earns $55,361 per year, which is equivalent to $26.62/hour for a full-time worker (2,080 hours/year). This is below the national average of approximately $65,000.
- How many people work in the outpatient mental health and substance abuse centers industry?
- The outpatient mental health and substance abuse centers industry employs 294,758 workers across 15,943 establishments in the United States. The average business in this industry has approximately 18 employees.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW 2023).