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Nonprofit Credit & Housing Counseling
GreenPath Financial Wellness, Money Management International, InCharge Debt Solutions
Credit Counselors
Credit counselors help people sort out debt, review credit reports, and build budgets or repayment plans that fit their actual monthly income. The job is part financial analysis and part coaching, and the real tension is being supportive while also giving people hard truths about what they can and cannot afford, especially when foreclosure or wage garnishment is on the table.
Also known as Financial CounselorDebt CounselorConsumer Credit CounselorFinancial Wellness CounselorDebt Management Specialist
Median Salary
$50,480
Mean $55,890
U.S. Workforce
~28K
2.2K openings per year
10-Year Growth
+3.3%
31.8K to 32.9K
Entry Education
Bachelor's degree
+ None experience
What This Role Looks Like in Practice
Credit Counselors sits in the Finance category. In practical terms, this role combines day-to-day execution, cross-team coordination, and consistent decision-making under real business constraints.
U.S. employment is currently about ~28K workers, with a median annual pay of $50,480 and roughly 2.2K openings each year. Based on BLS projections, total employment is expected to grow from 31.8 K in 2024 to 32.9K in 2034.
Most hiring paths start with Bachelor's degree, and employers typically expect none of related experience. Many careers in this track begin around Client Intake Specialist and can progress toward Counseling Supervisor. High-value skills usually include Client Financial Assessment, Budgeting & Excel Modeling, Credit Report Review, Debt Analysis & FICO Tools, and Debt Repayment Calculators & Amortization Schedules, paired with soft skills such as Speaking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Core Responsibilities
- Meet with clients to go through their income, bills, debts, savings, and credit reports so the full picture is clear.
- Talk clients through their options by phone, email, chat, or in person and answer questions about debt and housing problems.
- Work out how much money a client can realistically put toward debt each month without falling behind on basic expenses.
- Research ways to slow or stop repossession, foreclosure, wage garnishment, or similar collection actions.
Keep exploring: more Finance careers or browse all job titles.
A Day in the Life
01 Meet with clients to go through their income, bills, debts, savings, and credit reports so the full picture is clear.
02 Talk clients through their options by phone, email, chat, or in person and answer questions about debt and housing problems.
03 Work out how much money a client can realistically put toward debt each month without falling behind on basic expenses.
04 Research ways to slow or stop repossession, foreclosure, wage garnishment, or similar collection actions.
05 Build repayment schedules, budgets, and debt management plans, then estimate how long it will take to become debt-free.
06 Connect clients to housing programs and create step-by-step plans for keeping or finding stable housing.
Industries That Hire
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Banks & Credit Unions
Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Navy Federal Credit Union
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Consumer Finance & Lending
Discover, Capital One, Synchrony Financial
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Government & Public Services
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, New York City Housing Authority
Pros and Cons
Advantages
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You can make a direct difference for people under real financial pressure, including cases involving foreclosure, repossession, or wage garnishment.
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The pay is solid for a counseling role, with a mean annual wage of $55,890 and a median of $50,480.
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Entry requirements are not locked to one path: 40% of workers have a bachelor's degree, but 36% start with a high school diploma and build skills through training.
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The job has steady demand, with about 2.2K annual openings and projected employment rising from 31.8K to 32.9K by 2034.
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The work mixes client counseling, financial analysis, and paperwork, so it tends to be more varied than a purely administrative job.
Challenges
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Growth is only 3.3% over the decade, so this is not a fast-expanding field and advancement may matter more than job growth.
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The median pay of $50,480 is only moderate for work that often expects a bachelor's degree and significant people skills.
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A lot of the emotional burden comes from the fact that clients often arrive in crisis, and those problems can be stressful to hear day after day.
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Some client problems are structural, like low wages, high housing costs, and accumulated medical debt, so even strong advice cannot fully solve the situation.
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Routine budgeting and repayment work can be standardized by software and self-service tools, which may limit the most basic work and keep the best roles for experienced staff or supervisors.
Career Progression
Client Intake Specialist
0-2 years
$34K-$41K
New workers gather basic financial information, schedule appointments, and route clients to the right counselor.
Credit Counselor
2-5 years
$43K-$57K
This is the core role, where you assess debt, build repayment plans, and help clients decide what is realistic.
Senior Credit Counselor THIS ROLE
5-9 years
$58K-$71K
Experienced counselors handle more complicated cases, coach newer staff, and work with clients facing foreclosure or garnishment.
Counseling Supervisor
9-15 years
$72K-$90K
Supervisors review cases, manage schedules and quality, and often handle the most difficult client situations.
Education Paths
Bachelor's degree
The most common entry route, held by 40% of workers in this role, often in finance, social work, counseling, or a related field.
High school diploma
A sizeable 36% of workers start with a high school diploma, usually pairing it with training and client-service experience to handle the work well.
Post-secondary certificate
Another 12% come in with a post-secondary certificate, which can be a practical path for people moving in from office, banking, or nonprofit jobs.
Some college courses
About 8% have some college coursework, but this path usually needs extra experience or training to be competitive.
Key Skills
Technical
Client Financial Assessment, Budgeting & Excel Modeling 78%
Credit Report Review, Debt Analysis & FICO Tools 75%
Debt Repayment Calculators & Amortization Schedules 72%
Case Management Software, CRM & Documentation Systems 69%
Foreclosure, Repossession & Garnishment Research Databases 66%
Soft Skills
SpeakingActive ListeningReading ComprehensionCritical ThinkingWritingService Orientation Job Outlook and Trends
+3.3%
Projected growth (2024-2034)
2.2K
Annual job openings
Employment is projected to rise from 31.8K to 32.9 K over the next decade, representing 3.3% growth. Around 2.2 K openings per year include both newly created roles and replacement hiring from turnover.
Remote availability is currently Moderate. Demand remains strongest where employers need practical domain knowledge plus modern workflow and data skills.