Business and Financial Operations · Holland code CSE

Credit Counselors

Advise and educate individuals or organizations on acquiring and managing debt. May provide guidance in determining the best type of loan and explain loan requirements or restrictions. May help develop debt management plans or student financial aid packages. May advise on credit issues, or provide budget, mortgage, bankruptcy, or student financial aid counseling.

Also called: Accredited Financial Counselor, Certified Credit Counselor, Financial Coach, Housing Counselor, Budget Credit Counselor, Certified Consumer Credit and Housing Counselor, Certified Credit Consultant, Certified Financial Coach.

O*NET 13-2071.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $52,230; Middle half earn $45,720 to $64,080. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 4 of 5; Considerable preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034: +3% · As fast as average; 31,800 jobs in 2024, projected 32,900. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Credit counselors".

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Create debt management plans, spending plans, or budgets to assist clients to meet financial goals.
Assess clients' overall financial situations by reviewing income, assets, debts, expenses, credit reports, or other financial information.
Calculate clients' available monthly income to meet debt obligations.
Recommend strategies for clients to meet their financial goals, such as borrowing money through loans or loan programs, declaring bankruptcy, making budget adjustments, or enrolling in debt management plans.
Advise clients or respond to inquiries about financial matters in person or via phone, email, Web site, or Internet chat.
Explain general financial topics to clients, such as credit report ratings, bankruptcy laws, consumer protection laws, wage attachments, or collection actions.
Interview clients by telephone or in person to gather financial information.
Maintain or update records of client account activity, including financial transactions, counseling session notes, correspondence, document images, or client inquiries.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Reading Comprehension3.9 / 5
Active Listening3.9 / 5
Speaking3.9 / 5
Critical Thinking3.9 / 5
Writing3.8 / 5
Active Learning3.8 / 5

Knowledge areas

Customer and Personal Service4.5 / 5
English Language3.9 / 5
Administrative3.8 / 5
Education and Training3.5 / 5
Economics and Accounting3.5 / 5
Mathematics3.3 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic0
Investigative27
Artistic13
Social65
Enterprising62
Conventional73

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

academic advisor · DE Studierendenberater/Studierendenberaterin · FR chargé d’orientation et d’insertion professionnelle/chargée d’orientation et d’insertion professionnelle
admissions coordinator · DE Zulassungskoordinator/Zulassungskoordinatorin · FR responsable des admissions
educational counsellor · DE Bildungsberater/Bildungsberaterin · FR conseiller en information scolaire/conseillère en information scolaire
corporate banking manager · DE Geschäftskundenberater/Geschäftskundenberaterin · FR chargé de clientèle «entreprises»/chargée de clientèle «entreprises»
career guidance advisor · DE Berufsberater/Berufsberaterin · FR conseiller d’orientation/conseillère d’orientation
credit adviser · DE Kreditberater/Kreditberaterin · FR conseiller crédits/conseillère crédits

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Human resources and industrial relations officers (3571)196,000 employed
Credit controllers (4121)29,000 employed
Careers advisers and vocational guidance specialists (3572)33,700 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Technicians and associate professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Technicians and associate professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€50,992
Austria	€46,986
Germany	€44,473
Netherlands	€42,448
Ireland	€41,613
Sweden	€41,155
Italy	€34,882
France	€34,816
Spain	€29,757
Portugal	€18,080
Poland	€12,108

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the higher third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +1.39. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (13-2071).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test