Career
Genetic counselors
Help people understand what their genes mean for their health.
$100,040
Median pay
+10.4%
Job growth, 2025–35
300
Openings a year
Master's degree
Typical education
6 years
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Provide counseling to patient and family members by providing information, education, or reassurance.
- Analyze genetic information to identify patients or families at risk for specific disorders or syndromes.
- Provide genetic counseling in specified areas of clinical genetics, such as obstetrics, pediatrics, oncology and neurology.
- Discuss testing options and the associated risks, benefits and limitations with patients and families to assist them in making informed decisions.
- Interview patients or review medical records to obtain comprehensive patient or family medical histories, and document findings.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on ideas & analysis, then people & care?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Provide counseling to patient and family members by providing information, education, or reassurance.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Writing, Speaking.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
6 years of education after high school (master's degree), for a median of $100,040 a year and 300 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Public HealthSee the degree →
- Genetics, GeneralCIP 26.0801
- Molecular GeneticsCIP 26.0802
- Human/Medical GeneticsCIP 26.0806
- Genome Sciences/GenomicsCIP 26.0807
- Genetics, OtherCIP 26.0899
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Psychiatrists$281,870 · +7.2%
- Family Medicine Physicians$244,180 · +3.3%
- Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses
- Pediatricians, General$210,040 · +1.5%
- Clinical Nurse Specialists
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.