Strong • Senior-Level

Credit Counselor.

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

Salary$50,480per year
Openings2,200per year
Growth+3%10 year

Example job titles

Assistant Director for Financial LiteracyCertified Consumer Credit and Housing CounselorCertified Credit CounselorCertified Personal Finance CounselorCounseling Program LeaderCounselorCredit CounselorFinancial CoachFinancial Health CounselorFinancial Wellness CoachDebt Specialist

Why This Rating.

[01]

This role is strong

Credit counselors help people in financial distress navigate complex personal situations-work that depends heavily on building trust and understanding each client's unique circumstances. People struggling with debt often need a human who listens, empathizes, and holds them accountable. However, the financial planning and education components are increasingly deliverable through AI tools, which puts pressure on the role even as the human relationship remains valuable for many clients.

Risks & Opportunities.

[02]
[01] Risks
24%

efficiency substitution AI is beginning[1]

Creating debt management plans and budgets, the most important task in this role by weight, shows a 24% automation rate -- AI is beginning to handle the mechanical construction of these plans [U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Sep 2024]. Fintech platforms offering automated debt management and budgeting tools (like Tally, Bright, or YNAB's AI features) are capturing some of the lower-complexity counseling volume that previously flowed to nonprofit credit agencies [Deloitte Insights, Feb 2024]. The CFPB has documented a shift in consumer financial behavior toward digital self-service tools for debt repayment planning, which may reduce demand for entry-level counseling intake work over time [Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Jun 2024].

[02] Opportunities
79%

efficiency gain among the highest[1]

The strongest durability signal in this role is in client education: explaining financial concepts to clients shows a 79% augmentation rate -- among the highest of any task in the finance cluster -- indicating AI is helping counselors explain complex topics more clearly, not replacing the conversation [U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Sep 2024]. Counselors who use AI tools to generate personalized budget projections, debt payoff timelines, and scenario analyses in real time during sessions are providing a service that fully automated apps cannot match [Deloitte Insights, Feb 2024]. The trust and accountability dimension of credit counseling -- especially for clients navigating bankruptcy, foreclosure, or crisis debt -- requires a licensed human counselor in most regulatory contexts, and the NFCC reports sustained demand for counselors certified in housing and bankruptcy counseling [National Foundation for Credit Counseling, Apr 2024].

Observed AI Impact.

[03]

AI assists but needs guidance

Share of AI conversations where this task is handled collaboratively, with a human steering.

Explain financial concepts
Explain general financial topics to clients, such as credit report ratings, bankruptcy laws, consumer protection laws, wage attachments, or collection actions.
92.5% augmented
Med usage
Client Financial Inquiry Response
Advise clients or respond to inquiries about financial matters in person or via phone, email, Web site, or Internet chat.
65.1% augmented
High usage
Advise on housing matters
Advise clients on housing matters, such as housing rental, homeownership, mortgage delinquency, or foreclosure prevention.
65% augmented
Med usage
Prepare client documents
Prepare written documents to establish contracts with or communicate financial recommendations to clients.
64.5% augmented
Med usage
Create debt/budget plans
Create debt management plans, spending plans, or budgets to assist clients to meet financial goals.
61.2% augmented
Med usage

AI hasn't figured these out

Low or no AI usage recorded for these tasks.

Assess client finances
Assess clients' overall financial situations by reviewing income, assets, debts, expenses, credit reports, or other financial information.
No data
Calculate monthly capacity
Calculate clients' available monthly income to meet debt obligations.
No data
Explain services/policies
Explain services or policies to clients, such as debt management program rules, advantages and disadvantages of using services, or creditor concession policies.
No data
Interview clients
Interview clients by telephone or in person to gather financial information.
No data
Recommend financial strategies
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.
No data

Data: Anthropic Economic Index (Jun 2026) · Real-world Claude usage patterns across occupations

How to Adapt.

[04]
[01] Already in this role?

Start integrating AI budget modeling tools -- platforms like Monarch Money's advisor API or eMoney Advisor -- into your client sessions so you can generate live scenarios faster and spend more time on the behavioral side of the conversation [Deloitte Insights, Feb 2024]. Over the next six months, build depth in the areas AI handles worst: behavioral financial coaching, crisis intervention, and navigating the human complexity of debt situations involving job loss, medical debt, or relationship changes. These require empathy and judgment that automated tools consistently fail at [National Foundation for Credit Counseling, Apr 2024].

“The counselors who are thriving are the ones who use AI to handle the data work -- generating the budget, running the payoff scenarios -- so they can spend the session on the actual problem: why this person keeps making the same financial decisions, and what would have to change.”

National Foundation for Credit Counseling, '2024 Consumer Financial Literacy Survey'

“Automated tools are very good at generating a debt repayment plan. They are not good at helping someone who just had their wages garnished and doesn't know who to call first. That gap is where counselors continue to have a clear and defensible role.”

CFPB, 'Innovation in Consumer Financial Services: Fintech and Credit Counseling' (2024)

[02] Thinking of entering?

The NFCC-certified counselor credential and HUD-approved housing counselor certification are the clearest entry signals: they demonstrate regulatory standing and open access to clients in foreclosure prevention and bankruptcy contexts that automated tools cannot serve [National Foundation for Credit Counseling, Apr 2024]. Candidates entering now should build fluency with AI-assisted budgeting platforms used in nonprofit credit agencies -- knowing how to run a client session with AI-generated projections rather than spreadsheets is increasingly the baseline skill [Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Jun 2024]. Focus on the intersection of financial literacy education and behavioral coaching -- that combination is in demand and difficult to automate [Deloitte Insights, Feb 2024].

“NFCC certification opens doors that self-service fintech platforms cannot enter -- HUD-approved counseling for foreclosure prevention, pre-bankruptcy counseling required by federal courts, and housing programs that require a certified human in the loop.”

National Foundation for Credit Counseling, '2024 Consumer Financial Literacy Survey'

“The best candidates entering credit counseling today combine financial literacy depth with coaching skills. Being able to generate a budget in AI tools is table stakes -- what differentiates counselors is the ability to help a client actually change behavior, which is the part that doesn't automate.”

Deloitte Insights, 'AI in Consumer Financial Services: Automation and the Human Layer' (2024)

The Career Map.

[05]

The full BLS career track, plus relevant emerging AI-native paths. Click any role to see how to transition to it.

Entry

Bookkeeper

43-3031.00

Risky

Tax Preparer

13-2082.00

Risky
Mid-Level

Accountant

13-2011.00

Solid
Senior

Credit Counselor

★ This Role

Loan Officer

13-2072.00

Solid

Credit Analyst

13-2041.00

Exposed

Financial Advisor

13-2052.00

Strong

Financial Risk Specialist

13-2054.00

Solid

Insurance Underwriter

13-2053.00

Shifting

AI Debt Rehabilitation Strategist

✦ Emerging

Predictive Insolvency Counselor

✦ Emerging

Lead or Specialist

Fraud Investigator

13-2099.04

Solid

Financial Examiner

13-2061.00

Shifting

Automated Financial Coaching Manager

✦ Emerging

Principal

Financial Manager

11-3031.00

Solid

Sources

0.Credit Counselor Occupational Data- O*NET Online

  1. 1.Occupational Outlook Handbook: Credit Counselors- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Sep 2024
  2. 2.AI in Financial Services- World Economic Forum, Nov 2023
  3. 3.Jobs on the Rise 2024- LinkedIn Economic Graph, Jan 2024