Clinical and Counseling Psychologists Salaries by State

Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for clinical and counseling psychologistss across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).

National mean salary $112,750 ≈ $54/hr
National median salary $100,580
Total employment 75,990 nationwide

Job Outlook, 2024–2034

Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.

Projected growth +11.2% Much faster than average
Annual openings 4,800 per year (avg)
Employment 2024→2034 76,300 → 84,800 (+8,500)
Typical entry education Doctoral or professional degree

Salary Map

Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.

💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States

  1. Washington$137,530
  2. New Jersey$131,590
  3. Oregon$129,590
  4. District of Columbia$127,690
  5. Colorado$126,480

📉 5 Lowest-Paying States

  1. Louisiana$79,510
  2. Arkansas$82,100
  3. Mississippi$83,860
  4. Tennessee$84,350
  5. Kansas$85,550
#StateMeanMedian Hourlyvs. U.S.Employment
1 Washington $137,530 $115,240 $66 +22% 1,270
2 New Jersey $131,590 $127,090 $63 +16.7% 2,700
3 Oregon $129,590 $134,350 $62 +14.9% 540
4 District of Columbia $127,690 $107,000 $61 +13.3% 220
5 Colorado $126,480 $113,290 $61 +12.2% 1,170
6 Massachusetts $124,560 $115,180 $60 +10.5% 2,860
7 New York $124,380 $114,400 $60 +10.3% 8,420
8 California $123,570 $116,000 $59 +9.6% 12,840
9 New Mexico $122,330 $124,800 $59 +8.5%
10 Alaska $122,210 $124,270 $59 +8.4% 40
11 Wisconsin $121,440 $113,360 $58 +7.7% 1,150
12 Florida $118,480 $85,610 $57 +5.1% 3,040
13 Hawaii $117,510 $117,860 $57 +4.2% 250
14 Arizona $115,230 $119,010 $55 +2.2% 730
15 Delaware $114,760 $113,050 $55 +1.8% 280

Top-Paying Metro Areas

Highest median pay among 274 metro areas.

#Metro areaMedianMeanEmployment
1 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $166,400 $153,490 1,540
2 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA $155,960 $166,470 90
3 Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA $153,050 $141,690 630
4 Hanford-Corcoran, CA $147,210 $147,510 40
5 Western Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area $146,770 $134,190 40
6 Salem, OR $143,980 $144,240 130
7 Vallejo, CA $143,600 $137,210 180
8 Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area $138,830 $124,480 30
9 Eastern Washington nonmetropolitan area $131,870 $117,680 50
10 Santa Fe, NM $131,470 $117,000 60

Pay by Industry

Highest-paying industries employing clinical and counseling psychologistss (BLS OEWS, by median).

#IndustryMedianMeanEmployment
1 Other Ambulatory Health Care Services $131,970 $126,710 250
2 All Other Ambulatory Health Care Services $131,970 $126,710 250
3 Temporary Help Services $131,130 $156,230
4 Administrative and Support Services $131,040 $151,430
5 Sector 56 - Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services $131,040 $151,460
6 Employment Services $129,860 $151,350
7 Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) $126,650 $125,030 1,770
8 General Medical and Surgical Hospitals, Local Government Owned $125,310 $120,010 590
9 Local Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) $123,070 $120,040 2,770
10 Home Health Care Services $121,870 $123,790 300
11 Hospitals, Local Government Owned $121,240 $117,510 640
12 Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals, State Government Owned $112,900 $112,730 1,550

Workforce Deep-Dive

Distribution and demographics from Census ACS (2023, self-reported). Wage figures here are ACS averages and run lower than the authoritative BLS wages above; use them for shape, not exact pay.

Annual wage distribution

< $10K
9,932
$10-20k
1,131
$20-30k
545
$30-40k
719
$40-50k
1,271
$50-60k
1,052
$60-70k
1,528
$70-80k
1,106
$80-90k
1,776
$90-100k
837
$100-110k
2,013
$110-120k
995
$120-130k
1,482
$130-140k
998
$140-150k
484
$150-160k
511
$160-170k
382
$170-180k
146
$180-190k
446
$200k+
983

Pay by age band

16-24
25-34
$93,926
35-44
$87,195
45-54
$67,465
55-64
$54,521
65+
$56,185

Education level

Doctorate degree
$75,460
Masters Degree
$51,156
Bachelors Degree
$39,759
Professional degree
$39,001

Full-time vs part-time

Full-time
13,800 · $112,150
Part-time
5,390 · $73,619

Race / ethnicity

White
$66,655
Two or More Races
$88,627
Black
$67,939
Asian
$76,061
Other
$43,841
American Indian

Top fields of study

Psychology
$78,124
Clinical Psychology
$58,999
Philosophy And Religious Studies
$59,072
Family And Consumer Sciences
$70,276
English Language And Literature
$42,723
Biology
$66,692
Fine Arts
$16,804
Social Work
$95,878

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do clinical and counseling psychologists make in the U.S.?

The median clinical and counseling psychologists salary in the United States is $100,580 per year (mean $112,750), and about 80% earn between $55,170 and $180,960.

How much do clinical and counseling psychologists make per hour?

Roughly $54 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $112,750 and 2,080 work hours per year.

Which state pays clinical and counseling psychologists the most?

Washington has the highest average pay for clinical and counseling psychologists at $137,530 per year (median $115,240).

What is the job outlook for clinical and counseling psychologists?

Employment is projected to change +11.2% from 2024 to 2034 (Much faster than average), with about 4,800 openings per year.

What People Search

Common U.S. search queries related to this occupation.

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