Clinical Psychology Salary: What You’ll Earn

Once you complete your clinical psychology degree program your salary options are as wide open as the field itself.

Clinical Psychologist Median Annual Salary

According to the most current Occupational Employment Statistics from the 2021 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, the median annual salary for clinical psychologists is $82,510. Actual salaries may vary greatly based on specialization within the field, location, years of experience and a variety of other factors. Take a look at salaries by state.

Clinical and Counseling Psychologists

National data

Median Salary: $82,510

Projected job growth: 9.9%

10th Percentile: $47,010

25th Percentile: $62,040

75th Percentile: $126,590

90th Percentile: $167,460

Projected job growth: 9.9%

State data

State	Median Salary	Bottom 10%	Top 10%
Alabama	$62,520	$34,060	$167,250
Alaska	$81,600	$59,480	$133,860
Arizona	$77,450	$30,000	$126,110
Arkansas	$62,540	$46,910	$128,070
California	$126,470	$61,770	$205,460
Colorado	$81,940	$39,760	$133,850
Connecticut	$104,940	$60,820	N/A
Delaware	$94,570	$74,870	N/A
District of Columbia	$79,430	$38,290	$205,920
Florida	$70,320	$38,790	$166,460
Georgia	$62,460	$29,600	$149,070
Hawaii	$101,310	$62,310	N/A
Idaho	$62,410	$39,630	$130,030
Illinois	$81,500	$39,760	N/A
Indiana	$65,250	$39,470	$128,570
Iowa	$88,340	$32,320	$166,980
Kansas	$75,410	$29,350	N/A
Kentucky	$77,190	$35,820	$161,610
Louisiana	$93,750	$49,520	$203,650
Maine	$75,670	$57,010	$159,120
Maryland	$82,710	$47,850	$147,340
Massachusetts	$80,840	$50,730	$135,650
Michigan	$66,180	$47,280	$128,390
Minnesota	$98,050	$47,630	$127,160
Mississippi	$64,430	$31,140	$158,720
Missouri	$63,580	$39,280	$100,620
Montana	$81,590	$50,510	$126,040
Nebraska	$81,570	$47,270	$113,790
Nevada	$94,480	$19,440	$164,110
New Hampshire	$94,570	$49,440	$130,720
New Jersey	$119,670	$79,430	N/A
New Mexico	$98,030	$52,400	N/A
New York	$104,070	$48,800	N/A
North Carolina	$81,700	$39,640	$163,980
North Dakota	$101,910	$47,350	$204,240
Ohio	$98,030	$39,620	N/A
Oklahoma	$59,710	$31,240	$98,030
Oregon	$119,180	$60,820	$205,440
Pennsylvania	$69,930	$38,150	$111,110
Rhode Island	$98,680	$74,870	$170,890
South Carolina	$78,930	$34,860	$129,780
South Dakota	$94,050	$52,840	$126,750
Tennessee	$98,030	$47,150	N/A
Texas	$78,000	$39,510	$126,870
Utah	$79,510	$48,390	$133,850
Vermont	$62,260	$30,450	$104,580
Virginia	$83,080	$50,810	$205,920
Washington	$97,140	$59,490	$131,640
West Virginia	$50,350	$35,250	$101,780
Wisconsin	$78,810	$48,640	$129,380
Wyoming	$62,070	$23,680	$129,710

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) 2021 median salary; projected job growth through 2031. Actual salaries vary depending on location, level of education, years of experience, work environment, and other factors. Salaries may differ even more for those who are self-employed or work part time.

What’s my earning potential?

Salaries for clinical psychologists can be lucrative, with the BLS reporting that the top 10% earned more than $167,460. As with every career, experience plays an enormous factor in salary. A clinical psychology salary jumps significantly around the fifth year, and salaries tend to increase steadily with each consecutive year.

How does a clinical psychologists’ salary compare to other psychology careers?

Career	Median Annual Salary
Clinical and Counseling Psychologists	$82,510
Industrial-Organizational Psychologists	$105,310
School Psychologists	$78,780
Psychologists, All Other	$102,900

Is there demand for this career?

Demand for clinical and counseling psychologists will increase as people continue to turn to psychologists to help solve or manage their problems. More psychologists will be needed to help people deal with issues such as depression and other mental disorders, marriage and family problems, job stress and addiction. Psychologists also will be needed to provide services to an aging population, helping people deal with the mental and physical changes that occur as they grow older.

What is the job growth for the field?

Employment of clinical psychologists is expected to grow 9.9% through 2031, which is faster than average for all occupations. Greater demand for psychological services in schools, hospitals, mental health centers, and social services agencies should drive employment growth. National long-term projections of employment growth may not reflect local and/or short-term economic or job conditions, and do not guarantee actual job growth.

How much competition will I face for a job?

Depending upon the area of clinical psychology that you intend to pursue, jobs are competitive despite a healthy job growth prediction. The best way to stay ahead of the competition is by earning your doctorate degree in an applied specialty, or in school psychology, which will continue to grow because of the increasing number of children in school.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics suggests that earning your master’s degree alone may place you in high competition markets, and that master’s degree-holders may need to resort to finding jobs in a related field outside of psychology.

What kinds of companies hire clinical psychologists?

Owning your own practice remains a popular career choice, but clinical psychology offers many more options. While the vast majority of clinical psychologists work in independent practice or the university and college system, many also work in hospitals, clinics and schools.

Here’s where the BLS says psychologists are working today:

Elementary and secondary schools—27%
Private practice—27%
Healthcare services—21%
Government facilities—9%
Hospitals—5%

How do I advance in my clinical psychology career?

Although the path you’ll take depends upon whether you’re interested in clinical practice, research or academics, the answer is the same: get more education. Studying current theory and practices in a specific field will give you the skills to work in a broad range of settings. Graduates with a master’s degree can find entry directly into the field of psychology as an industrial-organizational psychologist or as an assistant in clinical or research setting. But if you want to maintain a practice and hang out your shingle as a psychologist, you’ll need your doctorate and licensing.

Becoming licensed allows you to practice as a psychologist in all 50 states, as well as in the District of Columbia. From there, some doctorate-holders advance into research or a specialized clinical psychology area, such as neuropsychology. Some psychologists choose to pursue a medical education and become a psychiatrist, which allows them to write prescriptions for patients.

Clinical psychology is about much more than the money, but it’s great to know that this career offers good salary opportunities in addition to meaningful social contributions.