School Psychologists Salary: $86,930 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 63,830 school psychologists work nationally, and $86,930 is the BLS national median annual wage. Employment in the series shown fell about 16% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 2.9% annual growth.
School Psychologists: what the data shows
Common questions about school psychologists careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a school psychologists?
School Psychologists is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 19-3034.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 63,830 workers.
What does a school psychologists do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Getting Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a school psychologists make?
BLS national median annual wage: $86,930 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $120,827 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $83,376 |
| 25th percentile | $104,700 |
| Median (50th) | $121,525 |
| 75th percentile | $136,902 |
| 90th percentile | $158,288 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Active Listening, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Writing, Monitoring, Critical Thinking, and knowledge areas including Psychology, Therapy and Counseling, Education and Training, Sociology and Anthropology. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is school psychologists in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 2.9% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 15.2%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 32.8%.
Current U.S. headcount: 63,830.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do school psychologistss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Educational Services | 118,370 | 24.1% |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools | 107,200 | 21.8% |
| Cross-industry | 63,830 | 13.0% |
| Educational Services | 59,190 | 12.0% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 54,550 | 11.1% |
| Local Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 53,570 | 10.9% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for School Psychologists in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Psychologists, All Other | 17,790 | $117,580 |
| Clinical and Counseling Psychologists | 72,190 | $95,830 |
| Mental Health Counselors | — | — |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the School Psychologists workforce.
Employment Over Time
63,830 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for School Psychologists grew from 33,360 in 2022 to 36,320 in 2025 (8.9%).
Historical employment for School Psychologists from the California OEWS series, 2022–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$86,930 Median pay (BLS national)
School Psychologists earn $86,930 as the BLS national median annual wage.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for School Psychologists.
Salary distribution for School Psychologists.
Employment Growth Projections
2.9% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
41,848 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 15.2%
48,218 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 32.8%
This occupation is projected to grow at 2.9% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for School Psychologists.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ School Psychologists and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of School Psychologists employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for School Psychologists.
Wage Trends by Industry
8.5% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for School Psychologists.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for School Psychologists.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 9,350 employees, $117,630 avg wage
- NY: 7,250 employees, $103,580 avg wage
- TX: 5,140 employees, $81,210 avg wage
- IL: 3,440 employees, $85,660 avg wage
- MA: 2,730 employees, $100,140 avg wage
- PA: 2,240 employees, $92,380 avg wage
- OH: 2,110 employees, $89,940 avg wage
- NC: 2,100 employees, $69,480 avg wage
- NJ: 2,090 employees, $94,520 avg wage
- MD: 2,010 employees, $107,870 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for School Psychologists.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 6,180 employees, $108,370 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 3,170 employees, $113,980 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 2,800 employees, $87,790 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 1,970 employees, $98,350 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 1,740 employees, $107,240 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 1,490 employees, $83,320 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 1,470 employees, $94,880 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 1,260 employees, $84,570 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 940 employees, $129,140 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA: 920 employees, $110,430 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for School Psychologists.
Diversity
Demographic information on School Psychologists in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for School Psychologists is about 63,830 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for School Psychologists.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for School Psychologists.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for School Psychologists.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by School Psychologists in 2023 were Business, Social Sciences, General Studies.
Common majors for School Psychologists.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by School Psychologists workers.
Education level distribution for School Psychologists.
Skills
School Psychologists need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Writing, Monitoring.
Required skills for School Psychologists.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for School Psychologists.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for School Psychologists include Psychology, Therapy and Counseling, Education and Training, Sociology and Anthropology, Customer and Personal Service.
Knowledge areas required for School Psychologists.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for School Psychologists include Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension, Written Comprehension, Deductive Reasoning, Written Expression.
Required abilities for School Psychologists.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by School Psychologists.
Daily Activities
School Psychologists spend their time on activities such as Getting Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events.
Most important work activities for School Psychologists.
About
School Psychologists
School Psychologists earn $86,930 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
19-3034 - School Psychologists
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: School Psychologists reports an average salary of $120,827, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 63,830 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 2.9%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.