Clinical and Counseling Psychologists Salary: $128,110 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 72,190 clinical and counseling psychologists nationally earn a mean of $128,110. Projections imply about 4.8% annual growth; much hiring sits in health care and social assistance.
Key Statistics
Clinical and Counseling Psychologists: what the data shows
Common questions about clinical and counseling psychologists careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a clinical and counseling psychologists?
Clinical and Counseling Psychologists is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 19-3033.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 72,190 workers.
What does a clinical and counseling psychologists do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Assisting and Caring for Others, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Getting Information, Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People, Documenting/Recording Information, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a clinical and counseling psychologists make?
BLS national median annual wage: $95,830 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $128,110 — 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 | $61,620 |
| 25th percentile | $79,966 |
| Median (50th) | $117,632 |
| 75th percentile | $162,705 |
| 90th percentile | $194,691 |
What education do you need?
For Clinical and Counseling Psychologists, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, Writing, and knowledge areas including Therapy and Counseling, Psychology, Customer and Personal Service, English Language. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is clinical and counseling psychologists in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 4.8% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 26.2%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 59.4%.
Current U.S. headcount: 72,190.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do clinical and counseling psychologistss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 72,190 | 16.9% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 62,390 | 14.6% |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 60,400 | 14.1% |
| Ambulatory Health Care Services | 42,590 | 9.9% |
| Offices of Other Health Practitioners | 29,490 | 6.9% |
| Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians) | 27,950 | 6.5% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Clinical and Counseling 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 |
| School Psychologists | 63,830 | $86,930 |
| Mental Health Counselors | — | — |
| Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists | — | — |
| Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians | — | — |
| Industrial Engineers | 350,230 | $101,140 |
| Industrial-Organizational Psychologists | 1,050 | $109,840 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Clinical and Counseling Psychologists workforce.
Employment Over Time
72,190 Workforce in 2023
The Clinical and Counseling Psychologists workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Clinical and Counseling Psychologists.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$128,110 Average Wage
In 2023, Clinical and Counseling Psychologists earned an average of $128,110.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Clinical and Counseling Psychologists.
Salary distribution for Clinical and Counseling Psychologists.
Employment Growth Projections
4.8% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
59,208 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 26.2%
74,746 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 59.4%
This occupation is projected to grow at 4.8% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Clinical and Counseling Psychologists.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Clinical and Counseling Psychologists and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Clinical and Counseling Psychologists employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Clinical and Counseling Psychologists.
Wage Trends by Industry
-4.3% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Clinical and Counseling Psychologists.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Clinical and Counseling 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: 11,900 employees, $124,720 avg wage
- NY: 7,190 employees, $112,980 avg wage
- PA: 3,850 employees, $103,980 avg wage
- IL: 3,470 employees, $106,360 avg wage
- MA: 3,470 employees, $102,440 avg wage
- TX: 3,410 employees, $83,830 avg wage
- FL: 3,230 employees, $92,010 avg wage
- NJ: 2,850 employees, $128,400 avg wage
- MI: 2,650 employees, $88,810 avg wage
- NC: 2,420 employees, $99,940 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Clinical and Counseling Psychologists.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 7,610 employees, $119,340 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 3,760 employees, $116,920 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 2,980 employees, $108,730 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 2,600 employees, $102,550 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 2,220 employees, $150,060 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 2,160 employees, $118,760 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 2,090 employees, $119,060 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 1,970 employees, $87,600 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA: 1,510 employees, $129,220 avg wage
- Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO: 1,430 employees, $134,760 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Clinical and Counseling Psychologists.
Diversity
Demographic information on Clinical and Counseling Psychologists in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Clinical and Counseling Psychologists in 2023 was 72,190 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Clinical and Counseling 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 Clinical and Counseling Psychologists.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Clinical and Counseling Psychologists.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Clinical and Counseling Psychologists in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Clinical and Counseling Psychologists.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Clinical and Counseling Psychologists workers.
Education level distribution for Clinical and Counseling Psychologists.
Skills
Clinical and Counseling Psychologists need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness.
Required skills for Clinical and Counseling Psychologists.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Clinical and Counseling Psychologists.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Clinical and Counseling Psychologists include Therapy and Counseling, Psychology, Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Sociology and Anthropology.
Knowledge areas required for Clinical and Counseling Psychologists.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Clinical and Counseling Psychologists include Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression, Problem Sensitivity, Written Comprehension, Written Expression.
Required abilities for Clinical and Counseling Psychologists.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Clinical and Counseling Psychologists.
Daily Activities
Clinical and Counseling Psychologists spend their time on activities such as Assisting and Caring for Others, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Getting Information, Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People.
Most important work activities for Clinical and Counseling Psychologists.
About
Clinical and Counseling Psychologists
The average yearly wage for Clinical and Counseling Psychologists was $128,110 in 2023.
SOC Code
19-3033 - Clinical and Counseling Psychologists
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Clinical and Counseling Psychologists reports an average salary of $128,110, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 72,190 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 4.8%, 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.