Industrial-Organizational Psychologists Salary: $141,278 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 1,050 industrial-organizational psychologists nationally earn a mean of $141,278. Employment in the series shown fell about 58% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 1.4% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Industrial-Organizational Psychologists: what the data shows
Common questions about industrial-organizational psychologists careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a industrial-organizational psychologists?
Industrial-Organizational Psychologists is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 19-3032.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 1,050 workers.
What does a industrial-organizational psychologists do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Providing Consultation and Advice to Others, Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others, Analyzing Data or Information, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a industrial-organizational psychologists make?
BLS national median annual wage: $109,840 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $141,278 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $90,053 |
| 25th percentile | $109,220 |
| Median (50th) | $144,359 |
| 75th percentile | $173,090 |
| 90th percentile | $188,446 |
What education do you need?
For Industrial-Organizational 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, Active Listening, Writing, Critical Thinking, Speaking, Judgment and Decision Making, and knowledge areas including Personnel and Human Resources, Psychology, Education and Training, Administration and Management. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is industrial-organizational psychologists in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 1.4% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 7.2%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 15.0%.
Current U.S. headcount: 1,050.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do industrial-organizational psychologistss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 1,050 | 20.8% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 980 | 19.4% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 870 | 17.2% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 870 | 17.2% |
| Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services | 570 | 11.3% |
| Scientific Research and Development Services | 180 | 3.6% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Industrial-Organizational 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists | — | — |
| Industrial Engineers | 350,230 | $101,140 |
| Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians | — | — |
| Clinical and Counseling Psychologists | 72,190 | $95,830 |
| Industrial Machinery Mechanics | 421,940 | $63,760 |
| Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary | 11,430 | $84,290 |
| Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary | 12,680 | $75,890 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Industrial-Organizational Psychologists workforce.
Employment Over Time
1,050 Workforce in 2023
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologists workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Industrial-Organizational Psychologists.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$141,278 Average Wage
In 2023, Industrial-Organizational Psychologists earned an average of $141,278.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Industrial-Organizational Psychologists.
Salary distribution for Industrial-Organizational Psychologists.
Employment Growth Projections
1.4% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
214 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 7.2%
229 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 15.0%
This occupation is projected to grow at 1.4% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Industrial-Organizational Psychologists.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Industrial-Organizational Psychologists and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Industrial-Organizational Psychologists employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Industrial-Organizational Psychologists.
Wage Trends by Industry
-12.8% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Total, All Industry: 0.6% growth (Current: $141,278)
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Industrial-Organizational Psychologists.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Industrial-Organizational Psychologists.
Top States by Employment
State-level employment data is not available for this occupation.
Top 10 states by employment for Industrial-Organizational Psychologists.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Metropolitan area employment data is not available for this occupation.
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Industrial-Organizational Psychologists.
Diversity
Demographic information on Industrial-Organizational Psychologists in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Industrial-Organizational Psychologists in 2023 was 1,050 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Industrial-Organizational 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 Industrial-Organizational Psychologists.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Industrial-Organizational Psychologists.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Industrial-Organizational Psychologists in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Industrial-Organizational Psychologists.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Industrial-Organizational Psychologists workers.
Education level distribution for Industrial-Organizational Psychologists.
Skills
Industrial-Organizational Psychologists need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Writing, Critical Thinking, Speaking.
Required skills for Industrial-Organizational Psychologists.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Industrial-Organizational Psychologists.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Industrial-Organizational Psychologists include Personnel and Human Resources, Psychology, Education and Training, Administration and Management, Mathematics.
Knowledge areas required for Industrial-Organizational Psychologists.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Industrial-Organizational Psychologists include Written Comprehension, Oral Expression, Written Expression, Oral Comprehension, Inductive Reasoning.
Required abilities for Industrial-Organizational Psychologists.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Industrial-Organizational Psychologists.
Daily Activities
Industrial-Organizational Psychologists spend their time on activities such as Providing Consultation and Advice to Others, Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others.
Most important work activities for Industrial-Organizational Psychologists.
About
Industrial-Organizational Psychologists
The average yearly wage for Industrial-Organizational Psychologists was $141,278 in 2023.
SOC Code
19-3032 - Industrial-Organizational Psychologists
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Industrial-Organizational Psychologists reports an average salary of $141,278, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 1,050 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 1.4%, 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.