Psychiatric Technicians Salary: $66,099 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 136,300 psychiatric technicians nationally earn a mean of $66,099. Employment in the series shown fell about 8% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 2.4% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Psychiatric Technicians: what the data shows
Common questions about psychiatric technicians careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a psychiatric technicians?
Psychiatric Technicians is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 29-2053.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 136,300 workers.
What does a psychiatric technicians do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Assisting and Caring for Others, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Getting Information, Documenting/Recording Information, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a psychiatric technicians make?
BLS national median annual wage: $42,590 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $66,099 — 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 | $42,279 |
| 25th percentile | $46,100 |
| Median (50th) | $63,295 |
| 75th percentile | $82,821 |
| 90th percentile | $94,408 |
What education do you need?
For Psychiatric Technicians, 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 Social Perceptiveness, Monitoring, Active Listening, Speaking, Coordination, Reading Comprehension, and knowledge areas including Psychology, Therapy and Counseling, English Language, Customer and Personal Service. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is psychiatric technicians in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 2.4% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 12.3%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 26.2%.
Current U.S. headcount: 136,300.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do psychiatric technicianss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 136,300 | 15.7% |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 122,430 | 14.1% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 112,380 | 13.0% |
| Hospitals | 95,080 | 11.0% |
| Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals | 60,460 | 7.0% |
| Ambulatory Health Care Services | 46,170 | 5.3% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Psychiatric Technicians 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | 136,390 | $78,680 |
| Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians | 36,880 | $52,080 |
| Sound Engineering Technicians | 13,050 | $66,430 |
| Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health | 84,930 | $80,060 |
| Veterinary Technologists and Technicians | 131,320 | $45,980 |
| Grounds Maintenance Workers, All Other | 13,580 | $43,410 |
| Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors | 23,220 | $109,660 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Psychiatric Technicians workforce.
Employment Over Time
136,300 Workforce in 2023
The Psychiatric Technicians workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Psychiatric Technicians.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$66,099 Average Wage
In 2023, Psychiatric Technicians earned an average of $66,099.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Psychiatric Technicians.
Salary distribution for Psychiatric Technicians.
Employment Growth Projections
2.4% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
35,963 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 12.3%
40,393 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 26.2%
This occupation is projected to grow at 2.4% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Psychiatric Technicians.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Psychiatric Technicians and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Psychiatric Technicians employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Psychiatric Technicians.
Wage Trends by Industry
-2.7% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Psychiatric Technicians.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Psychiatric Technicians.
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:
- FL: 14,080 employees, $43,840 avg wage
- TX: 11,530 employees, $40,110 avg wage
- CA: 8,830 employees, $64,350 avg wage
- PA: 7,790 employees, $42,600 avg wage
- AZ: 7,510 employees, $43,440 avg wage
- IL: 6,770 employees, $47,960 avg wage
- IN: 6,630 employees, $42,180 avg wage
- MI: 5,060 employees, $42,170 avg wage
- NC: 4,940 employees, $41,280 avg wage
- MO: 4,650 employees, $42,900 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Psychiatric Technicians.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 6,000 employees, $44,220 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 4,870 employees, $47,420 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 4,610 employees, $44,690 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 3,450 employees, $44,970 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 3,070 employees, $41,710 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 3,060 employees, $42,120 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 2,880 employees, $44,530 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 2,590 employees, $55,780 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 2,580 employees, $59,030 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 2,570 employees, $56,270 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Psychiatric Technicians.
Diversity
Demographic information on Psychiatric Technicians in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Psychiatric Technicians in 2023 was 136,300 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Psychiatric Technicians.
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 Psychiatric Technicians.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Psychiatric Technicians.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Psychiatric Technicians in 2023 were Health Sciences, Technical Training, Engineering.
Common majors for Psychiatric Technicians.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Psychiatric Technicians workers.
Education level distribution for Psychiatric Technicians.
Skills
Psychiatric Technicians need many skills, but most especially Social Perceptiveness, Monitoring, Active Listening, Speaking, Coordination.
Required skills for Psychiatric Technicians.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Psychiatric Technicians.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Psychiatric Technicians include Psychology, Therapy and Counseling, English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Medicine and Dentistry.
Knowledge areas required for Psychiatric Technicians.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Psychiatric Technicians include Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression, Problem Sensitivity, Deductive Reasoning, Inductive Reasoning.
Required abilities for Psychiatric Technicians.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Psychiatric Technicians.
Daily Activities
Psychiatric Technicians spend their time on activities such as Assisting and Caring for Others, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Getting Information.
Most important work activities for Psychiatric Technicians.
About
Psychiatric Technicians
The average yearly wage for Psychiatric Technicians was $66,099 in 2023.
SOC Code
29-2053 - Psychiatric Technicians
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Psychiatric Technicians reports an average salary of $66,099.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 136,300 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 2.4%, 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.