School Psychologists Salary: $120,827 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 63,830 school psychologists nationally earn a mean of $120,827. Employment in the series shown fell about 16% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 2.9% annual growth.
Key Statistics
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 percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $83,376 |
| 25th percentile | $104,700 |
| Median (50th) | $121,525 |
| 75th percentile | $136,902 |
| 90th percentile | $158,288 |
What education do you need?
For School 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 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 Workforce in 2023
The School Psychologists workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for School Psychologists.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$120,827 Average Wage
In 2023, School Psychologists earned an average of $120,827.
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.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 8,450 employees, $122,289 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for School Psychologists.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 2,400 employees, $112,437 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 920 employees, $113,431 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 790 employees, $126,394 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 770 employees, $131,577 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 590 employees, $135,343 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 510 employees, $127,575 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 470 employees, $131,232 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 300 employees, $128,223 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 280 employees, $139,162 avg wage
- Stockton-Lodi MSA: 240 employees, $113,493 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 workforce of School Psychologists in 2023 was 63,830 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
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
The average yearly wage for School Psychologists was $120,827 in 2023.
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.