School Psychologist vs School Counselor: pay, outlook, education and work, side by side.
Every row comes from one named source and says which career leads on that one dimension. There is no overall score.
School Psychologist vs School Counselor: BLS classifies them as different occupations (SOC 19-3034 and 21-1012). The national median annual wage is $95,990 for school psychologists and $64,330 for school counselors (BLS, May 2025). BLS projects national employment to change +0.8% for school psychologists and +2.9% for school counselors from 2025 to 2035. Typical entry-level education: Master's degree vs Master's degree. Which fits better depends on what you value; the table shows who leads on each dimension, with no overall winner.
Side by side
Data Differences smaller than a stated threshold read “About the same” (pay 5%, growth 2 points, openings 10%, one education level, ORS 10 points, O*NET 0.2).
Pick what matters to you; the matching rows are highlighted. Nothing is combined into a score.
| Dimension · source | School PsychologistSOC 19-3034 | School CounselorSOC 21-1012 | Leads on this dimension |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual wageBLS OEWS, May 2025 (national) | $95,990 | $64,330 | School Psychologist |
| EmploymentBLS OEWS, May 2025 | 63,940 | 353,310 | Not ranked |
| Projected employment change, 2025–35BLS Employment Projections (national) | +0.8% | +2.9% | School Counselor |
| Projected numeric change in jobs, 2025–35BLS Employment Projections (national) · A count, not a rate: it scales with the size of the occupation. | +500 jobs | +11,400 jobs | Not ranked |
| Projected openings (annual average)BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35 | 3,400 a year | 27,800 a year | School Counselor |
| Typical entry-level educationBLS Employment Projections · typical, not a legal requirement | Master's degree | Master's degree | About the same |
| Typical work experience in a related occupationBLS Employment Projections | None | None | About the same |
| Typical on-the-job trainingBLS Employment Projections | Internship/residency | None | Not ranked |
| Pressure level (O*NET, 1–5; lower = less)O*NET® 31.0 work context | 3.55 | 3.65 | About the same |
| Social-contact level (O*NET, 1–5)O*NET® 31.0 work context · not ranked: neither direction is better | 4.24 | 4.44 | Not ranked |
| Freedom to make decisions (O*NET, 1–5)O*NET® 31.0 work context | 4.52 | 4.01 | School Psychologist |
| Work styles O*NET rates most importantO*NET® 31.0 work styles (occupation ratings, not a personality test) | Empathy, Cooperation, Dependability | Empathy, Cooperation, Dependability | Not ranked |
Choose based on what matters to you
Data Each line restates a measured difference from the table; nothing here predicts how you will feel about a job.
- higher median pay matters most ($95,990 vs $64,330)
- more decision-making freedom matters (4.52 vs 4.01)
- faster projected national growth matters (+2.9% vs +0.8%)
Which skills each one leans on
Data O*NET 31.0 skill ratings: level (0–7) and importance.
Skill-profile match: 92% (similarity of the two O*NET skill profiles, importance × level; 100% = identical).
- Science (+2.2 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Active Listening (+0.8 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Mathematics (+0.8 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Systems Evaluation (+0.6 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Management of Material Resources (+0.6 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Management of Financial Resources (+0.5 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Management of Personnel Resources (+0.2 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Quality Control Analysis (+0.2 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
What each career involves
Data Core tasks from O*NET 31.0.
School Psychologist
- Report any pertinent information to the proper authorities in cases of child endangerment, neglect, or abuse.
- Interpret test results and prepare psychological reports for teachers, administrators, and parents.
- Maintain student records, including special education reports, confidential records, records of services provided, and behavioral data.
- Compile and interpret students' test results, along with information from teachers and parents, to diagnose conditions and to help assess eligibility for special services.
School Counselor
- Maintain accurate and complete student records as required by laws, district policies, and administrative regulations.
- Counsel students regarding educational issues, such as course and program selection, class scheduling and registration, school adjustment, truancy, study habits, and career planning.
- Provide crisis intervention to students when difficult situations occur at schools.
- Counsel individuals or groups to help them understand and overcome personal, social, or behavioral problems affecting their educational or vocational situations.
Largest employing industries
Data Share of all jobs in each occupation, BLS Employment Matrix 2025.
School Psychologist
- Educational services; state, local, and private (89.6% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Ambulatory healthcare services (2.7% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Administrative and support services (1.8% of all jobs in this occupation)
School Counselor
- Educational services; state, local, and private (90.0% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Social assistance (3.5% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals (2.2% of all jobs in this occupation)
Moving between these careers
Data The comparison shows which; the career-change guides show how.
- School Psychologist → School Counselor: skills to build: Management of Material Resources, Management of Financial Resources.
- School Counselor → School Psychologist: skills to build: Science, Active Listening, Mathematics. Careers after School Counselor
Go deeper
School Psychologist career hub · School Psychologist salary · School Psychologist how to become · School Counselor career hub · School Counselor salary · School Counselor how to become · School Counselor career change
Common questions
Which pays more, School Psychologist or School Counselor?
Which is growing faster?
Which is better?
How this page is built
BLS classifies them as different occupations (SOC 19-3034 and 21-1012). Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025 national median for each occupation's SOC code. Outlook: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 (growth, numeric change and annual openings are separate metrics). Requirements rows: 2025 preliminary BLS Occupational Requirements Survey, shown only when both roles have detailed-occupation estimates. Work environment: O*NET 31.0 work context. This page includes information from the O*NET® 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. TryHired has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Searches this page answers include “school psychologist vs school counselor”, “school counselor vs school psychologist”, “school psychologist vs school counselor salary” (Ahrefs, U.S.).
- Any one employer's pay, schedule or culture.
- Job security, ease of hiring or work-life balance: these are not measured here.
- Which career you will prefer: the rows describe the occupations, not you.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, 2025–35 national projections (growth, openings, typical entry-level education and experience).
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey, 2025 estimates (preliminary: two of the third wave's samples, collected August 2023 to July 2025; released January 16, 2026), public domain.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (all jobs, including self-employed).