Psychologist salary and education: what each kind of psychologist earns and needs.
“Psychologist” is a family of jobs, not one occupation. Here is what each one pays, how many people do it, the education BLS lists to start, and where it is heading, from U.S. government data.
$99,110
Median annual wage, May 2025, 159,540 employed.
Psychologists in the United States earned a median annual wage of $99,110 in May 2025, according to BLS. Across the 4 occupations on this page, medians ran from $95,990 (school psychologists) to $193,950 (industrial-organizational psychologists). BLS lists a master's degree as the typical entry-level education for some of these jobs and a doctoral or professional degree for others.
Psychologists at a glance
BLS counted 159,540 psychologists employed in the United States in May 2025.
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Clinical and Counseling Psychologists are the largest occupation on this page, with 75,990 employed and a median annual wage of $100,580 in May 2025 (BLS).
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Among the occupations on this page, industrial-organizational psychologists had the highest median annual wage in May 2025: $193,950 (BLS).
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS projects employment of clinical and counseling psychologists to grow 11.7% from 2025 to 2035, the fastest projected change among the occupations on this page.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35
What each kind of psychologist earns
Data One row per BLS occupation, sorted by median annual pay. Hourly pay is shown only where BLS publishes it.
| Occupation (BLS title) | Median annual pay | Median hourly | Employed | Typical entry-level education | Projected change 2025–35 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial-Organizational Psychologists | $193,950 | $93.24 | 790 | Master's degree | +6.5% |
| Psychologists, All Other | $110,840 | $53.29 | 18,820 | Master's degree | +2.3% |
| Clinical and Counseling Psychologists | $100,580 | $48.36 | 75,990 | Doctoral or professional degree | +11.7% |
| School Psychologists | $95,990 | $46.15 | 63,940 | Master's degree | +0.8% |
What education do you need to be a psychologist?
Data BLS typical entry-level education by occupation, 2025–35 projections. Typical, not a legal requirement; licensing rules vary by state, so check your state's licensing board.
- Master's degreeIndustrial-Organizational Psychologists; Psychologists, All Other; School Psychologists
- Doctoral or professional degreeClinical and Counseling Psychologists
Psychologists and related careers
Data BLS group medians, May 2025. Each group is a different set of occupations; no group is better.
| Career family | BLS group | Median annual pay | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychologists | Psychologists | $99,110 | 159,540 |
| Counselors | Counselors | $60,320 | 1,035,300 |
How this page is built
Pay and employment are BLS OEWS national estimates for May 2025, for each BLS detailed occupation listed. The family figure is the BLS Psychologists group (19-3030), as published by BLS, not a TryHired calculation. Typical entry-level education and projected change are from BLS Employment Projections 2025–35. Which occupations count is a TryHired editorial choice, listed below.
Which occupations this page counts. Counted: the four BLS psychologist occupations. Psychiatrists are physicians (see the doctor page); counselors and therapists are separate occupations.
- Pay at a specific employer, union contract or school district.
- Licensing or certification rules in your state.
- Which of these careers suits you personally.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025–35 (public domain): typical entry-level education and projected employment change.