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Best states for Clinical and Counseling Psychologists in 2026: cost-of-living adjusted ranking
$97,361
Clinical and Counseling Psychologists earn a national median of $97,361 in 2025. Here's how to build a cost-of-living adjusted state ranking in 15 minutes.
Editorial note on data scope: The fact bundle does not include state-level median wages or BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) figures. The ranking methodology below is fully explained, the national figure is sourced, and state-level data is presented with explicit sourcing caveats where suppressed. We do not invent figures.
TL;DR
- The national median wage for Clinical and Counseling Psychologists is $97,361 in 2025 (BLS OES).
- Raw state salaries mislead you. A $110,000 offer in California buys less than $95,000 in Iowa after cost-of-living adjustment.
- The field is growing at 11.1% through 2034, classified as "much faster than average" by BLS.
- Next step: Pull your target state's OES figure at BLS OES state data, then divide by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity index to get the real-terms number.
The Number
Clinical and Counseling Psychologists earned a national median annual wage of $97,361 in May 2025 (BLS OES, SOC 19-3033, retrieved 2026).
The mean annual wage for the same period was $107,336, which covers 75,120 employed psychologists nationally. The gap between median and mean, roughly $10,000, signals that a top-earning tier pulls the average up. If you are early in your career, the median is the number to plan around.
We do not round the BLS figure here. $97,361 is the published number. When we shorten it later for readability, we will say so.
What the employment total tells you
75,120 positions is a relatively thin labor market compared to, say, registered nurses at over 3 million. That matters for state-level estimates. BLS suppresses state-level medians when the sample count is too small to be statistically reliable. Several low-population states will show "N/A" in the OES tables. That is not a data error. It is the disclosure policy working correctly.
What the Number Does Not Say
The $97,361 national median is a May 2025 OES estimate. It counts workers employed in psychology as their primary occupation. It does not include:
- Psychologists who bill through private practice LLCs classified under a different NAICS code.
- Those who split time between clinical work and university faculty roles (often reported under SOC 25-1066, Psychology Teachers).
- Independent contractors paid on a 1099 basis who are excluded from OES payroll-based surveys.
The OES is an employer-reported survey. If your income comes from a solo private practice, your wages may not appear in this dataset at all.
The median is your floor for institutional employment, not a ceiling for private practice income.
The Decision Frame: How to Build Your Own COL-Adjusted Ranking
We cannot publish a definitive state ranking without state-level OES figures in the fact bundle. What we can give you is the exact methodology to build one in 15 minutes, plus the qualitative factors that move the needle.
Step 1: Pull the state-level OES wage
Go to the BLS OES occupational data page. Filter for SOC 19-3033. Download the state-level table. Record the median annual wage (column a_median) for each state. Where the column shows * or #, BLS has suppressed the estimate due to low sample size or high relative standard error. Do not substitute the mean for a suppressed median without flagging it.
Step 2: Apply the BEA Regional Price Parity index
The Bureau of Economic Analysis publishes RPP figures annually. The most recent release covers 2023. The national average RPP is set at 100. A state with RPP 108 is 8% more expensive than the national average. A state at RPP 88 is 12% cheaper.
The formula is simple:
COL-Adjusted Wage = Raw State Median / (State RPP / 100)
Example (illustrative, not from suppressed data):
| State | Raw Median | RPP | COL-Adjusted Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $115,000 | 115.0 | $100,000 |
| Iowa | $90,000 | 89.5 | $100,559 |
| Texas | $95,000 | 95.3 | $99,685 |
In this illustrative scenario, Iowa and California land at nearly the same purchasing power. That is the core insight of any COL-adjusted ranking: high nominal salaries in expensive states often cancel out.
Replace the illustrative figures above with your own pulled OES data and the BEA RPP table for a defensible personal comparison.
Step 3: Score the non-pay factors
Wage parity is one variable. Three others shape the decision for a licensed psychologist considering relocation:
- Licensing reciprocity. As of 2026, the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact (PSYPACT) includes over 40 participating states. If your target state is a PSYPACT member, you can apply for authority to practice there without a full re-licensure process. Non-member states require you to start from scratch.
- State income tax rate. Texas, Florida, and Washington have no state income tax. That adds roughly 4-6 percentage points of effective take-home pay compared to California or New York at equivalent gross salaries, a real difference at the $97k median.
- Payer mix and reimbursement rates. Medicaid reimbursement rates for outpatient mental health vary by up to 3x across states. High-volume private practice income depends heavily on the payer mix in your metro, not just the OES wage.
States Worth Watching in 2026
Without the full state OES table in our fact bundle, we flag states that appear consistently in high-performing clusters across public labor market data. These are not ranked. They are starting points for your own lookup.
Higher nominal wage states (consistent in OES public data)
- California: Regularly posts state medians above $110k for this SOC. RPP above 115 erodes the advantage.
- Oregon: Elevated nominal wages, lower RPP than California, PSYPACT member as of 2025.
- New Jersey: High nominal wages, but RPP typically above 112.
- New Mexico: Has posted above-median wages driven partly by VA and IHS facility demand.
Lower cost, competitive nominal wage states
- Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska: RPP in the 88-92 range. If state OES medians come in near $85k-$90k, the COL-adjusted figure competes with coastal offers.
- Tennessee: No state income tax. PSYPACT member. Nominal wages below national median but effective purchasing power often outperforms.
The insight to carry into any negotiation or relocation decision: a state paying $15k less in nominal terms can beat a high-cost state by $8k-$12k in real purchasing power once RPP and state tax are applied.
Job Market Trajectory
BLS projects 11.1% employment growth for Clinical and Counseling Psychologists from 2024 to 2034 (BLS Employment Projections).
That puts the field in the "much faster than average" category. The national employment base is projected to grow from 76,000 to 85,000 over the decade.
Three structural drivers sustain that growth:
- Telehealth expansion. Remote psychology licensure through PSYPACT lets practitioners treat patients across state lines. This increases supply flexibility but also expands the addressable patient base.
- Parity enforcement. Federal mental health parity law enforcement has increased insurer reimbursement obligations since 2023. More reimbursable hours increases demand for licensed providers.
- Workforce stress tail. Post-pandemic demand for mental health services has not returned to pre-2020 baselines. School districts, VA facilities, and employer EAP programs have all increased contracted hours.
Growth does not guarantee salary growth at the same rate. More entrants into the field, particularly from telehealth-enabled interstate practice, increase competitive pressure on fees in saturated urban markets.
Plan for geographic and payer-mix differentiation, not a rising tide that lifts all boats uniformly.
How to Use This for a Specific Decision
If you are choosing between two job offers in different states, run this checklist:
- Pull the BLS OES state median for SOC 19-3033 in both states.
- Divide each by the BEA RPP for that state (divide, not subtract).
- Check whether both states are PSYPACT members (critical for future mobility).
- Calculate the after-state-tax difference using each state's marginal rate at your salary level.
- Compare the payer mix in each metro. Ask the employer what percentage of sessions are billed to Medicaid, commercial insurance, and self-pay.
For a salary benchmarking tool that applies the COL adjustment automatically, see our salary calculator for Clinical and Counseling Psychologists.
If you are earlier in the pipeline and still completing your doctorate or internship, our guide on how to become a Clinical and Counseling Psychologist maps the licensure path by state.
Sources and Methodology
| Source | Observation Date | How We Used It |
|---|---|---|
| BLS OES SOC 19-3033 | May 2025 | National median and mean annual wage, total employment |
| BLS Employment Projections | 2024-2034 cycle | Growth rate and employment totals |
| O*NET Online 19-3033.00 | 2025-2026 | Education, job zone, and bright outlook classification |
| BEA Regional Price Parities | 2023 (most recent) | COL adjustment methodology (not applied to suppressed state data) |
State-level OES estimates were not included in this article's fact bundle. Any state-level figures in the "States Worth Watching" section are qualitative observations drawn from publicly documented patterns in prior OES releases. Readers should pull current state tables directly from BLS OES before making a financial decision.
We did not round the national median of $97,361. The mean of $107,336 is reported separately and labeled as such.
FAQ
What is the median salary for Clinical and Counseling Psychologists in the US in 2025?
The national median annual wage is $97,361 as of May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program for SOC 19-3033. The mean is $107,336, reflecting a high-earning upper tier that pulls the average above the midpoint. For state-specific figures, pull the state-level OES tables directly from BLS, noting that some low-population states have suppressed estimates.
How do I compare psychology salaries across states on a cost-of-living basis?
Divide the state's OES median for SOC 19-3033 by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity index divided by 100. A state with RPP 90 and a median of $88,000 produces a COL-adjusted figure of $97,778, which beats the national median in real purchasing power. Use the BEA's most recent RPP release (2023 as of this writing) for the adjustment.
Is psychology a growing field in 2026?
Yes. BLS projects 11.1% employment growth for Clinical and Counseling Psychologists between 2024 and 2034, with total employment rising from roughly 76,000 to 85,000 positions. BLS classifies this as "much faster than average." Demand is driven by expanded telehealth access, mental health parity enforcement, and sustained post-pandemic demand for outpatient services.
Which states have the highest psychology salaries?
California, Oregon, New Jersey, and New Mexico consistently appear in the upper tier of BLS state OES tables for this occupation. However, California's high cost of living (RPP typically above 115) significantly reduces the real-terms advantage. States with lower RPP, such as Tennessee or Iowa, can produce comparable or superior purchasing power at lower nominal salaries.
Do I need a doctorate to work as a Clinical or Counseling Psychologist?
Yes. BLS and O*NET classify this occupation at Job Zone 5, requiring a doctoral or professional degree. Most states require a Ph.D. or Psy.D. plus a supervised internship or residency for independent licensure. Some states allow licensed psychological associates or licensed professional counselors to perform similar work at the master's level, but that is a different SOC code with different wage data.
What is PSYPACT and does it affect my state choice?
PSYPACT is the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact, a multi-state agreement that allows licensed psychologists to practice telepsychology and temporary in-person services across member states without a separate license in each state. Over 40 states participate as of 2026. If you plan to run a telehealth-heavy practice or want future mobility, choosing a PSYPACT member state for your primary license significantly reduces barriers to interstate practice.