Psychologist Salary, Skills & Requirements (2026)
Advertised pay, starting pay, skills and experience from 4,081 US job postings by 1,391 employers. Data as of October 2026.
What US employers post for psychologists: advertised pay, the skills and experience they ask for, and the job titles they use, from 4,081 open job postings (October 2026).
- The median advertised pay for psychologists in US job postings is $125,000 a year (909 postings from 278 employers, October 2026).
- The middle half of those postings offer $95,000 to $160,000.
- The skills that most set psychologist postings apart are psychological assessments, psychotherapy, psychological evaluations.
- Postings that state a minimum ask for a median of 2 years of experience.
Psychologist job postings in the US, October 2026
- $125,000
- Median advertised pay (909 postings)
- $95,000–$160,000
- Middle 50% of postings
- 4,081
- US job postings from 1,391 employers
- 2 years
- Median experience asked
How much does a psychologist make?
The median advertised pay is $125,000 a year, from 909 US job postings by 278 employers that state pay. One in ten postings offers $198,000 or more.
Advertised pay in 909 US psychologist job postings: median $125,000 a year, middle half $95,000 to $160,000.
- Median: $125,000
- 25th percentile: $95,000
- 75th percentile: $160,000
The figures as a table
| Annual pay | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| $10K–$20K | 0.3% |
| $20K–$30K | 0.1% |
| $30K–$40K | 1.5% |
| $40K–$50K | 0.6% |
| $50K–$60K | 2.4% |
| $60K–$70K | 4.6% |
| $70K–$80K | 6.1% |
| $80K–$90K | 6.7% |
| $90K–$100K | 4.4% |
| $100K–$110K | 9.3% |
| $110K–$120K | 9.3% |
| $120K–$130K | 7.9% |
| $130K–$140K | 8.2% |
| $140K–$150K | 4.3% |
| $150K–$160K | 9.0% |
| $160K–$170K | 7.4% |
| $170K–$180K | 2.9% |
| $180K–$190K | 4.4% |
| $190K–$200K | 1.1% |
| $200K–$210K | 1.8% |
| $210K–$220K | 0.6% |
| $220K–$230K | 0.8% |
| $230K–$240K | 0.8% |
| $240K–$250K | 0.1% |
| $260K–$270K | 0.5% |
| $270K–$280K | 0.6% |
| $280K–$290K | 0.1% |
| $300K–$310K | 0.1% |
| $310K–$320K | 2.3% |
| $320K–$330K | 0.1% |
| $460K–$470K | 0.8% |
Midpoint of each posting's pay range, hourly pay × 2,080 hours; at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026.
| Median | Middle 50% | Postings | Most common titles | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Postings that state an hourly rate | $72.50 | $57.52–$90.00 | 295 | Psychologist, School Psychologist, Clinical Psychologist |
| Postings that state an annual salary | $109,000 | $78K–$136K | 363 | School Psychologist, Psychologist, Clinical Psychologist |
| All pay postings, annualised | $125,000 | $95K–$160K | 909 | – |
What is the starting salary for a psychologist?
Figure withheld: fewer than 250 US postings list pay. How we decide.
Highest-paying psychologist jobs
Specializations with at least 250 postings that state pay.
| Specialization | Median pay | Postings with pay | Employers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychologist (general) | $139,000 | 690 | 170 |
Skills employers ask for in psychologist job postings
| Skill | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| Communication | 25% |
| Interpersonal skills | 13% |
| Organizational skills | 10% |
| Psychotherapy | 7% |
| Counseling | 7% |
| Work independently | 6% |
| Psychological assessments | 6% |
| Time management | 6% |
| Psychological evaluations | 5% |
| Crisis intervention | 5% |
Skills named in the posting text; at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026. Methodology.
Skills that set psychologists apart
- Psychological assessments263.1× as often as in all postings · 6%
- Psychotherapy92.5× as often as in all postings · 7%
- Psychological evaluations343.8× as often as in all postings · 5%
- Counseling22× as often as in all postings · 7%
Skills named in at least 5% of these postings and at least 3 times as often as in job postings overall.
Have a psychologist job posting in front of you? See which of its skills your resume is missing.
What does a psychologist do?
Employers post these jobs as School Psychologist, Clinical Psychologist, Licensed Psychologist, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, School Psychologist Intern and other titles. The largest specializations are School Psychologist (32%), Diagnostician (under 1%).
The closest official occupation is Clinical and Counseling Psychologists (19-3033.00). Its most important tasks:
- Conduct assessments of patients' risk for harm to self or others.
- Document patient information including session notes, progress notes, recommendations, and treatment plans.
- Identify psychological, emotional, or behavioral issues and diagnose disorders, using information obtained from interviews, tests, records, or reference materials.
- Write reports on clients and maintain required paperwork.
- Counsel individuals, groups, or families to help them understand problems, deal with crisis situations, define goals, and develop realistic action plans.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
How much experience do you need to be a psychologist?
Among 800 postings that state a minimum, the median is 2 years. 1% say 0 years and 45% ask for 1 year or less.
Minimum experience asked in 800 US psychologist job postings: median 2 years, and 45% ask for 1 year or less.
The figures as a table
| Minimum experience asked | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| 0 yr | 1% |
| 1 yr | 44% |
| 2 yrs | 31% |
| 3-4 yrs | 14% |
| 5-7 yrs | 8% |
| 8-9 yrs | under 1% |
| 10+ yrs | 2% |
Postings that state a minimum (required or preferred); at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026.
We do not show a degree figure: in our checks, degree requirements in posting text were found too rarely to publish one. Why.
Full-time 75%, Part-time 25% of the 751 postings that state working hours.
Other names for a psychologist: job titles employers use
| Job title | Employers using it |
|---|---|
| School Psychologist | 589 (42.3%) |
| Psychologist | 333 (23.9%) |
| Clinical Psychologist | 156 (11.2%) |
| Licensed Psychologist | 89 (6.4%) |
| Licensed Clinical Psychologist | 39 (2.8%) |
| School Psychologist Intern | 34 (2.4%) |
| Pediatric Psychologist | 24 (1.7%) |
| Pediatric Neuropsychologist | 22 (1.6%) |
| Neuropsychologist | 21 (1.5%) |
| Licensed Specialist in School Psychology | 20 (1.4%) |
| Clinical Neuropsychologist | 15 (1.1%) |
| Florida Licensed Psychologists PhD / PsyD | 14 (1.0%) |
| 2026-2027 School Psychologist | 13 (0.9%) |
| Health Psychologist | 13 (0.9%) |
| Forensic Psychologist | 13 (0.9%) |
| Testing Psychologist | 12 (0.9%) |
| Staff Psychologist | 12 (0.9%) |
| Child Psychologist | 11 (0.8%) |
| Substitute School Psychologist | 10 (0.7%) |
| Psychological Associate | 10 (0.7%) |
Titles read in our audit and used by at least 3 employers.
Psychologist job titles compared
The titles people search for most, from the US job postings that use each exact title (October 2026).
| Job title | Open postings | Employers | Median pay | Median experience | Skills named most |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical Psychologist | 531 | 156 | – | – | psychological evaluations, communication, psychotherapy |
Psychologist vs Clinical Psychologist
| Psychologist | Clinical Psychologist | |
|---|---|---|
| Open US postings | 912 | 531 |
| Employers | 333 | 156 |
| Median advertised pay | – | – |
| Median experience asked | 2 years | – |
| Skills that stand out | – | – |
Psychologist compared with similar careers
| Career | Median pay | Median experience | Postings | Shares N of top 25 skills |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Psychologist | $125K | 2 years | 4,081 | – |
| Mental Health Counselor | $73K | 2 years | 14,686 | 17 |
| Social Worker | $78K | 2 years | 7,930 | 14 |
| Nurse Practitioner | $142K | 2 years | 21,109 | 15 |
| Dietitian | $39.00/hr | 1 year | 4,206 | 13 |
Similar careers
| Career | Shares N of the top 25 skills | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Mental Health Counselor | 17 | $73K |
| Social Worker | 14 | $78K |
| Nurse Practitioner | 15 | $142K |
| Dietitian | 13 | $39.00/hr |
| School Counselor | 16 | – |
| Mental Health Technician | 13 | $20.66/hr |
Applying for psychologist jobs?
- Psychologist resume examples: one-page examples for these roles
- Match your resume to a job: paste a posting and see the skills your resume is missing
- Check your resume: see how an applicant tracking system reads it
- Find psychologist jobs: search open postings
Frequently asked questions
How much does a psychologist make?
What are the highest-paying psychologist jobs?
Source and method
Open US job postings collected from employers' applicant tracking systems, de-duplicated, counted only when their job title was read in our audit. Shares count at most 20 postings per employer, and franchise locations of one brand count as one employer. Pay uses hourly and annual figures only; a figure is shown when leaving out the largest employer moves it by 10% or less. Every figure states its number of postings. Methodology and measured accuracy.
Accuracy check: we read 18 randomly chosen postings counted on this page in full; 18 of them were this career or a closely related one (October 2026).
Download the figures on this page (CSV): every number above with its count of postings. Aggregate figures are licensed CC BY 4.0; cite the page when you reuse them.