Forensic Psychologist Salary 2026
Forensic psychologists earn an estimated median of $101,000 to $115,000 annually. Expert witness work can add $50,000 to $150,000 per year on top of base employment income. Both bands are our estimates: there is no BLS wage code for forensic psychology, and the nearest published anchors are $100,580 (SOC 19-3033) and $110,840 (SOC 19-3039).
A forensic psychologist earns an estimated median of $101,000 to $115,000 in full-time practice. Forensic psychology has no dedicated BLS wage code, so the range is anchored to the two categories that capture forensic practitioners: Clinical and Counseling Psychologists (SOC 19-3033) at a $100,580 median and Psychologists, All Other (SOC 19-3039, which covers most government and forensic roles) at a $110,840 median, rising to a $168,520 90th percentile (BLS OEWS May 2025). Government and corrections roles cluster at $85,000 to $105,000; private consultants and expert witnesses reach $140,000 to $250,000+, with courtroom testimony billed at $150 to $350 per hour on top of base income.
What the government wage data actually says about forensic psychologist pay
Most forensic psychologists are counted by the BLS as Psychologists, All Other (SOC 19-3039), where the median annual wage is $110,840 and the mean is $111,210 across 18,820 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025). That median sits $10,260 above $100,580, the median for Clinical and Counseling Psychologists (SOC 19-3033), which is where forensic practitioners who hold a general clinical caseload alongside their court work are counted instead. Those two published medians are the only wage figures for forensic psychology that come from a government survey. Everything else on this page, including the setting table below, is our own estimate.
The reason the two codes matter is that they answer different versions of the question. If the job is a full-time court, corrections or state-hospital evaluation post, SOC 19-3039 is the benchmark. If the job is a therapy caseload with forensic referrals attached, SOC 19-3033 is. Salary guides that quote one number for "forensic psychologist" are averaging across both without saying so.
| Measure | SOC 19-3039 (Psychologists, All Other) | SOC 19-3033 (Clinical and Counseling Psychologists) | What sits here |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $54,990 | $55,170 | First licensed posts, county and community contracts, part-year work |
| 25th percentile | $68,850 | $73,210 | Early-career staff roles in corrections and state hospital settings |
| Median | $110,840 | $100,580 | Mid-career staff psychologist carrying a steady evaluation caseload |
| 75th percentile | $147,240 | $135,200 | Senior staff, supervisory and consulting-heavy caseloads |
| 90th percentile | $168,520 | $180,960 | Senior specialists, board-certified practitioners, established consultants |
| National employment | 18,820 | 75,990 | Wage and salary jobs only; the self-employed are outside the survey |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, SOC 19-3039 and BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, SOC 19-3033. Snapshot taken 6 September 2026. Public domain; Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor.
Where SOC 19-3039 pays most, and the states BLS withholds
California leads on the state median for SOC 19-3039 at $157,540, ahead of Kentucky at $149,990. The code is a small one, so BLS publishes a state median for only 42 of the 51 rows it reports on. The 9 it withholds are Alaska, Delaware, Georgia, Kansas, Maine, New Mexico, North Dakota, Texas and Wyoming. Those rows are left out of the ranking rather than filled in with a national figure.
| # | State | Median Annual (SOC 19-3039) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $157,540 |
| 2 | Kentucky | $149,990 |
| 3 | Nevada | $146,850 |
| 4 | Oklahoma | $141,290 |
| 5 | Virginia | $140,640 |
| 6 | Iowa | $138,420 |
| 7 | Tennessee | $138,070 |
| 8 | Arizona | $137,510 |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, SOC 19-3039, state file. Snapshot taken 6 September 2026. A high state median on this code reflects the mix of psychologists in that state who are neither clinical, counseling, school nor industrial-organizational, so it is a benchmark for forensic and other specialist posts rather than a forensic-only figure.
Salary by Work Setting
| Setting | Typical Annual Range | Key Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Expert Witness (private consulting) | $140,000 - $250,000+ | $150-350/hr; 10-30 cases/yr; requires established reputation |
| Private Forensic Consulting Practice | $110,000 - $175,000 | Evaluations for attorneys; custody, competency, risk |
| State Forensic Hospital | $90,000 - $120,000 | Competency restoration; inpatient forensic units |
| Federal Government (BOP, DoJ, DoD) | $95,000 - $145,000 | GS-13 to GS-15; strong benefits; clearance often required |
| County / Corrections Department | $85,000 - $105,000 | Jail/prison evaluations; competency screenings |
| Academia | $70,000 - $100,000 | Teaching + research; consulting typically supplements income |
Career Path to Forensic Psychology
- 1. Doctoral degree in clinical, counseling or school psychology with forensic coursework or concentration
- 2. APA-accredited internship with forensic rotation (some programs are forensic-specific)
- 3. Postdoctoral fellowship in forensic psychology (1-2 years; many at state hospitals or federal facilities)
- 4. Licensure as a psychologist in your state
- 5. Supervised forensic experience accumulation (1,000+ hours)
- 6. Optional: ABPP board certification in Forensic Psychology
What Forensic Psychologists Do
- Competency to stand trial evaluations
- Criminal responsibility (not guilty by reason of insanity) assessments
- Violence and recidivism risk assessments
- Child custody and parenting capacity evaluations
- Police fitness for duty evaluations
- Expert witness testimony in criminal and civil cases
- Consultation to law enforcement on behavioral analysis
- Mitigation assessments for sentencing