How We Calculate Psychologist Salaries
The data sources, BLS code mappings, calculation logic, and editorial standards behind every salary figure on this site. We show our work so you can sanity-check ours and run your own.
Where the salary data comes from
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes annual wage data for ~830 occupations including five psychologist categories. We pull median, mean, and percentile (10th, 25th, 75th, 90th) wages directly from the OEWS release. The most recent dataset is the May 2025 release, published 15 May 2026. We refreshed every BLS figure on this site against it on 12 June 2026, and will refresh again when the May 2026 release lands in 2027.
State-by-state pages use BLS state-level OEWS tables, which provide mean wages for psychologist categories in most states plus DC. BLS suppresses estimates that fail its quality thresholds: in the May 2025 release, clinical psychologist wages were not published for Connecticut, Maryland or Maine, and we say so on the affected pages rather than substituting a guess. For specialty-by-state combinations where BLS does not publish separate data (e.g. forensic psychologist in Wyoming), we apply the state multiplier from the all-psychologists category to the national specialty median.
Some specialties (forensic, neuropsychology, sports, health) do not have dedicated SOC codes in the BLS dataset. For these, we triangulate using American Psychological Association member surveys, professional association reports (e.g. American Academy of Forensic Psychology), and academic salary research. These figures are flagged as “industry survey” rather than “BLS” in their context.
BLS SOC code mapping
The BLS classifies psychologists under SOC 19-303X. Each specialty maps to a specific code:
| SOC code | Category | Median (May 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| 19-3030 | Psychologists, all (aggregate) | $99,110 |
| 19-3032 | Industrial-Organizational Psychologists | $193,950 |
| 19-3033 | Clinical and Counseling Psychologists | $100,580 |
| 19-3034 | School Psychologists | $95,990 |
| 19-3039 | Psychologists, all other | $110,840 |
Forensic, neuropsychology, sports, and health psychology fall under SOC 19-3039 (“Psychologists, all other”) but the aggregate figure for that code masks substantial within-category variation. We use APA and professional-association surveys to break these out separately. The I-O figure (19-3032) comes from a very small survey frame (790 salaried jobs in May 2025) and swings sharply between releases; treat it as indicative, not precise.
How the calculator works
The Salary Calculator at /salary-calculator takes four inputs and returns an estimated salary range. Here is the math:
Multipliers we use
| Variable | Range | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Experience: 0-2 yrs (entry) | 0.75 to 0.85 | APA Center for Workforce Studies survey |
| Experience: 3-7 yrs (mid) | 1.0 | Reference (BLS median) |
| Experience: 8-15 yrs (senior) | 1.15 to 1.30 | APA salary surveys |
| Experience: 16+ yrs (very senior) | 1.30 to 1.55 | APA salary surveys + private practice data |
| State multiplier | 0.75 to 1.55 | BLS state OEWS / national OEWS ratio |
| Setting: hospital | 0.95 to 1.10 | BLS industry data |
| Setting: school district | 0.85 to 0.95 | BLS state and local government data |
| Setting: private practice | 1.10 to 1.45 | APA practice income survey |
| Setting: corporate / I-O | 1.20 to 1.60 | BLS management consulting industry data |
These are estimates. Your actual salary depends on employer, individual negotiation, geography within state, board certifications, and other factors a calculator cannot know. Treat the result as a planning baseline.
Update cadence
BLS publishes new OEWS data each spring (May reference period). We refresh all base salary figures within 30 days of release.
APA and professional-association surveys publish irregularly. We update specialty figures whenever new survey data is released.
Every page includes a 'Last verified' stamp. Comparison and decision pages are reviewed twice yearly.
When we change how a number is calculated (multiplier change, new data source, different rounding), we note it here and version the change.
Editorial standards
- Independence. Salary data, specialty rankings, and state recommendations are never paid placements. Where a link earns us a referral fee, it is labelled.
- Sourcing. Numerical claims (median, percentile, multiplier) reference BLS publications by SOC code and release date. Subjective claims (best, worst, recommended) are framed as our opinion based on the underlying data.
- Corrections policy. We fix factual errors within 48 hours of being notified. Material corrections are noted at the bottom of the affected page.
- AI use. We use Claude and other LLMs to draft, summarise, and check our writing. Every published page is reviewed and edited by a human editor before going live. AI-only output never ships.
- Reader privacy. Calculator inputs are processed entirely in the browser. We do not log individual sessions and we do not sell, share, or rent reader contact data.
Honest limitations
What this site is good at: BLS-anchored national and state-level psychologist salary figures, specialty comparison logic, experience-progression estimates, and decision support for licensure and specialty choice.
What it is not good at: forecasting your specific job offer, naming the highest-paying employer in your zip code, or providing tax-adjusted take-home pay (we publish gross figures only).
For employer-specific salary intelligence, use Glassdoor, Levels.fyi, or your state psychological association's member surveys. Our calculators help you sanity-check those figures against the BLS baseline.