Explore national salary, projected growth, education requirements, and career opportunities across the United States.
A concise view of this occupation’s national scale, compensation, and projected demand.
National median annual wage for this occupation.
Estimated jobs currently supported nationwide.
Projected employment change through 2034.
Estimated openings created each year.
The typical education, prior experience, and on-the-job training associated with entry into this career.
Doctoral or professional degree
None
Internship/residency
These are the highest-rated capabilities associated with success in this occupation. Scores are derived from occupational skill analysis and are measured on a 100-point scale.
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Explore the states and metropolitan areas offering the strongest combination of salary, employment, demand, and long-term opportunity.
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Understand the salary, outlook, education, and geographic opportunities shaping this career.
Clinical and counseling psychologists work in a field that combines scientific knowledge with strong interpersonal and communication skills. Nationally, there are 76,000 people employed in this occupation, with a projected employment growth rate of 11.2%. This growth, along with 5,000 annual openings, indicates a steady flow of opportunities for both new graduates and experienced professionals. The national median annual salary of $95,830 reflects solid earning potential for those who meet the educational requirements. Success in this career draws on adaptability, problem solving and decision making, critical and analytical thinking, and strong speaking and listening abilities. Writing and reading skills, along with interpersonal strengths and customer service orientation, also play an important role. For people who enjoy combining science, creativity, and innovation with direct work with others, clinical and counseling psychology offers a structured path supported by a clear education requirement and defined labor-market indicators.
Clinical and counseling psychologists earn a national median annual salary of $95,830, with notable variation by state and metro area. Among top states, median salaries range from $113,290 in Colorado to $116,000 in California, with Massachusetts, New York, and Washington also above $115,000. At the metro level, earnings can be even higher. The San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro shows a median salary of $166,400, while Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH reports $121,270 and New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ reaches $120,510. Other leading metros, such as San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, show median pay slightly above $100,000. These differences suggest that location decisions can have a major impact on earning potential for qualified psychologists.
Clinical and counseling psychologists have a national employment base of 76,000, with projected employment growth of 11.2%. This growth rate, combined with 5,000 annual openings, signals consistent demand over the projection period. The annual openings figure reflects opportunities from both new positions and turnover, creating entry points for recent graduates and professionals moving between roles or locations. Growth projections are consistent across the highlighted states and metro areas, all showing the same 11.2% rate. For individuals willing to complete the required education and develop the key skills for this field, the combination of current employment, projected expansion, and regular openings points to a career path with ongoing hiring activity in many parts of the country, including several large metropolitan areas and high-opportunity states.
Geography plays a significant role in opportunities for clinical and counseling psychologists. At the state level, California ranks highest by opportunity score (67.38), with a median salary of $116,000 and employment of 12,840, the largest workforce among the listed states. Massachusetts and New York follow closely in opportunity scores (65.87 and 65.78) and offer median salaries just over $115,000 and $114,400, respectively. Colorado and Washington also provide six-figure median salaries and solid opportunity scores above 56. All five top states share the same projected growth rate of 11.2%, but differ in employment size and pay levels. Among metro areas, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA and New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ stand out with the highest opportunity scores, both above 77. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA offers the highest listed median salary at $166,400. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV also combine robust employment with opportunity scores above 63, giving job seekers multiple strong urban markets to consider.
The typical education required for clinical and counseling psychologists is a doctoral or professional degree. This level of education prepares individuals to operate in a field that relies on a mix of science, critical thinking, and advanced communication skills. The role draws heavily on critical and analytical thinking, problem solving and decision making, and a solid grounding in science. Strong speaking and listening abilities, interpersonal skills, and customer service orientation support effective work with clients and colleagues. Writing and reading skills are also important, along with adaptability and creativity and innovation. Competence with computers and information technology rounds out the skill profile, reflecting the need to work with digital tools and information. For students and career changers, planning for this occupation means committing to an advanced degree and intentionally building this broad set of cognitive, interpersonal, and technical skills.
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