Clinical Psychologist Salary Outlook with Ph.D.

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Clinical Psychologist Doctorate Options
Clinical Psychologist Career Tracks
Clinical Psychologist PhD Salary Outlook
Clinical Psychologist Ph.D. Salary by State
Projected Clinical Psychologist Ph.D. Jobs

Clinical Psychology Doctorate Options

Within the study of psychology, there are two main types of doctoral degrees that have some important differences — the Ph.D. and the Psy.D., or Doctor of Psychology. In most cases, earning either type of degree will help a clinical psychology student prepare for their career of choice, but students should be aware of the differences.

Ph.D. degrees have been around for about as long as the concept of higher education, and professional doctorates began to grow in popularity in the United States in the early part of the 19th century. The Psy.D., on the other hand, is much newer, having been developed in the 1960s and 1970s as a clinical alternative to a Ph.D.

Traditionally, Ph.D. degrees are rooted in research, theory and academia, and this is still true to an extent, though it also depends heavily on the focus area. This is an important distinction for students of clinical psychology. Within its very name, clinical psychology is about the practice of psychology and not just the study of it.

For the typical clinical psychology student, the biggest difference between a Ph.D. and Psy.D. will be the focus of their coursework. Psy.D. tracks will probably be heavier with hands-on work, while Ph.D. programs will probably have students spending more time on major research projects or in lab settings.

Ph.D. programs also typically take at least a year or two longer, though for clinical psychology students, these added years can be very important, as the extra time may help them complete a pre-doctoral internship or practicum. These hours spent working directly with individuals in a clinical setting are typically required for state psychologist licensure.

Clinical Psychology PhD Career Tracks

Earning a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology doesn’t have to send students down just a single possible career path. In fact, the degree probably will have among the broadest applications of all psychology doctorates. That’s because of the research-based nature of a Ph.D. combined with the hands-on aspects of clinical psychology. For students, that means they can potentially secure satisfying employment in a host of areas and roles.

Clinical psychology Ph.D. career options by industry

Counseling & Therapy	Medicine & Science	Business & Consulting	Education & Instruction
Clinical Psychologist	Lab Director	Human Resources Director	Psychology Professor
Licensed Clinical Social Worker	Clinical Researcher	Executive Coach	School Superintendent
Mental Health Counselor	Health Psychologist	Industrial-Organizational Psychologist	Program Administrator

Potential career options will vary based on each individual’s personal areas of interest. Clinical psychology Ph.D. students who are interested in how to apply neuroscience research in therapeutic methods may want to take courses in experimental psychology, while those interested in working in educational spaces will want to load up on classes that cover developmental psychology.

While clinical psychology is a specialty unto itself, clinical training can extend into many niches and cover a range of population groups. Possible focus areas and groups for clinical psychology training include:

Children
Adolescents
Neuroscience
Behavioral Disorders
Major Mental Illness
Gerontology
Criminal Justice
Substance Use Disorder
Group Dynamics
Leadership
Sports

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Clinical Psychology PhD Salary Overview

The old saying “Education opens doors” is meant to evoke the idea that new opportunities become available as one pursues additional educational realms, and it’s certainly true when it comes to the study of psychology. But not only does education open doors to new possible careers, earning a doctoral degree can massively boost a person’s potential salary.

To understand what Ph.D. graduates in the clinical psychology space can expect to earn depending on where they live, we calculated average annual salaries across a total of nine occupations for every state, according to data published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Here are the jobs we included:

Clinical, Counseling and School Psychologists
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder and Mental Health Counselors
Psychologists Rehabilitation Counselors
School and Career Counselors
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers
Marriage and Family Therapists
Postsecondary Psychology Professors
Human Resources Director

New Jersey has the highest annual wage for the nine clinical psychology jobs we examined, with an average yearly salary rate of more than $90,000. California and the District of Columbia aren’t far behind, both with salaries over $86,000 per year. Salary rates in Montana and West Virginia are on the lower end of the spectrum, but in both cases, levels for clinical psychology professionals are higher than for the average worker in the state.

Average annual clinical psychology Ph.D. salary by state. Click for more details on each.

New Jersey	$90,240.00
California	$86,502.22
District of Columbia	$86,164.44
New York	$80,455.56
Rhode Island	$80,315.00
Connecticut	$78,481.11
Colorado	$76,647.78
Maryland	$75,747.78
Massachusetts	$75,078.89
Virginia	$74,855.56
Minnesota	$74,104.44
Alaska	$73,766.67
Washington	$73,617.78
Oregon	$72,402.50
Pennsylvania	$72,272.22
New Hampshire	$71,935.56
Iowa	$70,344.44
Delaware	$70,246.67
Utah	$70,205.56
Nevada	$70,161.11
Maine	$70,011.11
Georgia	$69,770.00
Hawaii	$69,611.25
Ohio	$69,394.44
Michigan	$69,067.78
Illinois	$69,031.25
North Dakota	$68,248.75
North Carolina	$68,164.44
Texas	$66,626.67
Wisconsin	$66,268.89
Missouri	$65,648.89
Kansas	$65,592.22
Florida	$64,957.78
Vermont	$64,754.29
Louisiana	$64,524.44
Indiana	$64,197.78
Idaho	$64,142.22
South Carolina	$63,892.86
New Mexico	$63,525.56
Alabama	$63,283.33
Nebraska	$63,132.22
Arizona	$62,917.78
Wyoming	$61,892.50
Arkansas	$61,890.00
South Dakota	$60,251.11
Oklahoma	$60,175.56
Tennessee	$60,106.67
Kentucky	$59,851.11
Mississippi	$59,597.78
West Virginia	$57,031.11
Montana	$56,418.89

Among the nine jobs we studied, Human Resources Directors have the highest average annual salary in the U.S., earning more than $120,000 on average. Rehabilitation Counselors, on the other hand, have the lowest average annual rate at just under $42,000.

Average annual salary clinical psychology Ph.D. jobs

Human Resources Directors	$120,071.96
Psychologists	$91,142.38
Clinical, Counseling and School Psychologists	$81,417.20
Postsecondary Psychology Professors	$79,369.00
All	$68,971.06
School and Career Counselors	$57,865.49
Marriage and Family Therapists	$52,926.60
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers	$49,151.20
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder and Mental Health Counselors	$49,022.94
Rehabilitation Counselors	$41,763.33

Clinical psychology Ph.D. jobs are expected to grow in every state through 2028, though some states will see much faster growth than others. Utah’s 31% growth rate for these jobs is the fastest in the country, while Arizona and Colorado are also expected to see openings expand by more than one-quarter. Maine’s 4% average growth rate is the lowest, though it’s generally on par with projected growth in the economy overall.

Average projected growth in clinical psychology job openings by state, 2018-2028

Utah	31.0%
Arizona	25.8%
Colorado	25.2%
Nevada	24.9%
New York	24.5%
Georgia	22.0%
Maryland	19.2%
Florida	18.9%
Tennessee	18.2%
Oregon	18.0%
Iowa	17.5%
Indiana	17.2%
Connecticut	15.8%
New Hampshire	15.6%
Idaho	15.3%
Wyoming	15.1%
Montana	14.8%
Arkansas	14.7%
California	14.5%
North Carolina	14.4%
South Carolina	13.9%
Virginia	13.4%
West Virginia	13.0%
Missouri	13.0%
South Dakota	12.8%
District of Columbia	12.7%
Vermont	12.4%
Louisiana	12.3%
New Jersey	11.7%
Oklahoma	11.6%
Delaware	11.6%
Nebraska	11.5%
Pennsylvania	11.5%
Minnesota	11.2%
Ohio	10.0%
Hawaii	9.5%
New Mexico	9.4%
North Dakota	9.3%
Kansas	9.2%
Wisconsin	9.0%
Massachusetts	8.1%
Rhode Island	7.4%
Michigan	7.0%
Illinois	6.7%
Alaska	5.4%
Mississippi	5.2%
Maine	4.0%

All nine jobs are expected to see openings increase by quite a bit through 2028. In fact, the slowest growth rate, for Human Resources Directors, of 9.3% is almost double the 5% expansion rate projected for all jobs in the U.S. through 2028. Marriage and Family Therapists and Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder and Mental Health Counselors are expected to see their career opportunities expand by more than 20%.

Average projected growth in clinical psychology Ph.D. job openings, 2018-2028

Marriage and Family Therapists	21.8%
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder and Mental Health Counselors	21.2%
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers	16.8%
Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychologists	15.4%
All	14.2%
Postsecondary Psychology Professors	12.4%
Rehabilitation Counselors	11.2%
Psychologists	9.9%
School and Career Counselors	9.8%
Human Resources Directors	9.3%

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Conclusion

For most people, especially those trained in helping other people cope with emotional and behavioral health concerns, earning a high wage is not their sole concern. But it certainly doesn’t hurt. While earning potential for Clinical Psychology Ph.D. graduates may depend in large part on where in the country they live, for all of these jobs, the future appears bright, indeed.