Missouri Clinical Psychologist Salary Outlook
Around 20% of U.S. adults deal with mental health issues, including serious mental illness, on a regular basis. Unfortunately, less than 15% of people receive treatment or clinical support to help dealing with their mental health issues, according to the most recent federal mental health data. In Missouri, the prevalence of both mental illness and treatment for mental illness is roughly the same as on the national level.
One of the key occupations within the mental healthcare landscape are licensed clinical psychologists, highly trained and compassionate individuals who are qualified to diagnose and treat mental illness as well as helping people cope with the day-to-day stress that everyone, even those without a mental illness diagnosis, deal with.
SEE ALSO: How to Become a Clinical Psychologist
Among all psychologists, those who have the title clinical psychologist tend to make lower wages, but they still earn far higher salaries than the typical American worker, and the same holds true in Missouri. Let’s take a look at what licensed clinical psychologists earn in the Show Me State and what employment options exist for such professionals here.
What’s On This Page
- How Much Do Clinical Psychologists Make in Missouri?
- Who’s Hiring for Clinical Psychologists in Missouri?
- Which Missouri Cities Are Best for Clinical Psychologists?
How Much Do Clinical Psychologists Make in Missouri?
Compared with their Midwest counterparts, Missouri clinical psychologists earn a median salary that’s mid-range at $83,840.
Median annual clinical psychologist wage, Midwestern states
| Ohio | $105,680 |
| Minnesota | $101,160 |
| Wisconsin | $97,080 |
| Iowa | $86,300 |
| Illinois | $85,990 |
| Missouri | $83,840 |
| South Dakota | $83,470 |
| Indiana | $80,480 |
| Michigan | $77,530 |
| North Dakota | $74,110 |
| Kansas | $66,390 |
Within the state, clinical psychologist jobs tend to be among the more lucrative when compared to all other professions here in Missouri. The general median annual salary in Missouri is $45,074.
Median – Top 10% Missouri wage for clinical psychologists
| Average | $87,730 |
| Median | $83,840 |
| 75th percentile | $120,330 |
| Top 10th percentile | $131,920 |
Looking forward to the future, Missouri’s projected clinical psychologist job growth rate of 10.9% between 2022 and 2032 places the state among the top-20.
States by projected long-term growth rate for clinical psychologist job openings
| Missouri | 10.9% |
| Rhode Island | 10.9% |
| Louisiana | 10.8% |
| Nevada | 10.7% |
| Georgia | 10.5% |
| Minnesota | 9.9% |
| Pennsylvania | 9.5% |
| Connecticut | 9.1% |
| Wisconsin | 9.1% |
| Delaware | 8.3% |
| Vermont | 5.6% |
| Ohio | 4.5% |
| Alaska | 0% |
| Idaho | 0% |
| Maine | 0% |
Note: long-term 2022-2032
Which Missouri Cities Are Best for Clinical Psychologists?
Major Missouri cities generally offer higher salaries for many workers, including clinical psychologists, who earn the highest median salaries in Cape Girardeau and Columbia. Both of those cities, in addition to St. Louis and Joplin, offer median salaries higher than the statewide median.
Missouri cities by median annual clinical psychologist salary
| Cape Girardeau | $91,130 |
| Columbia | $85,300 |
| St. Louis | $85,280 |
| Joplin | $83,930 |
| Springfield | $83,450 |
| Kansas City | $82,270 |
| Jefferson City | $82,140 |
Nationally, Missouri is home to a relatively high number of jobs for clinical psychologists per capita. In fact, Missouri ranks in the top 15 states for the number of clinical psychologists employed per 1,000 jobs at 0.58. Some Missouri cities outperform the state average when it comes to the prevalence of these jobs.
Missouri cities by clinical psychologist employment per 1,000 jobs
| Jefferson City | 0.90 |
| Columbia | 0.87 |
| Cape Girardeau | 0.68 |
| Springfield | 0.60 |
| St. Louis | 0.57 |
| Joplin | 0.43 |
| Kansas City | 0.39 |
May 2023 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics salary and labor market information for Psychologists is based on national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed January 2025.
Who’s Hiring for Clinical Psychologists in Missouri?
While many people who become licensed clinical psychologists will go into practice for themselves and work directly with the clients they choose to take on, many others will seek more traditional employment situations, and a wide range of options is available both in the public and private sector as well as jobs that serve a range of populations.
New openings are posted all the time, but here’s a look at some Missouri businesses and organizations that were seeking to hire clinical psychologists in the fall of 2019:
- Family Care Health Centers
- Eustasis
- Ability KC
- FamilyForward
- Compass Health Network
- Corizon Health
- Federal Bureau of Prisons
- S. Department of Veterans Affairs
- University of Missouri-St. Louis
- Louis Learning Disabilities Association
- S. Army
- State of Missouri Department of Mental Health
- MidAmericare
- Spectrum Health Resources
- Louis University
- Jordan Valley Community Health Center
- S. Air Force
- Arc of the Ozarks
- Cox Health
- Saint Luke’s Health System
Conclusion
While it’s true that Missouri clinical psychologists tend to earn lower wages than their peers in other states, for those who feel called to this type of work, the financial compensation is not usually their primary concern. Still, either way, Missouri clinical psychologists earn salaries that are relatively high compared with other workers in the state, so their quality of life is likely to be high.
SEE ALSO: Best Missouri Psychology Doctorate Programs
Additional References
- Information on clinical psychologist job openings in Missouri was gathered from listings posted in October 2019 on Indeed.com and Glassdoor.com
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2016-2017 NSDUH State Prevalence Estimates. (Undated). Retrieved from https://www.samhsa.gov/data/report/2016-2017-nsduh-state-prevalence-estimates
- Projections Managing Partnership, Projections Central, Long Term Occupational Projections. (Undated). Accessed from https://projectionscentral.com/Projections/LongTerm
- U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Psychologists. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/psychologists.htm#tab-5
- U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics Query System. (2019). Accessed from https://data.bls.gov/oes/#/home