Alabama Clinical Psychologist Salary Outlook
The United States is dealing with a major crisis in mental health, with prevalence rates rising and access to care stagnating or even falling in many places. Nearly 20% of American adults has a mental illness, including some who have a serious mental illness like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Despite this, only about 15% of adults in a given year seek mental health treatment or other related care services.
In Alabama, the statistics are even worse, with a higher-than-average percentage of adults with a mental illness (20% in Alabama compared to 18.6% nationally) and lower-than-average use of mental health services (14% in Alabama compared to 14.6% in the nation overall).
SEE ALSO: Steps to Becoming a Clinical Psychologist
If progress is to be made against mental illness and other behavioral and emotional issues in Alabama and across the country, there’s one specific behavioral health professional who could make a huge impact — the licensed clinical psychologist. These highly trained professionals are licensed to diagnose and treat mental, behavioral and emotional disorders, helping people lead healthier and more functional lives.
What can these professionals expect to make here in Alabama? How does our state compare to the rest and where can clinical psychologists find jobs in Alabama? Let’s dig into the Alabama job market for clinical psychologists.
What’s On This Page
- How Much Do Clinical Psychologists Make in Alabama?
- Who’s Hiring for Clinical Psychologists in Alabama?
- Which Alabama Cities Are Best for Clinical Psychologists?
How Much Do Clinical Psychologists Make in Alabama?
Nationally, the typical clinical psychologist earns an annual wage of just under $77,000, but in Alabama, the median wage for this role is even lower — $60,370. This is near the bottom of the 17-state Southern region as well as being in the bottom 10 nationally.
Median annual clinical psychologist wage, Southern states
| District of Columbia | $84,780 |
| Maryland | $78,980 |
| Delaware | $74,390 |
| Virginia | $73,930 |
| Georgia | $71,200 |
| Florida | $69,650 |
| Texas | $66,070 |
| Tennessee | $64,330 |
| Louisiana | $63,540 |
| North Carolina | $62,470 |
| Arkansas | $62,200 |
| South Carolina | $61,030 |
| Alabama | $60,370 |
| Kentucky | $59,300 |
| Mississippi | $57,780 |
| West Virginia | $50,890 |
| Oklahoma | $49,830 |
While the average clinical psychologist in Alabama isn’t earning among the highest wages in the country, they are likely to make more than the average Alabama resident. In fact, the median wage for clinical psychologists is nearly double the median wage for all occupations in Alabama and is considerably higher than many other common job titles.
Median annual Alabama wage, select occupations
| All Occupations | $33,740 |
| Anthropologists and Archeologists | $50,930 |
| Bakers | $26,070 |
| Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychologists | $60,370 |
| Computer Network Support Specialists | $56,160 |
| Correctional Officers and Jailers | $36,330 |
| Dental Hygienists | $46,920 |
| Emergency Management Directors | $61,390 |
| Fashion Designers | $73,730 |
| Firefighters | $41,330 |
| Funeral Service Managers | $68,910 |
| Graphic Designers | $41,760 |
| Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers | $39,730 |
| Historians | $61,890 |
| Landscape Architects | $63,840 |
| Loan Officers | $57,660 |
| Management Analysts | $84,400 |
| Millwrights | $47,510 |
| Music Directors and Composers | $45,480 |
| Office Clerks, General | $24,050 |
| Plasterers and Stucco Masons | $33,950 |
| Radiologic Technologists | $46,380 |
| Real Estate Sales Agents | $51,170 |
| Speech-Language Pathologists | $62,650 |
| Writers and Authors | $48,080 |
Alabama is expected to see double-digit growth in clinical psychologist job openings through 2026, and even the state’s short-term growth rate (through 2020) is relatively high among all Southern states.
Southern states by projected long-term and short-term clinical psychologist job growth
| State | Long-term | Short-term |
| Alabama | 12.80% | 2.50% |
| Arkansas | 17.70% | 2.80% |
| Delaware | 11.80% | 0.00% |
| District of Columbia | 12.20% | 3.50% |
| Florida | 19.90% | 4.00% |
| Georgia | 17.40% | 3.90% |
| Kentucky | 12.10% | 2.10% |
| Louisiana | 11.40% | 2.70% |
| Maryland | 15.20% | 3.40% |
| Mississippi | NA | 2.60% |
| North Carolina | 15.30% | 3.70% |
| Oklahoma | 15.90% | 2.40% |
| South Carolina | 13.70% | 1.30% |
| Tennessee | 13.90% | 2.50% |
| Texas | 20.00% | 3.10% |
| Virginia | 18.20% | 2.50% |
| West Virginia | 13.00% | 0.00% |
Note: Short-term, 2018-2020; long-term, 2016-2026
Which Alabama Cities Are Best for Clinical Psychologists?
Geography also plays a role within the state of Alabama when it comes to wages for clinical psychologists, with metro areas varying widely — Auburn at the top and Huntsville at the bottom among cities and metro areas in the state.
Alabama cities by median annual clinical psychologist wage
| Auburn-Opelika | $73,930 |
| Tuscaloosa | $66,030 |
| Dothan | $64,250 |
| Birmingham-Hoover | $62,710 |
| Mobile | $54,400 |
| Montgomery | $54,150 |
| Huntsville | $50,420 |
Of course, what you earn is only one part of the picture; you have to get the job first, and that means having job openings in the first place. Alabama cities and metro areas also see a wide range of variation in the prevalence of clinical psychologist employment compared to all jobs.
Alabama cities by clinical psychologist employment per 1,000 jobs
| Auburn-Opelika | 0.673 |
| Daphne-Fairhope-Foley | 0.602 |
| Tuscaloosa | 0.549 |
| Montgomery | 0.382 |
| Birmingham-Hoover | 0.379 |
| Huntsville | 0.293 |
Who’s Hiring for Clinical Psychologists in Alabama?
While it’s common for clinical psychologists to consider opening their own practices where they can take on clients as they choose, allowing them to create a practice focus, such specialization also is quite common with clinical psychologists who seek more traditional employment arrangements. Potential employers exist across the industrial range, though most jobs will likely be in mental health facilities, schools or public agencies.
SEE ALSO: Steps to Becoming a Clinical Psychologist
Here’s a look at some of the jobs for Alabama clinical psychologists that were posted in fall 2019:
- Huntsville Family Health Care
- U.S. Air Force
- University of Alabama Birmingham
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
- Chemical Addictions Program
- Alabama Psychiatry
- Growing Home Southeast
- LifeSource
- Central North Alabama Health Services
- American Psychological Association
- Glenwood
- Auburn University
- HudsonAlpha
- Tuskegee University
- 6k Systems
- Wexford Health Services
- Olympus Health
- The IMA Group
- A Journey for Change Counseling Center
- AltaPointe Health
Conclusion
Salaries for clinical psychologists in Alabama may not tip the scales nationally or even within the South, but for passionate, qualified individuals, the state does represent a chance to make a huge impact in the lives of people every day by helping them cope with their emotional and behavioral issues.
SEE ALSO: Alabama Psychology Doctorate Programs
Additional References
- Information on clinical psychologist job openings in Alabama was gathered from listings posted in November 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