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

StateLong-termShort-term
Alabama12.80%2.50%
Arkansas17.70%2.80%
Delaware11.80%0.00%
District of Columbia12.20%3.50%
Florida19.90%4.00%
Georgia17.40%3.90%
Kentucky12.10%2.10%
Louisiana11.40%2.70%
Maryland15.20%3.40%
MississippiNA2.60%
North Carolina15.30%3.70%
Oklahoma15.90%2.40%
South Carolina13.70%1.30%
Tennessee13.90%2.50%
Texas20.00%3.10%
Virginia18.20%2.50%
West Virginia13.00%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-Opelika0.673
Daphne-Fairhope-Foley0.602
Tuscaloosa0.549
Montgomery0.382
Birmingham-Hoover0.379
Huntsville0.293

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:

  1. Huntsville Family Health Care
  2. U.S. Air Force
  3. University of Alabama Birmingham
  4. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
  5. Chemical Addictions Program
  6. Alabama Psychiatry
  7. Growing Home Southeast
  8. LifeSource
  9. Central North Alabama Health Services
  10. American Psychological Association
  11. Glenwood
  12. Auburn University
  13. HudsonAlpha
  14. Tuskegee University
  15. 6k Systems
  16. Wexford Health Services
  17. Olympus Health
  18. The IMA Group
  19. A Journey for Change Counseling Center
  20. 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