California Clinical Psychologist Salary Outlook
Clinical psychologists provide important mental health services, such as diagnosing emotional or behavioral disorders, conducting research into psychology and human behavior, and providing ongoing treatment for mental health, emotional or behavioral issues.
SEE ALSO: Steps to Becoming a Clinical Psychologist
Among all psychologists, clinical psychologists tend to make lower salaries, but their salaries still tend to be much higher than the overall average clinical psychology salary for all jobs in the U.S. What does the pay and employment outlook situation look like here in California for clinical psychologists?
What’s On This Page
- How Much Do Clinical Psychologists Make in California?
- Who’s Hiring for Clinical Psychologists in California?
- Which California Cities Are Best for Clinical Psychologists?
How Much Do Clinical Psychologists Make in California?
The median annual wage for clinical psychologists, including counseling and school psychologists, is $76,990 nationally, but the typical clinical psychologist in California earns a far higher wage, more than 30% higher, as a matter of fact.
Median annual clinical psychologist wage by state
| Top 10 | |
| California | $100,850 |
| Oregon | $89,150 |
| Connecticut | $88,890 |
| New York | $88,710 |
| Rhode Island | $86,370 |
| New Jersey | $85,160 |
| District of Columbia | $84,780 |
| Alaska | $84,740 |
| Minnesota | $84,630 |
| Bottom 10 | |
| Arizona | $61,500 |
| South Carolina | $61,030 |
| Vermont | $60,590 |
| Montana | $60,540 |
| Alabama | $60,370 |
| Kentucky | $59,300 |
| Kansas | $58,900 |
| Mississippi | $57,780 |
| West Virginia | $50,890 |
| Oklahoma | $49,830 |
While it’s true that even in California, salaries for other psychologist occupations do tend to be higher than for clinical, counseling or school psychologists, clinical psychologist jobs are more lucrative than most other jobs in the state.
Median California wage by occupation, select occupations
| Obstetricians and Gynecologists | $201,170 |
| Orthodontists | $198,330 |
| Airline Pilots | $197,740 |
| Lawyers | $152,930 |
| Pharmacists | $144,660 |
| Nurse Midwives | $142,410 |
| Nuclear Engineers | $136,000 |
| Industrial-Organizational Psychologists | $129,300 |
| Computer and Information Research Scientists | $128,370 |
| Advertising and Promotions Managers | $121,800 |
| Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychologists | $100,850 |
| Mathematicians | $99,080 |
| Financial Examiners | $96,750 |
| Epidemiologists | $90,670 |
| Court Reporters | $89,990 |
| Fish and Game Wardens | $79,780 |
| Web Developers | $78,040 |
| Labor Relations Specialists | $75,790 |
| Accountants and Auditors | $75,690 |
| Training and Development Specialists | $68,760 |
| Editors | $68,530 |
| Broadcast News Analysts | $67,230 |
| Survey Researchers | $63,810 |
| Meter Readers, Utilities | $58,200 |
| Real Estate Brokers | $56,500 |
| All Occupations | $42,430 |
| Medical Secretaries | $41,360 |
| Home Health Aides | $29,380 |
| Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks | $28,340 |
| Retail Salespersons | $26,650 |
In addition to relatively high wages, demand for clinical psychologists is expected to grow at a higher rate in California than elsewhere over the next couple of years.
States by projected growth rate for clinical psychologist job openings, 2018-2020, top 10
| Alaska | 7.7% |
| Arizona | 5.8% |
| Washington | 4.9% |
| Oregon | 4.3% |
| Colorado | 4.1% |
| Utah | 4.1% |
| California | 4.0% |
| Florida | 4.0% |
| Wyoming | 4.0% |
| Georgia | 3.9% |
Which California Cities Are Best for Clinical Psychologists?
Not only does the state of California boast the highest median wage for a clinical psychologists, but several California cities and metro areas also have the highest salaries among all U.S. cities. In fact, among the top 10 areas for clinical psychologist salaries, all but one are in California.
U.S. city/metro area by median annual clinical psychologist wage, top 20
| Vallejo-Fairfield, CA | $125,180 |
| Madera, CA | $123,220 |
| Santa Rosa, CA | $120,380 |
| Salinas, CA | $118,820 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA | $116,480 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $115,370 |
| Hanford-Corcoran, CA | $113,050 |
| Napa, CA | $112,520 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $109,080 |
| Baton Rouge, LA | $107,370 |
| Bend-Redmond, OR | $106,260 |
| Visalia-Porterville, CA | $104,610 |
| Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade, CA | $104,380 |
| Bakersfield, CA | $103,950 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA | $101,460 |
| El Centro, CA | $101,140 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $100,830 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $100,420 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | $100,390 |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | $97,820 |
Additionally, several California cities are among those where clinical psychologist jobs are most plentiful.
U.S. cities/metro areas by clinical psychologist employment per 1,000 jobs, top 12
| Hanford-Corcoran, CA | 3.625 |
| Madera, CA | 2.968 |
| Mankato-North Mankato, MN | 2.624 |
| College Station-Bryan, TX | 2.459 |
| Vallejo-Fairfield, CA | 2.089 |
| Fairbanks, AK | 2.03 |
| Barnstable, MA | 1.98 |
| New Bedford, MA | 1.953 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA | 1.872 |
| Missoula, MT | 1.819 |
| Bakersfield, CA | 1.803 |
| Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | 1.794 |
Who’s Hiring for Clinical Psychologists in California?
While new jobs are listed every day, we know that the demand for clinical psychologist jobs is high here in California. Here’s a look at organizations, businesses, educational institutions and other employers who routinely seek to hire clinical psychologists throughout the state of California:
- Thrive Education
- Bay Area CBT Center
- Institutes of Health
- Brandman University
- S. Army
- Loma Linda University
- Los Angeles County Department of Human Resources
- UC Davis Health
- Monterey County
- Tri Counties Regional Center
- Alliance Medical Center
- University of California San Francisco
- UCLA Health
- S. Air Force
- Los Angeles County
- The Center for Well Being
- Tiny Steps Developmental Services
- Optimum Performance Institute
- Stars Behavioral Health Group
- The Center for Connection
- California Department of Veterans Affairs
Conclusion
A career in clinical psychology can be incredibly challenging, but for those with a passion for helping others, the chance to make a lifelong impact is well worth the struggle. Earning a comfortable wage doesn’t hurt, either. With both the state and several cities across the vastness of California offering well-above-average wages for clinical psychologists, California looks to continue being a popular destination for those with the drive.
SEE ALSO: California: How to Earn a Psychology Doctorate Degree
Additional References
- Information on clinical psychologist job openings in California was gathered from listings posted in July 2019 on Indeed.com and Glassdoor.com
- 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
- Projections Managing Partnership, Projections Central, Short Term Occupational Projections. (Undated). Accessed from https://projectionscentral.com/Projections/ShortTerm
- Average Clinical Psychologist Salary by State. (2019). Retrieved from https://psydprograms.org/average-clinical-psychologist-salary-by-state/
- How Much Do Clinical Psychologists Make? (2019). Retrieved from https://psydprograms.org/how-much-do-clinical-psychologists-make/