Colorado Clinical Psychologist Salary Outlook
Nearly 20% of U.S. adults has a mental illness, including anxiety disorder, PTSD or depression. But unfortunately, too few people receive the help they need to lead better lives, and this gap is contributing to a major mental healthcare crisis in the U.S. Only about 15% of people in an average year receive any treatment for mental health or behavioral issues.
Adults in Colorado experience mental illness at roughly the same rate as the U.S. overall, but Coloradans are slightly more likely to seek treatment and services for mental, behavioral and emotional health concerns.
This helps make Colorado an attractive place for mental health professionals, such as licensed clinical psychologists, to seek professional employment, as does relatively high wages for these professionals when compared to other states. Let’s dive into how much clinical psychologists make in Colorado and what job openings have been posted for such professionals recently.
What’s On This Page
- How Much Do Clinical Psychologists Make in Colorado?
- Who’s Hiring for Clinical Psychologists in Colorado?
- Which Colorado Cities Are Best for Clinical Psychologists?
How Much Do Clinical Psychologists Make in Colorado?
Colorado ranks 25th overall among all states for its median annual clinical psychologist salary, coming in at $84,410. Nationally the median salary for this profession is $96,100.
Median annual clinical psychologist wage, top 10 states
| New Jersey | $130,700 |
| Oregon | $126,830 |
| California | $126,450 |
| Washington | $110,480 |
| Rhode Island | $110,000 |
| Ohio | $105,680 |
| Nevada | $104,020 |
| Alaska | $103,530 |
| Maryland | $102,680 |
| Minnesota | $101,160 |
Colorado’s highly trained mental health professionals earn salaries that are considerably higher than the wage for all occupations as well as many other jobs that are popular in the state.
Median annual Colorado wage, select occupations
| Database Administrators | $116,420 |
| Chemists | $92,900 |
| Clinical and Counseling Psychologists | $83,100 |
| Radiologic Technologists and Technicians | $80,510 |
| Hearing Aid Specialists | $74,230 |
| Firefighters | $72,930 |
| Editors | $70,880 |
| Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film | $67,220 |
| Librarians and Media Collections Specialists | $64,670 |
| Graphic Designers | $61,700 |
| Electricians | $60,850 |
| News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists | $56,760 |
| Travel Agents | $54,750 |
| All Occupations | $54,050 |
Sweetening the pot in Colorado is one of the nation’s highest projected job growth rates for clinical psychologists. The number of jobs is expected to grow over 20% during the decade leading up to 2032.
States by projected long-term clinical psychologist job growth, top 10
| Utah | 50% |
| Arizona | 26.8% |
| Florida | 26.1% |
| Oregon | 23.4% |
| Tennessee | 23.4% |
| New Mexico | 23.3% |
| South Carolina | 22.8% |
| California | 20.7% |
| Iowa | 20.6% |
| Colorado | 20.1% |
Note: long-term, 2022-2032
Which Colorado Cities Are Best for Clinical Psychologists?
While the state as a whole offers higher-than-average salaries for clinical psychologists, Colorado cities vary widely when it comes to median salaries, from a high in Fort Collins to a low in metro Denver.
Colorado cities by median annual clinical psychologist wage
| Fort Collins | $99,230 |
| Pueblo | $99,170 |
| Colorado Springs | $94,270 |
| Metro Denver | $83,100 |
When it comes to opportunity, Pueblo ranks among the top-20 cities nationally for the number of counseling and clinical psychologists per 1,000 jobs.
Metro areas by counseling and clinical psychologists per 1,000 jobs, top 20
| Rochester, MN | 1.97 |
| Pocatello, ID | 1.55 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | 1.54 |
| New Bedford, MA | 1.35 |
| San Luis Obispo, CA | 1.27 |
| Bloomsburg, PA | 1.2 |
| Parkersburg, WV | 1.18 |
| Springfield, MA | 1.14 |
| Madera, CA | 1.14 |
| Elmira, NY | 1.14 |
| Leominster, MA | 1.11 |
| Charleston, WV | 1.09 |
| Flint, MI | 1.08 |
| Vallejo, CA | 1.06 |
| Billings, MT | 1.06 |
| Beckley, WV | 1.04 |
| Hanford, CA | 1.03 |
| Shreveport, LA | 1.02 |
| Huntington, WV | 1.02 |
| Pueblo, CO | 1.02 |
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 Colorado?
It’s common for clinical psychologists to open their own practices where they can diagnose and treat patients who are dealing with specific mental health problems or who meet other demographic criteria, such as being adolescents or elderly. Many other clinical psychologists will choose instead to seek employment with an existing business, agency or organization, and this can include employers both in the public and private sectors.
Here’s a look at a handful of the clinical psychologist jobs that were posted in the fall of 2019:
- The Metis Center for Psychological Services
- Colorado State University
- UCHealth
- Denver Public Schools
- U.S. Department of Justice
- OnSite Counseling
- U.S. Army
- State of Colorado
- Emerge
- Wellpath
- MediTelecare
- University of Denver
- Shandy Clinic
- Spectrum Healthcare Resources
- Rocky Mountain Behavioral Medicine
- Premise Health
- Colorado Department of Human Services
- A Wiser Mind
- Marillac Health Community Center
- SummitStone Health Partners
Conclusion
With wages that are among the top 10 in the nation and a job growth rate that is the very highest in the U.S., Colorado should continue its position as one of the most attractive states for people who are qualified, trained clinical psychologists.
SEE ALSO: Colorado Psychology Doctorate Programs
Additional References
- Information on clinical psychologist job openings in Colorado was gathered from listings posted in November 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 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 Employment Statistics Query System. (2019). Accessed from https://data.bls.gov/oes/#/home