Salary Outlook for Child Psychologist
A child psychologist provides mental health services to children 17 years and younger with social, mental, behavioral, or emotional problems. They are highly skilled counseling professionals with a master’s or doctoral degree in psychology.
Child psychologists utilize a multidisciplinary approach that considers the child’s school, home, and social environment. Child psychologists may work in schools, a large health clinic or private practice.
Child psychologists must have an interest in helping minors deal with the common problems and traumatic events of life. These professionals often help children and teenagers handle emotional issues specific to their age. The problems they help with can include learning disorders, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, aggression, and phobias.
SEE ALSO: List of Online PhD Child Psychology Doctorate Programs
Common duties of child psychologists include:
- Interviewing patients and families
- Counseling and providing psychotherapy to children and families
- Short-term or long-term interventions with patients involving mental health services
Becoming a child psychologist requires you to earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Next, you need to earn your master’s and often your doctoral degree in clinical or counseling psychology with a specialty in child psychology.
Below are details about the salary outlook for child psychologists.
Child Psychologist Salary Information
Below are several sources of reliable data for child psychologist salaries.
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
BLS data does not mention child psychologists specifically. However, psychologists overall in the US made a median salary of $80,370 in May 2019. The lowest 10% earned less than $45,300, and the top 10% earned more than $132,000.
Median salaries for other psychologists were:
- All other psychologists (may include child psychologists): $102,790
- Industrial-organizational psychologists: $92,880
- Clinical, counseling, and school psychologists: $78,200
Median salaries in the top industries for psychologists were:
- Government: $96,870
- Hospitals: $88,480
- Ambulatory healthcare services: $82,250
- Elementary and secondary schools: $76.960
Payscale.com
This website reports the average salary for child psychologists is $68,611 with a range between $41,000 and $95,000.
Popular skills for child psychologists and average salaries for each are:
- Diagnosis and treatment planning: $82,155
- Clinical psychology: $76,700
- Patient counseling: $72,200
- Childhood education: $66,674
Experience also affects what you will earn in this field:
- Entry-level psychologists with less than one year of experience earn $66,772.
- Psychologists with one to four years of experience earn $68,100.
- Psychologists with five to nine years of experience earn $73,900.
- Psychologists with 10-19 years of experience earn $85,497.
- Psychologists with 20 or more years of experience earn $96,000.
Where you live in the United States also has an effect on your salary. The cities below have a salary that is higher or lower than the average salary of $68,611:
- Denver: +28%
- Chicago: +28%
- Fort Worth: +9%
- Atlanta: 0%
- Minneapolis: -2%
- New York City: -4%
- Philadelphia: -8%
Ziprecruiter.com
This website reports the national average salary for child psychologists is $81,300 with a range between $42,000 and $119,000.
It also notes that most child psychologists earn between $66,000 and $100,000.
The states below have the top average salaries for child psychologists:
- New York: $89,200
- Massachusetts: $88,366
- Washington: $87,700
- New Hampshire: $86,000
- Hawaii: $84,800
- Maryland: $81,800
- Connecticut: $81,800
- North Dakota: $81,300
- Alaska: $81,300
- Wyoming: $81,300
- Nevada: $81,300
Salary.com
This website reports the median salary for child psychologists is $69,600 with a range between $52,300 and $87,000.
Indeed.com
This website reports the average salary for this profession is $72,600 with a range between $50,000 and $96,000. The following salaries were reported by child psychologists in 2020 in various states:
- Providence, Rhode Island: $82,900
- Minneapolis, Minnesota: $100,000
- Tucson, Arizona: $89,440
- Faribault, Minnesota: $66,000
- Minneapolis, Minnesota: $80,000
- Seattle, Washington: $109,000
Average Child Psychologist Salary by State
| State | Hourly Wage | Annual Salary |
|---|---|---|
| New York | $42.89 | $89,210 |
| Massachusetts | $42.48 | $88,366 |
| Washington | $42.19 | $87,749 |
| New Hampshire | $41.35 | $86,001 |
| Hawaii | $40.80 | $84,869 |
| Maryland | $39.37 | $81,894 |
| Connecticut | $39.36 | $81,868 |
| Rhode Island | $39.04 | $81,202 |
| Alaska | $38.99 | $81,098 |
| Vermont | $38.83 | $80,761 |
| Nebraska | $38.78 | $80,659 |
| Nevada | $38.68 | $80,461 |
| North Dakota | $38.54 | $80,157 |
| Wyoming | $38.50 | $80,087 |
| California | $38.44 | $79,957 |
| Virginia | $38.27 | $79,602 |
| Kentucky | $37.50 | $77,999 |
| South Dakota | $37.41 | $77,816 |
| New Jersey | $37.33 | $77,648 |
| West Virginia | $37.29 | $77,553 |
| Pennsylvania | $37.10 | $77,178 |
| South Carolina | $36.91 | $76,778 |
| Minnesota | $36.88 | $76,708 |
| Oregon | $36.79 | $76,522 |
| Delaware | $36.78 | $76,512 |
| Tennessee | $36.76 | $76,458 |
| Colorado | $36.74 | $76,410 |
| Montana | $36.71 | $76,354 |
| Ohio | $36.49 | $75,907 |
| Wisconsin | $36.41 | $75,726 |
| Arizona | $36.33 | $75,568 |
| Kansas | $36.17 | $75,242 |
| Utah | $36.16 | $75,209 |
| Indiana | $36.10 | $75,084 |
| Oklahoma | $36.04 | $74,965 |
| Idaho | $35.94 | $74,753 |
| Maine | $35.91 | $74,697 |
| Louisiana | $35.77 | $74,393 |
| Iowa | $35.40 | $73,627 |
| Georgia | $35.05 | $72,900 |
| Texas | $34.65 | $72,063 |
| New Mexico | $34.57 | $71,907 |
| Michigan | $34.48 | $71,725 |
| Arkansas | $34.46 | $71,672 |
| Illinois | $34.27 | $71,282 |
| Alabama | $34.23 | $71,194 |
| Mississippi | $33.88 | $70,474 |
| Missouri | $33.80 | $70,309 |
| Florida | $33.03 | $68,710 |
| North Carolina | $31.46 | $65,427 |
Source: Ziprecruiter.com 2020
Job Outlook for Child Psychologists
BLS reports the job demand for all psychologists will increase by 14% from 2018 to 2028, which is much faster than average compared to all occupations.
Employment of school, clinical, and counseling psychologists will grow because of the growing population and more demand for psychologists in schools, hospitals, mental health clinics, and social service agencies.
SEE ALSO: How to Become a Child Psychologist
Employment of child and school psychologists will grow by at least 14% as society becomes more aware of the connection between learning and mental health. This understanding is creating more demand for psychologists to work full time in elementary, middle, and high schools.
School and child psychologists will be needed to work with students with special needs, learning challenges, and behavioral problems.
Summary
Job demand for child psychologists is on the rise as more people want psychological services for their children with a variety of mental health and behavioral problems. Professionals who earn their doctoral degrees in psychology should be in high demand for their services in health clinics and private practice.
References
- Child Psychologist Salary. Accessed at https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Clinical-Psychologist-Salary
- What Is the Average Child Psychologist Salary By State? Accessed at https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/What-Is-the-Average-Child-Psychologist-Salary-by-State
- Psychologists Salary. Accessed at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/psychologists.htm#tab-6
- Child Psychologist Salary. Accessed at https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Child_Psychologist/Salary
- Child Psychologist Salary. Accessed at https://www.salary.com/research/salary/posting/clinical-child-psychologist-salary/ca
- Psychologists Job Demand. Accessed at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/psychologists.htm#tab-5