How Much Do Criminal Psychologists Make?
Criminal psychology is another term for forensic psychology. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), criminal psychology focuses on providing psychological services and expertise within the legal and justice systems. This psychologist works to create accurate, relevant, and credible data, and conclusions that help legal arguments and the making of judicial decisions. (APA.org)
Criminal psychology is useful within the criminal justice system because many people in that system may suffer from a psychiatric condition. Or, they have characteristics that are related to a clinical and legal decision. Each person in the criminal justice system has both a clinical and legal status. Those people can be broken down into the following groups:
- Civil: Work with people who are participating in civil litigation, including personal injury, child custody, guardianship, and disability cases.
- Criminal: Work with people who are involved in criminal proceedings, such as defendants contesting their ability to stand trial. Also work on cases involving insanity, diminished capacity, sentencing issues, or waiver for juveniles, and people acquitted due to an insanity plea.
Criminal psychologists also provide important services to attorneys, courts, insurers, and even employers.
Becoming a criminal psychologist requires a doctoral degree in clinical psychology, followed by a postdoctoral specialization in forensics.
Below is detailed information about the salary outlook for criminal or forensic psychologists.
Criminal Psychologist Salary Information
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) tracks salary data for many occupations, including several specific psychology careers. Unfortunately criminal psychologists aren’t one of them.
Data is available for the psychology field in general at a broad level, and specifically for clinical and counseling psychologists, school psychologists, industrial-organizational psychologists, and “all other” psychologists.
To the extent that criminal psychologists provide clinical and counseling services to inmates within the criminal justice system, clinical and counseling psychology is a relevant field for this occupation. To the extent that criminal psychologists engage in forensic psychology, all other psychologists is a relevant field.
We’ll cover both categories –clinical and counseling psychologists, and all other psychologists– to best represent the salary expectations for criminal psychologists.
First, the BLS provides data for all psychologists in general nationally. It reports the median salary in this category is $92,740. The top 10% salary range for all psychologists starts at $151,880.
Getting more specific, the national salary data for clinical and counseling psychologists and all other psychologists is as follows:
| Clinical and Counseling Psychologists | All Other Psychologists | |
| Bottom 25% Salary | $66,050 | $76,550 |
| Median Salary | $96,100 | $117,750 |
| Average Salary | $106,600 | $110,300 |
| Top 25% Salary | $129,020 | $138,280 |
| Top 10% Salary | $168,870 | $157,420 |
It’s also helpful to examine salaries according to place of work to better understand criminal psychologist prospects. The following average annual wages are listed according to profession and relevant sector:
| Clinical and Counseling Psychologists | All Other Psychologists | |
| Specialty hospitals | $117,940 | $118,280 |
| Outpatient care centers | $107,500 | $110,940 |
| General hospitals | $101,450 | $96,800 |
| Local government, excluding schools and hospitals | $101,440 | $118,690 |
| Psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals | $100,210 | $73,090 |
| Outpatient mental health and substance abuse centers | $99,250 | $105,030 |
| Residential mental health and substance abuse facilities | $91,530 | – |
| Individual and family services | $91,160 | $87,080 |
| Colleges, universities, and professional schools | $85,430 | $75,320 |
When it comes to approximating the state-level salaries for criminal psychologists, it’s likely these fall somewhere between the salaries for all other psychologists and the salaries for clinical and counseling psychologists. These are listed here by their average annual numbers:
| All Other Psychologists | Clinical and Counseling Psychologists | |
| California | $134,360 | $132,410 |
| Hawaii | $125,790 | $92,780 |
| Oregon | $125,130 | $129,470 |
| Nevada | $124,650 | $106,830 |
| Massachusetts | $122,690 | $102,630 |
| Texas | $120,040 | $82,420 |
| Wisconsin | $116,640 | $109,890 |
| South Carolina | $116,200 | $64,990 |
| Virginia | $115,540 | $108,130 |
| New Jersey | $114,830 | $148,370 |
| Alabama | $114,600 | $92,470 |
| Ohio | $114,570 | $108,690 |
| Connecticut | $112,720 | – |
| Kansas | $112,340 | $72,570 |
| District of Columbia | $111,990 | – |
| Georgia | $111,980 | $85,800 |
| Maryland | $111,700 | $116,560 |
| North Carolina | $111,190 | $91,390 |
| Kentucky | $110,560 | $105,140 |
| Florida | $110,490 | $89,450 |
| South Dakota | $110,490 | $86,160 |
| Washington | $110,330 | $108,650 |
| North Dakota | $109,430 | $88,500 |
| Colorado | $108,040 | $99,690 |
| New York | $106,150 | $113,230 |
| Missouri | $105,540 | $87,730 |
| Arizona | $104,980 | $109,550 |
| Tennessee | $104,650 | $109,670 |
| New Hampshire | $104,510 | $64,390 |
| New Mexico | $102,950 | $92,530 |
| Pennsylvania | $102,670 | $80,400 |
| Rhode Island | $101,290 | $120,720 |
| Montana | $100,780 | $80,310 |
| Utah | $100,610 | $110,630 |
| Iowa | $99,550 | $87,360 |
| Illinois | $97,100 | $111,300 |
| Oklahoma | $96,480 | $89,380 |
| Maine | $96,080 | $117,710 |
| Idaho | $93,890 | $75,330 |
| Arkansas | $92,990 | $106,330 |
| Louisiana | $92,690 | – |
| Mississippi | $85,930 | – |
| Minnesota | $84,670 | $95,100 |
| Michigan | $80,760 | $82,770 |
| West Virginia | $58,550 | $75,810 |
| Indiana | – | $92,700 |
| Alaska | – | $109,300 |
| Vermont | – | $95,950 |
| Wyoming | – | $72,860 |
Job Outlook for Criminal Psychologists
In general, the BLS reports that jobs for psychologists are forecast to increase by 7% between 2023 and 2033, nearly twice the national average for all jobs of 4%.
Over that same time period the BLS also reports these projected job increases:
- Clinical and counseling psychologists – 13.3%
- All other psychologists – 5%
Experts advise the best way to find jobs in the limited and competitive criminal psychology field is to obtain internships at forensic hospitals, correctional facilities, and mental health centers.
It also is helpful to be a member of the American Psychology-Law Society. At this time, this society has 3,000 members and is expected to grow. More experienced clinical psychologists are deciding to focus on forensic work to get away from the limits of managed care.
As long as television shows and films glamorize forensic and criminal psychology, there will be much interest from students. This media attention usually means the demand for the work will far outstrip the supply.
Summary
Job demand for psychologists is rising, and it may be growing for criminal psychologists, as well. With the proper degree and enough experience, you can earn a top-end salary as a criminal psychologist.
SEE ALSO: Top Online PhD in Forensic Psychology Degree Programs
However, Psychology Today points out that forensic psychology has become very popular because of television and film portrayals of the work. So, if you only plan to earn your master’s degree, you may find trouble getting work when many other applicants have a PhD
May 2023 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics salary and labor market information for Psychologists, Clinical and Counseling Psychologists, and Psychologists, all other is based on national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed February 2025.