Salary Outlook for Educational Psychologists
The educational system in America today is complicated. There is not a single learning approach that is effective for everyone. That is why educational psychologists work to identify and study learning methods to have a better understanding of how people retain new information. (APA.org).
Educational psychologists apply human development theories to understand how individuals learn and absorb the instruction process. Interacting with students and teachers is a vital part of their work, but this is just one part of the job. Learning something people do all their lives. Learning continues at work, school, in social settings, and even in doing household chores and errands.
SEE ALSO: Top 10 Online Ph.D. in Educational Psychology Programs
A trained educational psychologist studies the emotional, cognitive, and social processes that are involved in learning. These processes are applied to enhance the learning process. Some psychologists focus on the educational development of one group, such as adults or children. Others may study a specific learning disability, such as dyslexia or ADHD.
To become an educational psychologist, it is necessary to earn a Ph.D. in educational psychology. Before you decide to get your doctoral degree in this field, learn more below about the salary potential for educational psychologists.
Educational Psychologist Salary Information
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports the median salary for all psychologists, including educational psychologists, is $92,740. The top 10% highest-paid psychologists earn a salary that starts at $151,880. Educational psychologists with their PhD tend to make at the top of the salary scale.
The BLS tracks salary data for several specialist categories of psychologists, listed here with their median annual salaries:
- Clinical and counseling psychologists – $96,100
- School psychologists – $84,940
- Industrial-organizational psychologists – $147,420
- All other types of psychologists – $117,750
Unfortunately education psychologists aren’t among these specific categories, but there is a workaround. The BLS also tracks psychologist salaries according to type of work location. We can therefore approximate education psychologist salary estimates based on the most relevant work locations for which data is available. The following sectors are listed with average salaries:
| Clinical and Counseling Psychologists | School Psychologists | Industrial-Organizational Psychologists | All Other Psychologists | |
| Scientific research and development services | $131,050 | – | $132,560 | $131,220 |
| Educational support services | $111,340 | $102,230 | – | $123,260 |
| Employment services | $105,830 | $94,140 | – | – |
| Management of companies and enterprises | $103,380 | $88,940 | $127,950 | – |
| Local government, excluding schools and hospitals | $101,440 | $90,010 | $164,850 | $118,690 |
| State government, excluding schools and hospitals | $100,000 | – | $96,030 | $92,460 |
| Individual and family services | $91,160 | $73,510 | – | $87,080 |
| Elementary and secondary schools | $90,090 | $90,940 | – | $84,690 |
| Colleges, universities, and professional schools | $85,430 | $88,100 | $93,490 | $75,320 |
| Childcare services | $70,680 | $142,500 | – | – |
Also, if you earn your PhD in educational psychology, you may want to be a college professor. The BLS reports the median salary for psychology professors is $82,140. At colleges, universities, and professional schools average salary for a psychology college instructor is $94,610. At junior colleges and technical schools the average salary is around $90,900.
Some professionals with this degree also become training and development specialists. These workers help to plan, conduct, and administer programs that provide training to employees to boost their skills and knowledge. The median salary in this field is $64,340, with the top 10% earning a salary that starts at $116,140. Sectors that are relevant to educational psychology for this profession are as follows, listed with their average salaries:
- Scientific research and development services – $95,930
- Educational support services – $82,560
- Management of companies and enterprises – $82,110
- Elementary and secondary schools – $80,900
- Employment services – $75,120
- Local government – $73,450
- Colleges, universities, and professional schools – $70,130
- State government, excluding schools and hospitals – $64,590
- Individual and family services – $55,650
- Childcare services – $50,710
Job Outlook for Educational Psychologists
The overall employment outlook for psychologists is excellent. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that jobs in the psychology field will grow 7% between 2023 and 2033, which is nearly double the average rate for all jobs in general over that period.
Employment of educational, clinical, counseling, and school psychologists should grow because of higher demand for psychological services in schools, mental health centers, hospitals, and social service agencies. Psychologists will be needed to provide more services to an aging US population. They will need help to deal with the physical and mental changes they have as they get older.
Employment for educational and school psychologists will increase because of better awareness of the link between learning and mental health. There also will be more educational psychologists needed in schools and universities.
Jobs for training and development specialists are also forecast to increase. Employees in many positions must take continuing education and skill development classes in their careers. This creates more demand for educational psychologists who lead the training.
Between 2023 and 2033 jobs in the following career categories are anticipated to increase by these rates:
- All psychologists in general – 7%
- Clinical and counseling psychologists – 13.3%
- School psychologists – 0.7%
- Industrial-organizational psychologists – 5.8%
- All other psychologists – 5%
- Psychology professors – 5%
- Training and development specialists – 11.5%
May 2023 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics salary and labor market information for Psychologists, Clinical and Counseling Psychologists, School Psychologists, Industrial-Organizational Psychologists, Psychologists, all other, Post-secondary Psychology Teachers, and Training and Development Specialists is based on national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed February 2025.
Summary
Most psychology professions today offer good income potential and job demand. This is especially true if you earn your Ph.D. in educational psychology. Psychologists with the best salary potential almost always have their Ph.D. For the best work opportunities, consider working as a college professor or in private practice as an educational psychologist. It also is possible to earn a high salary as a psychologist working for the federal government.