How Much Do Sports Psychologists Make?
Sports psychology is a specialty that uses psychological principles and skills to address the well-being and performance of athletes. This field also involves the social and developmental aspects of participating in sports and systemic problems with sports organizations and settings. (APA.org)
The American Psychological Association (APA) recognizes sports psychology as a psychological proficiency. Skill in this field is acquired after the student earns a doctoral degree in one of the major areas of psychology. State licensure is also required.
Sports psychologists intervene with athletes in high school, college, and at the professional levels to enhance their performance. They also work with coaches, administrators, and parents to improve sports programs at all levels.
Specialized knowledge you will learn as a sports psychologist includes:
- The foundations of sports psychology
- Techniques and issues surrounding sport psychological assessment and mental skills to enhance performance
- Counseling and clinical problems with high school, collegiate, and professional athletes
- Social and developmental issues associated with participating in sports
As a sports psychologist, you will use the following skills and procedures:
- Behavioral and cognitive skills training to enhance athlete performance
- Clinical and counseling interventions to improve athlete motivation
- Consultation and training to assist in team building and for teams to more effectively manage families involved in the athletes’ lives
To be a successful sports psychologist, you must complete a doctoral degree in psychology and pursue additional training in sports psychology. This education will take many years. Therefore, it is vital to understand how much you can make as a sports psychologist. Below is more information.
Sports Psychologist Salary Information
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports extensive information about psychologists’ salaries. It specifies the median wage for all types of psychologists is $92,740. The top 10% of psychologists earn a salary that starts at $151,880 per year. Most professionals at the top of the income ladder have a PhD or Psy.D. degree and have worked for many years as a private practice psychologist.
SEE ALSO: PhD vs PsyD
When it comes to tracking specific types of psychologist salaries, the BLS category that encompasses sports psychologists is all other psychologists. Salaries for this category break down as follows:
- Bottom 25% salary – $76,550 and lower
- Median salary – $117,750
- Average salary – $110,300
- Top 25% salary – $138,280 and higher
- Top 10% salary – $157,420 and higher
The BLS also tracks average salary data for this career category based on the type of work location, listed here by sectors that are relevant for sports psychologists:
- Elementary and secondary schools – $84,690
- Outpatient care centers – $110,940
- Colleges, universities, and professional schools – $75,320
- General hospitals – $96,800
- Offices of other health practitioners – $110,270
- Specialty hospitals – $118,280
- Educational support services – $123,260
The BLS also tracks state-level average salary data for the career category that includes sports psychologists: all other psychologists.
| Hourly Salary | Annual Salary | |
| California | $64.60 | $134,360 |
| Hawaii | $60.48 | $125,790 |
| Oregon | $60.16 | $125,130 |
| Nevada | $59.93 | $124,650 |
| Massachusetts | $58.99 | $122,690 |
| Texas | $57.71 | $120,040 |
| Wisconsin | $56.08 | $116,640 |
| South Carolina | $55.86 | $116,200 |
| Virginia | $55.55 | $115,540 |
| New Jersey | $55.21 | $114,830 |
| Alabama | $55.10 | $114,600 |
| Ohio | $55.08 | $114,570 |
| Connecticut | $54.19 | $112,720 |
| Kansas | $54.01 | $112,340 |
| District of Columbia | $53.84 | $111,990 |
| Georgia | $53.84 | $111,980 |
| Maryland | $53.70 | $111,700 |
| North Carolina | $53.46 | $111,190 |
| Kentucky | $53.15 | $110,560 |
| Florida | $53.12 | $110,490 |
| South Dakota | $53.12 | $110,490 |
| Washington | $53.04 | $110,330 |
| North Dakota | $52.61 | $109,430 |
| Colorado | $51.94 | $108,040 |
| New York | $51.03 | $106,150 |
| Missouri | $50.74 | $105,540 |
| Arizona | $50.47 | $104,980 |
| Tennessee | $50.31 | $104,650 |
| New Hampshire | $50.25 | $104,510 |
| New Mexico | $49.49 | $102,950 |
| Pennsylvania | $49.36 | $102,670 |
| Rhode Island | $48.70 | $101,290 |
| Montana | $48.45 | $100,780 |
| Utah | $48.37 | $100,610 |
| Iowa | $47.86 | $99,550 |
| Illinois | $46.69 | $97,100 |
| Oklahoma | $46.39 | $96,480 |
| Maine | $46.19 | $96,080 |
| Idaho | $45.14 | $93,890 |
| Arkansas | $44.71 | $92,990 |
| Louisiana | $44.56 | $92,690 |
| Mississippi | $41.31 | $85,930 |
| Minnesota | $40.71 | $84,670 |
| Michigan | $38.83 | $80,760 |
| West Virginia | $28.15 | $58,550 |
Earning a doctoral degree in sports psychology also could put you in line to work as a coach or scout for a collegiate or professional team. BLS states that coaches and scouts earn a median salary of $45,910, with the top 10% earning a salary that starts at $95,620.
Job Outlook for Sports Psychologists
BLS reports that job demand for all psychologists will be robust in the next decade, with a 7% increase in job demand between 2023 and 2033. This rate is much faster than the 4% forecast for all other occupations in general.
Some psychologists work for several years in private practice on other types of clients. They may work on a part-time or contractual basis will high school, collegiate, and even professional athletes or teams.
A state-by-state analysis of projected job increases for all other psychologists is as follows for the period between 2022 and 2032:
| Alaska | 25% |
| Utah | 22.2% |
| Nevada | 19.2% |
| Texas | 15.9% |
| Wisconsin | 15.9% |
| Tennessee | 15.8% |
| Florida | 15.7% |
| Connecticut | 14.8% |
| Washington | 14.2% |
| New York | 13.7% |
| North Carolina | 13.5% |
| New Jersey | 12.1% |
| New Mexico | 12.1% |
| Arizona | 11.9% |
| Colorado | 11.8% |
| Iowa | 11.1% |
| Virginia | 10.8% |
| Vermont | 10.7% |
| Louisiana | 10.1% |
| Arkansas | 9.7% |
| Idaho | 9.5% |
| Massachusetts | 9.1% |
| South Carolina | 9.1% |
| Rhode Island | 8.8% |
| Oregon | 8.6% |
| Maryland | 8.5% |
| Georgia | 8.2% |
| Missouri | 7.4% |
| California | 7.3% |
| Mississippi | 6.7% |
| New Hampshire | 6.7% |
| Wyoming | 6.3% |
| Ohio | 5.6% |
| Pennsylvania | 5.5% |
| Oklahoma | 5.1% |
| Indiana | 4.8% |
| Alabama | 4.6% |
| District of Columbia | 4.4% |
| Minnesota | 4.4% |
| Kentucky | 4% |
| Michigan | 3.8% |
| Maine | 3.4% |
| Kansas | 2.7% |
| West Virginia | 2.4% |
| Illinois | 0% |
| Montana | 0% |
| Nebraska | 0% |
| North Dakota | 0% |
| South Dakota | 0% |
Summary
The median salary for all psychologists is substantial at $92,740, and $117,750 for all other psychologists. After you graduate and have gained experience, you can take more classes in sports psychology and start to focus on this lucrative subspecialty.
Some sports psychologists choose to work for a collegiate athletic department; there are hundreds of collegiate sports teams at different levels across America. Job possibilities in college athletics are far more numerous than at the professional level. But once you gain more experience as a sports psychologist, you may be able to make a high salary offering private services to individual collegiate and professional athletes.
May 2023 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics salary for Psychologists, Psychologists, all other, and Coaches and Scouts. National labor market information and state labor market information also sourced from the U.S. Department of Labor. Information based on national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed February 2025.