Illinois Clinical Psychologist Salary Outlook
Nearly 1 in 5 U.S. adults have a mental illness, including depression, anxiety, phobias or other disorders. But a far lower number of adults seek treatment or therapy for their mental health problems, according to federal data. In Illinois, just under 17% of adults have a mental illness, and an even lower percentage of adults received mental health services in the past year.
Licensed clinical psychologists, whether they focus on anxiety, substance abuse or other issues, can help make a huge difference in the lives of people dealing with mental, emotional and behavioral issues, and in the state of Illinois, these trained mental health professionals are in high demand.
SEE ALSO: How to Become a Clinical Psychologist
How much money can clinical psychologists expect to earn in Illinois, which cities across the state are most attractive, and what are some real-life examples of places that have recently hired clinical psychologists in Illinois?
What’s On This Page
- How Much Do Clinical Psychologists Make in Illinois?
- Who’s Hiring for Clinical Psychologists in Illinois?
- Which Illinois Cities Are Best for Clinical Psychologists?
How Much Do Clinical Psychologists Make in Illinois?
The median wage for clinical psychologists in Illinois is just over $71,000 per year, which is considerably lower than the national median of about $77,00. Illinois’ median wage for this job also puts the state in the bottom half regionally.
SEE ALSO: Clinical Psychology Phd vs PsyD
Median annual clinical psychologist wage, Midwestern states
| Minnesota | $84,630 |
| North Dakota | $83,730 |
| Iowa | $78,810 |
| Wisconsin | $77,090 |
| Michigan | $75,340 |
| Ohio | $72,930 |
| Illinois | $71,340 |
| South Dakota | $68,780 |
| Nebraska | $67,060 |
| Missouri | $65,890 |
| Indiana | $63,540 |
| Kansas | $58,900 |
When compared to states that tend to offer higher wages for clinical psychologists, Illinois does lag behind, but the job is far better-paying than the median wage for all jobs in the state, and it’s more lucrative than many other common occupations in Illinois.
Median annual Illinois wage, select occupations
| All Occupations | $39,950 |
| Accountants and Auditors | $71,470 |
| Animal Control Workers | $35,790 |
| Avionics Technicians | $60,770 |
| Budget Analysts | $72,820 |
| Carpenters | $69,470 |
| Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychologists | $71,340 |
| Construction Laborers | $56,710 |
| Court Reporters | $63,500 |
| Crossing Guards | $30,110 |
| Dietitians and Nutritionists | $58,650 |
| Flight Attendants | $54,020 |
| Interior Designers | $49,690 |
| Library Technicians | $33,920 |
| Microbiologists | $54,630 |
| Nursing Assistants | $27,860 |
| Parts Salespersons | $30,320 |
| Postal Service Clerks | $48,560 |
| Substitute Teachers | $30,110 |
| Travel Agents | $38,380 |
Clinical psychologist jobs are projected to experience nearly 6% growth over the next decade or so in Illinois.
Midwestern states by short- and long-term growth projections in clinical psychologist job openings
| State | Long-term | Short-term |
| Illinois | 5.9% | 1.4% |
| Indiana | 15.4% | 3.3% |
| Iowa | 12.2% | 1.6% |
| Kansas | 9.3% | 2.4% |
| Michigan | 13.5% | 1.6% |
| Minnesota | 11.9% | 2.8% |
| Missouri | 16.2% | 2.6% |
| Nebraska | 11.3% | 2.7% |
| North Dakota | 17.2% | 0.0% |
| Ohio | 13.4% | 3.5% |
| South Dakota | 11.4% | 0.0% |
| Wisconsin | 9.7% | 1.1% |
Note: Short-term 2018-2020; long-term 2016-2026
Which Illinois Cities Are Best for Clinical Psychologists?
Wages for clinical psychologists vary widely across the state, from a high in Bloomington to a low in the Carbondale area.
SEE ALSO: Highest Paying Clinical Psychology Careers & Jobs
Illinois cities by median annual clinical psychologist wage
| Bloomington | $77,490 |
| Rockford | $73,020 |
| Chicago | $71,960 |
| Springfield | $70,720 |
| Kankakee | $70,510 |
| Champaign-Urbana | $59,390 |
| Peoria | $55,750 |
| Carbondale-Marion | $44,840 |
Among the 300 largest cities and metro areas, all 10 with the highest wages are in California, and so are most of the top 20. But excluding California cities, the Davenport, Iowa metro area, which includes portions of Illinois, has the third-highest median wage for clinical psychologists.
U.S. cities and metro areas by clinical psychologist median wage, top 20, excl. California
| Baton Rouge, LA | $107,370 |
| Bend-Redmond, OR | $106,260 |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | $97,820 |
| Chambersburg-Waynesboro, PA | $95,280 |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | $94,000 |
| Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | $93,360 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | $92,380 |
| Grand Junction, CO | $91,020 |
| Reno, NV | $90,900 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $88,920 |
| Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO | $88,590 |
| Kingston, NY | $87,900 |
| Jackson, MI | $87,530 |
| Salisbury, MD-DE | $87,480 |
| Leominster-Gardner, MA | $87,170 |
| Fort Collins, CO | $87,110 |
| Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | $86,770 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT | $86,650 |
| Utica-Rome, NY | $86,090 |
| Springfield, MA-CT | $86,080 |
Who’s Hiring for Clinical Psychologists in Illinois?
Illinois is home to a broad range of companies and other organizations that regularly seek to hire clinical psychologists. While many of them are medical groups, other employers include public sector options like schools, government agencies or the military.
SEE ALSO: 15 Great Places to Work in Clinical Psychology
Here’s a look at some real examples of employers who were looking to hire clinical psychologists across the state of Illinois in summer 2019:
- The ABLE Center: Neuropsychology Center for Attention, Behavior & Learning
- Taylor Psychological Services
- Clocktower Psychological Associates
- Crossroads Counseling and Life Coaching
- Illinois Department of Human Services
- Northwestern University
- Counseling and Diagnostic Center of Woodfield
- Quincy Medical Group
- Northeastern Illinois University
- Edgewood Clinical Services
- Blessing Health System
- Omni Therapeutics
- Gersten Center for Behavioral Health
- University of Chicago
- Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
- S. Department of Veterans Affairs
- Connections Health
- Wexford Health Services
Conclusion
Closing the gap between the number of adults with mental illness and the number who seek treatment or services for mental illness in Illinois means attracting qualified and compassionate clinical psychologists.
SEE ALSO: Illinois: How to Earn a Psychology PysD/PhD Degree
Additional References
- Information on clinical psychologist job openings in Illinois was gathered from listings posted in July 2019 on Indeed.com and Glassdoor.com
- 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
- U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics Query System. (2019). Accessed from https://data.bls.gov/oes/#/home
- Projections Managing Partnership, Projections Central, Short Term Occupational Projections. (Undated). Accessed from https://projectionscentral.com/Projections/ShortTerm
- 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 Outlook Handbook, Psychologists. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/psychologists.htm#tab-5
- Average Clinical Psychologist Salary by State. (2019). Retrieved from https://psydprograms.org/average-clinical-psychologist-salary-by-state/
- How Much Do Clinical Psychologists Make? (2019). Retrieved from https://psydprograms.org/how-much-do-clinical-psychologists-make/