Pennsylvania Clinical Psychologist Salary Outlook
Nearly 20% of American adults have a mental illness, but far fewer ever receive any treatment for their mental health issues, according to federal data. In Pennsylvania, just over 16% of adults receive services for any mental illnesses, which puts the commonwealth in the top half among all the states.
The relatively widespread acceptance of mental healthcare as a necessity makes Pennsylvania an attractive place for licensed clinical psychologists to ply their trade. Whether they specialize in anxiety or focus on helping children, there are hundreds of job openings in Pennsylvania for clinical psychologists.
How much can licensed clinical psychologists make in Pennsylvania, which areas of the commonwealth offer high wages, and what are some examples of companies or organizations who regularly seek to hire clinical psychologists here in Pennsylvania?
What’s On This Page
- How Much Do Clinical Psychologists Make in Pennsylvania?
- Who’s Hiring for Clinical Psychologists in Pennsylvania?
- Which Pennsylvania Cities Are Best for Clinical Psychologists?
How Much Do Clinical Psychologists Make in Pennsylvania?
The median annual wage for clinical psychologists in Pennsylvania is $73,470, which is over $20k lower than the overall U.S. median for this job.
Median annual clinical psychologist wage, top 20
Pennsylvania may lag behind the states with the highest salaries for clinical psychologists, but these jobs tend to be far better-paying than some other common occupations in the commonwealth. Considering the state’s overall median salary for all workers is $47,445, the figure for clinical psychologists is more than $25k higher.
Median – Top 10% Pennsylvania wage for clinical psychologists
| Average | $80,400 |
| Median | $73,470 |
| 75th percentile | $94,680 |
| Top 10th percentile | $126,250 |
Pennsylvania is expected to experience healthy growth for clinical psychologist employment over the next few years, nearing double-digit growth over the next decade.
Northeastern states by short- and long-term growth projections in clinical psychologist job openings
| State | Long-term | Short-term |
| New York | – | 2.8% |
| New Hampshire | 20.0% | 4.8% |
| New Jersey | 15.2% | 3.2% |
| Massachusetts | 11.9% | 2.3% |
| Rhode Island | 10.9% | 1.9% |
| Pennsylvania | 9.5% | 1.8% |
| Connecticut | 9.1% | 6.9% |
| Vermont | 5.6% | 0.0% |
| Maine | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Note: Short-term year over year; long-term 2022-2032
Which Pennsylvania Cities Are Best for Clinical Psychologists?
Several areas of Pennsylvania boast clinical psychologist salaries that are higher than the commonwealth’s median wage for this role.
SEE ALSO: Top 5 Online PsyD in Clinical Psychology Programs
Pennsylvania cities and metro areas by median annual clinical psychologist wage
| Allentown, PA | $93,340 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $85,880 |
| York, PA | $83,470 |
| Scranton, PA | $80,480 |
| State College, PA | $77,680 |
| Lancaster, PA | $77,200 |
| Harrisburg, PA | $73,470 |
| Erie, PA | $70,320 |
| Reading, PA | $67,600 |
| Bloomsburg, PA | $67,180 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $61,140 |
The concentration of clinical psychologist jobs varies widely by city. Bloomsburg has the sixth-highest concentration of all cities in the nation. Within the state it has the highest concentration, while Scranton has the lowest.
Pennsylvania cities by clinical psychologist employment per 1,000 jobs
| Bloomsburg, PA | 1.2 |
| State College, PA | 0.8 |
| Reading, PA | 0.64 |
| Philadelphia, PA | 0.51 |
| Lancaster, PA | 0.5 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | 0.47 |
| Harrisburg, PA | 0.46 |
| Erie, PA | 0.38 |
| Allentown, PA | 0.36 |
| York, PA | 0.34 |
| Scranton, PA | 0.33 |
May 2023 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics salary and labor market information for Psychologists is based on national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed January 2025.
Who’s Hiring for Clinical Psychologists in Pennsylvania?
While clinical psychologist jobs generally involve working directly with patients or clients in helping them understand and deal with their mental health issues, the truth is that there is a huge range of settings in which clinical psychologists can work.
Here’s a look at some examples of real-life job openings for clinical psychologists in Pennsylvania over the summer of 2019:
- The Center for Autism
- Cornerstone Therapy and Wellness
- Dickinson College
- Mercy Health System of Southeastern Pennsylvania
- Penn State University
- Help Healing and Hope Therapeutic Services
- S. Department of Veterans Affairs
- S. Department of Justice
- Commonwealth Charter Academy
- Public Health Management Corp.
- Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
- Geisinger
- Children’s Service Center
- The Stepping Stones Group
- Trinity Health of New England
- The IMA Group
- Barton Associates
- Johnson & Johnson
Conclusion
Pennsylvania has one of the highest rates of adults seeking treatment for mental illness, which should help keep demand high for licensed clinical psychologists in the commonwealth. For those with the training and passion for helping others cope with their mental, emotional and behavioral health issues, the outlook in Pennsylvania is bright indeed.
SEE ALSO: Pennsylvania: How to Earn a Psychology Doctorate Degree
Additional References
- Information on clinical psychologist job openings in Pennsylvania 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 Outlook Handbook, Psychologists. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/psychologists.htm#tab-5
- 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, Long Term Occupational Projections. (Undated). Accessed from https://projectionscentral.com/Projections/LongTerm
- Projections Managing Partnership, Projections Central, Short Term Occupational Projections. (Undated). Accessed from https://projectionscentral.com/Projections/ShortTerm
- 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/