Salary Outlook with PhD in Behavioral Psychology

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Behavioral Psychology Doctorate Options

When it comes to psychology doctoral programs, students have a big choice to make between two possible degrees — a Ph.D. or a Psy.D. While both culminate in the completion of a doctoral program, they are usually quite different, even within the same field.

Every program is unique, but in general, Ph.D. programs are ideal for those who want to be able to focus on academic and scientific research, while Psy.D. programs are best for those who primarily want to study the clinical practice of psychology, including providing therapy and counseling services.

While it’s entirely possible for graduates of either type of program to hold many of the same jobs, the differences in how the two programs are set up can make that a challenge. For example, if a behavioral psychology student is interested solely in providing hands-on therapeutic services but pursues a Ph.D. course that includes no clinical experience or internships, it’s unlikely they’ll be prepared enough for that career track.

Similarly, for those wishing to teach at higher levels and contribute to the scientific understanding of behavioral psychology, the advanced research training at the heart of most Ph.D. programs is critical.

Behavioral Psychology PhD Career Tracks

Behavioral psychology as a field is uniquely focused on the reasons why people do what they do and how problem behaviors could potentially be modified. Students in this field will study the connections between the brain and behavior to discern behavioral patterns that may be problematic.

Behavioral psychology students who intend to practice clinically will most often treat patients or serve clients who have diagnosable behavioral disorders, such as OCD or autism spectrum disorders.

Possible careers in the field, whether clinical or academic, include:

Depending on an individual’s previous experience, it may also be possible to pursue non-psychology careers after completing a behavioral psychology Ph.D. This could include serving in roles like marketing or advertising, where deep understanding of human behavior is helpful.

Behavioral Psychology PhD Salary Overview

There isn’t a single obvious job title that a person becomes qualified for after earning a Ph.D. in Behavioral Psychology. Simply having a Ph.D. can be greatly beneficial, not only to opening up a world of career possibilities but to providing for a comfortable living.

Those with Ph.D. degrees make about double the median annual income rate for high school graduates, and doctoral-holders earn salaries about one-third higher than those with only a bachelor’s degree.

So while these professionals can expect to earn far more than the average American, how do their salaries vary depending on the area of the country in question? To understand that, we calculated an average annual salary rate for four selected jobs in behavioral psychology, according to the most recent figures published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Those jobs are:

Clinical Psychologist
Psychology Professor
Behavioral Health Counselor
Rehabilitation Counselor

The most generous annual salary for the four jobs we analyzed was in the District of Columbia, where behavioral psychology Ph.D. graduates can expect to earn almost $82,000. Not far behind were California and New Jersey, each with an average of about $80,000. The average behavioral psychology salary was lowest in West Virginia at about $47,000.

Average annual behavioral psychology PhD salary by state

District of Columbia	$81,717.50
California	$79,995.00
New Jersey	$79,430.00
Oregon	$74,960.00
Rhode Island	$72,792.50
New York	$71,562.50
Connecticut	$70,392.50
Utah	$69,370.00
Massachusetts	$69,057.50
Colorado	$68,322.50
North Dakota	$68,315.00
Iowa	$66,592.50
Michigan	$66,152.50
Minnesota	$66,075.00
Pennsylvania	$66,017.50
New Hampshire	$64,820.00
Virginia	$64,652.50
Maryland	$64,287.50
Maine	$64,000.00
Louisiana	$63,727.50
Ohio	$63,517.50
Nevada	$63,227.50
Alaska	$62,852.50
North Carolina	$62,397.50
Indiana	$62,320.00
Illinois	$62,270.00
Washington	$61,900.00
Missouri	$61,577.50
Georgia	$61,462.50
Idaho	$60,667.50
Nebraska	$60,650.00
Florida	$60,607.50
South Dakota	$60,027.50
Wisconsin	$59,432.50
Texas	$59,060.00
Wyoming	$58,955.00
Alabama	$58,820.00
Kansas	$58,615.00
South Carolina	$58,462.50
Vermont	$58,307.50
New Mexico	$57,090.00
Hawaii	$56,913.33
Arkansas	$56,887.50
Tennessee	$56,007.50
Arizona	$55,987.50
Mississippi	$55,350.00
Delaware	$54,220.00
Kentucky	$53,412.50
Oklahoma	$51,005.00
Montana	$50,632.50
West Virginia	$46,970.00

Overall, the average U.S. wage for the four jobs was just over $62,000, but salaries for Clinical Psychologists averaged out to the highest level — just over $81,000. Rehabilitation Counselors had the lowest average salary ($41,463), but it’s important to note that many people in this job do not have advanced degrees, so that holds the average down a bit.

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Average annual U.S. salary, selected behavioral psychology Ph.D. jobs

Clinical Psychologists	$81,131.80
Psychology Professors	$79,395.51
All	$62,358.22
Behavioral Health Counselors	$49,237.25
Rehabilitation Counselors	$41,463.33

In every state where data is available, the U.S. Department of Labor expects job openings for behavioral psychology professionals to expand through 2028. (Data for Alabama, Arizona, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Texas and Washington was not available.)

The fastest average change across the four jobs should be in Utah, where openings are projected to grow by nearly 22%. New York is second at nearly 28%, followed by Georgia and Colorado, both of which have growth rate projections in excess of 25%. Alaska’s rate is the lowest at just over 5%, which is about average compared to all U.S. jobs over the next several years.

Average projected growth in behavioral psychology job openings by state, 2018-2028

Utah	31.9%
New York	27.9%
Georgia	27.3%
Colorado	26.7%
Nevada	23.9%
Maryland	22.2%
Tennessee	21.9%
Oregon	20.0%
Iowa	18.4%
Wyoming	18.0%
Indiana	17.7%
Florida	16.8%
New Hampshire	16.4%
Arkansas	16.3%
North Carolina	16.2%
Connecticut	15.9%
Virginia	15.7%
Montana	15.5%
Missouri	14.6%
South Dakota	14.6%
Delaware	14.5%
California	13.9%
District of Columbia	13.7%
South Carolina	13.4%
West Virginia	13.3%
New Jersey	13.2%
Oklahoma	13.0%
Pennsylvania	12.8%
Idaho	12.5%
Ohio	12.3%
Wisconsin	11.7%
Vermont	11.5%
Nebraska	11.3%
New Mexico	10.8%
Kansas	10.5%
Hawaii	10.5%
Louisiana	9.7%
Minnesota	9.7%
Puerto Rico	9.5%
North Dakota	8.8%
Illinois	8.6%
Michigan	7.9%
Rhode Island	6.7%
Maine	5.7%
Alaska	5.3%

Each of the behavioral psychology jobs we studied is expected to see positive job opening growth nationally, led by Behavioral Health Counselors, who should see an increase of nearly 23% in job openings through 2028. Even the slowest average rate, that for Rehabilitation Counselors, is nearly double the expected national growth rate for all jobs. That means the future looks very bright for behavioral psychology students.

Average U.S. projected growth in behavioral psychology Ph.D. job openings, 2018-2028

Behavioral Health Counselors	22.5%
Clinical Psychologists	14.7%
All	14.7%
Psychology Professors	11.7%
Rehabilitation Counselors	9.9%

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Conclusion

Understanding the reasons why people do the things they do is at the very heart of the study of psychology. For many scholars of the field, going deeper and diagnosing behavioral disorders, and potentially helping people alleviate them, means completing a rigorous advanced academic course, such as a Ph.D. in Behavioral Psychology.