Texas Clinical Psychologist Salary Outlook
Nearly 20% of American adults regularly deal with a mental health issue, but far fewer are treated for their issues, according to federal mental health data. This is a potential tragedy, as getting help for psychological, behavioral or emotional difficulties can help people lead happier, healthier lives.
In Texas, around 11% of adults seek treatment for any mental health or substance use issues in a typical year, which is the second-lowest rate in the country. That’s a big reason why Texas is in such need of skilled clinical psychologists who can help Texans deal with their mental health problems.
SEE ALSO: Steps on How to Become a Clinical Psychologist
While salaries for such roles do tend to be lower here in Texas than in other places around the U.S., growth of jobs in clinical psychology are expected to surge in the coming years. What can clinical psychologists expect to make in Texas, how does that compare with the rest of the country, and which organizations have been on the lookout for qualified individuals?
What’s On This Page
- How Much Do Clinical Psychologists Make?
- Which Cities Are Best for Clinical Psychologists?
- Who’s Hiring for Clinical Psychologists?
How Much Do Clinical Psychologists Make in Texas?
In Texas, the median annual wage for clinical psychologists of $66,070 is less than the overall national median of $77,000 per year. That puts Texas in the bottom 20 among all states.
Median annual clinical psychologist wage, bottom 20
| Texas | $66,070 |
| Missouri | $65,890 |
| Tennessee | $64,330 |
| Indiana | $63,540 |
| Louisiana | $63,540 |
| North Carolina | $62,470 |
| Arkansas | $62,200 |
| Arizona | $61,500 |
| South Carolina | $61,030 |
| Vermont | $60,590 |
| Montana | $60,540 |
| Alabama | $60,370 |
| Kentucky | $59,300 |
| Kansas | $58,900 |
| Mississippi | $57,780 |
| West Virginia | $50,890 |
| Oklahoma | $49,830 |
The typical salary for a clinical psychologist in Texas isn’t among the highest in the nation for that job, but such roles pay far better than many other popular jobs in our state, and they’re far better paying than the overall median wage for all jobs in Texas.
Median annual Texas wage, select occupations
| All Occupations | $37,100 |
| Athletic Trainers | $57,930 |
| Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians | $50,880 |
| Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychologists | $66,070 |
| Computer Programmers | $84,980 |
| Construction Laborers | $31,180 |
| Correctional Officers and Jailers | $42,620 |
| Dental Hygienists | $75,640 |
| Electricians | $49,410 |
| Firefighters | $51,240 |
| Flight Attendants | $66,120 |
| Food Service Managers | $58,490 |
| Healthcare Social Workers | $57,190 |
| Human Resources Specialists | $61,140 |
| Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers | $27,110 |
| Legal Secretaries | $40,890 |
| Meter Readers, Utilities | $30,110 |
| Power Plant Operators | $76,520 |
| Registered Nurses | $72,000 |
| Telemarketers | $25,920 |
Texas may not boast the highest salaries for clinical psychologists, but job openings for such roles are projected to experience very rapid growth over the next several years.
States by projected long-term growth rate for clinical psychologist job openings
| Colorado | 33.5% |
| Utah | 30.8% |
| Arizona | 24.9% |
| Nevada | 21.7% |
| Washington | 21.5% |
| Texas | 20.0% |
| Florida | 19.9% |
| Virginia | 18.2% |
| Arkansas | 17.7% |
| Georgia | 17.4% |
Note: Long-term growth rate refers to projected increase in job openings between 2016 and 2026.
Which Texas Cities Are Best for Clinical Psychologists?
Wages for clinical psychologists vary pretty widely from city to city, and several cities and metro areas in Texas have wages that are higher than the state’s median salary for this job.
Texas cities and metro areas by median annual clinical psychologist wage
| Laredo | $74,680 |
| El Paso | $73,820 |
| McAllen-Edinburg-Mission | $72,500 |
| Longview | $71,380 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $71,290 |
| Brownsville-Harlingen | $70,240 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land | $69,340 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | $65,410 |
| Texarkana | $64,410 |
| Killeen-Temple | $64,170 |
| Corpus Christi | $62,220 |
| Waco | $62,180 |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur | $62,000 |
| Austin-Round Rock | $61,950 |
| Lubbock | $61,230 |
| San Angelo | $58,550 |
| Tyler | $54,180 |
| College Station-Bryan | $47,150 |
The College Station-Bryan, Texas metro area boasts the fourth-highest concentration of clinical psychologists jobs among the 300 largest American cities.
U.S. cities/metro areas by clinical psychologist employment per 1,000 jobs, top 20
| Hanford-Corcoran, CA | 3.63 |
| Madera, CA | 2.97 |
| Mankato-North Mankato, MN | 2.62 |
| College Station-Bryan, TX | 2.46 |
| Vallejo-Fairfield, CA | 2.09 |
| Fairbanks, AK | 2.03 |
| Barnstable Town, MA | 1.98 |
| New Bedford, MA | 1.95 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA | 1.87 |
| Missoula, MT | 1.82 |
| Bakersfield, CA | 1.80 |
| Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | 1.79 |
| La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN | 1.78 |
| Boulder, CO | 1.66 |
| Kingston, NY | 1.66 |
| Billings, MT | 1.61 |
| Prescott, AZ | 1.60 |
| Burlington-South Burlington, VT | 1.57 |
| Eau Claire, WI | 1.57 |
| Madison, WI | 1.57 |
Who’s Hiring for Clinical Psychologists in Texas?
Whether you want to work for a medical group, a school, the military or some other type of organization, hundreds of clinical psychologist job openings are available in Texas. New jobs are posted all the time, but here’s a look at some of the organizations in Texas that sought to hire clinical psychologists in the summer of 2019:
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute
- Therapy Dallas
- Hendrick Health System
- Relode
- Peak Performance Institute
- Sterling Medical Corp.
- Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children
- S. Department of Defense
- University of Texas-Austin
- University of North Texas
- National Security Agency
- Flowers Health Institute
- Forever Fit
- Saratoga Medical
- Cogdell Memorial Hospital
- Jewish Family Service of Dallas
- The IMA Group
- Texas Juvenile Justice Department
Conclusion
Texas has one of the lowest rates of adults seeking treatment for mental health, substance abuse and other emotional or behavioral issues. While that may not make the state seem like a great option for clinical psychologists, the truth is that the low utilization of mental health treatment means there’s nowhere to go but up.
SEE ALSO: Texas Psychology Doctorate Programs & Requirements
Additional References
- Information on clinical psychologist job openings in Texas 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, 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/