Counseling Psychologist Salary

Counseling psychologists working in the United States generally earn salaries in the range from $39,150 to $156,000 a year including bonuses according to the salary information provided by Payscale. The basic annual salary for counseling psychologists is in the range from $38,534 to $102.775 a year. The yearly bonuses can amount to $9,933 according to Payscale’s salary data.

Counseling psychologists with 1 to 4 years of work experience under their belt generally earn an annual pay in the range from $38,230 to $73,504 a year. Professionals with the certification of Licensed Psychologists typically make between $44,219 and $107,841 a year according to Payscale.

Average salary



The average salary for counseling psychologists employed in the United States is $59,780 a year according to Payscale, $74,200 a year according to Recruiter.com, and $82,000 a year according to the salary data reported by Indeed.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports a mean yearly salary of $72,220 and a median annual income of $67,650 for this occupation.

Based on the salary data provided by the BLS, 10% of the best paid counseling psychologists earn $109,340 annually or more, and the 10% on the lower end of the pay scale make $38,450 a year or less. The middle 50% of counseling psychologists earn an annual pay in the range from $50,480 to $87,910.

The average annual salary for counseling psychologists can vary considerably from industry to industry. Based on the salary information reported by the BLS, the top paying industries for counseling psychologists are business schools and computer and management training, where these professionals earn $100,310 a year on average, followed by employment services, where the median annual pay for this occupation is $94,290, and continuing care retirement communities and assisted living facilities for the elderly, where counseling psychologists earn an average yearly salary of $92,550.

Other industries with a high average annual income for these professionals are scientific research and development services, where the median yearly pa y for counseling psychologists is $83,960, and specialty hospitals (not including psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals), where the average yearly income for this occupation is $83,070 according to the BLS salary data.


Counseling psychologists working at elementary and secondary schools earn $71,730 a year on average, those employed at offices of other health practitioners are paid around $80,760 annually, and professionals working in individual and family services earn around $64,730 a year. Counseling psychologists employed at outpatient care centers earn $67,650 a year on average, and those employed by the state government make $76,390 a year on average.

Counseling psychologists employed at psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals are paid $74,960 a year on average, those working in educational support services make $67,190 annually on average, and professionals employed at other residential care facilities are paid around $53,130 a year according to the BLS.

Salary by state

Based on the salary data provided by Recruiter.com, the top paying states for counseling psychologists are New Jersey ($92,380), Colorado ($90,130), California ($84,600), Ohio ($80,470), Rhode Island ($79,630), New York ($79,480), and Delaware ($77,230).

The states with the lowest average annual salary for this profession are Mississippi ($45,000), Montana ($47,500), West Virginia ($47,820), Oklahoma ($54,250), North Dakota ($54,420), and Kentucky ($54,970).



The salary data provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reveals that the states with the highest average yearly salary for counseling psychologists are Rhode Island, where these professionals earn $92,580 a year on average, followed by Hawaii, where the median salary for this occupation is $90,420 a year, and New York, where counseling psychologists earn an average annual pay of $84,850.

Other states with a high average annual income are New Jersey, where psychologists make $83,870 a year on average, and Alabama, where the median annual salary for this profession is $80,430 according to the BLS salary statistics.

Counseling psychologists working in New Mexico are paid around $67,760, those employed in Massachusetts earn $78,440 a year on average, and professionals based in Pennsylvania earn an average annual salary of $73,620. Psychologists based in California are paid $79,520 a year on average, those working in Texas make $63,100 a year on average, and professionals employed in Illinois earn a median yearly income of $68,100 according to the BLS.

Starting salary

The average starting salary for counseling psychologists in their first year on the job is generally in the range from $35,000 to $85,000 a year according to the salary data reported by Payscale.

Salary range

Counseling psychologists working in the U.S. typically earn salaries in the range from $56,000 to $84,000 a year according to the salary figures reported by Recruiter.com.

Professionals employed by universities and colleges typically report earning an annual income in the range from $41,116 to $72,715 according to Payscale’s salary data.

In terms of academic degree, psychologists with a Doctorate (PhD) generally earn salaries in the range from $39,453 to $135,774 a year, and those with a PhD in Counseling Psychology typically report earning an annual income in the range from $40,337 to $63,077 according to Payscale.

Benefits

Counseling psychologists typically get a wide range of benefits and perks along with their basic annual salary and yearly bonuses. These professionals’ benefits packages can sometimes reflect their annual income. For example, counseling psychologists who have paid vacations and holidays as part of their benefits package generally report earning an annual pay in the range from $40,337 to $91,563, while professionals who have paid sick leave typically earn salaries in the range between $40,337 and $54,938 a year according to the salary figures reported by Payscale.

The most popular benefits and perks among counseling psychologists are paid holidays and vacations, paid sick leave, reimbursement for professional training, education, and certification, life and disability insurance, flexible work schedule, 403(b) plans, and 401(k) plans.

Hourly wage

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports a mean hourly rate of $34.72 and a median hourly pay of $32.53 for clinical psychologists. 10% of counseling psychologists employed in the U.S. earn $18.49 per hour or less, and the 10% on the higher end of the pay scale make $52.57 per hour or more. The middle 50% of counseling psychologists earn an hourly salary in the range between $24.27 and $42.27 per hour.

Counseling psychologists’ hourly salary varies from industry to industry. Psychologists working at outpatient care centers are paid around $32.52 per hour, those working in individual and family services make $31.12 per hour on average, and professionals employed at elementary and secondary schools earn around $34.49 per hour according to the BLS salary figures.

Counseling psychologists employed at offices of other health practitioners earn an average hourly salary of $38.83, those employed by the state government make $36.73 per hour on average, and professionals employed at psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals are paid around $36.04 per hour. Counseling psychologists working at other specialty hospitals earn around $39.94 per hour, those working in educational support services earn $32.30 per hour on average, and professionals working at other residential care facilities earn an average hourly pay of $25.54.

Counseling psychologists employed in continuing care retirement communities and assisted living facilities for the elderly earn around $44.50 per hour, and those working in business schools and computer and management training are paid around $48.22 per hour. Professionals working in employment services earn an average hourly wage of $45.33, and those employed in scientific reserach and development services are paid $40.37 per hour on average according to the salary data reported by the BLS.

Counseling psychologists’ hourly pay also varies from state to state. Psychologists working in New York earn $40.80 per hour on average, those based in California make $38.23 per hour on average, and professionals employed in Texas earn an average hourly salary of $30.34 according to the BLS.

Counseling psychologists working in Illinois earn around $32.74 per hour, those based in Pennsylvania are paid $35.39 per hour on average, and professionals working in Rhode Island earn a median hourly wage of $44.51. Psychologists employed in New Mexico make around $32.58 per hour, those based in Massachusetts are paid around $37.71, and professionals working in Alabama earn $38.67 per hour on average.

Counseling psychologists employed in Hawaii are paid $43.47 per hour on average, and those working in New Jersey earn a median hourly pay of $40.32 according to the salary data provided by the BLS.