2023 Forensic Psychologists Salary Report

2023 Salary Report for Forensic Psychologists

The average salary for Forensic Psychologists is $98,010. The three states that pay Forensic Psychologists the most are Alaska ($113,040), Oregon ($112,570) and California ($112,210).

When adjusted for cost-of-living, the states that pay Forensic Psychologists the highest average annual salary are Iowa ($116,639), South Carolina ($112,962) and Wyoming ($111,272).

When adjusted for cost-of-living the three states that pay Forensic Psychologists the least are West Virginia ($63,654), Maine ($76,762) and Michigan ($79,551).

The following table shows the average yearly salary for Forensic Psychologists in each state and the average yearly salary after being adjusted for the cost-of-living (COLA) in that state.

The three states with the highest positive cost-of-living gap are Alabama ($11,643), Mississippi ($11,261) and Arkansas ($11,219).

State	Salary	COLA	Gap
Alaska	$113,040	$109,492	-$3,548
Oregon	$112,570	$109,696	-$2,874
California	$112,210	$101,658	-$10,552
Maryland	$111,350	$104,583	-$6,767
Iowa	$106,200	$116,639	$10,439
Washington	$105,640	$98,398	-$7,242
Virginia	$104,670	$103,654	-$1,016
District of Columbia	$104,440	$93,702	-$10,738
New York	$104,140	$94,492	-$9,648
South Carolina	$103,530	$112,962	$9,432
Florida	$103,240	$102,512	-$728
Connecticut	$103,220	$99,787	-$3,433
Wyoming	$102,660	$111,272	$8,612
Texas	$101,680	$102,150	$470
Pennsylvania	$100,290	$102,798	$2,508
Massachusetts	$100,070	$93,140	-$6,930
Illinois	$99,740	$99,264	-$476
Kansas	$98,390	$106,529	$8,139
Georgia	$98,360	$104,041	$5,681
Louisiana	$97,890	$105,576	$7,686
Missouri	$97,620	$105,547	$7,927
Kentucky	$97,370	$108,454	$11,084
Ohio	$96,970	$105,759	$8,789
Arizona	$96,710	$97,618	$908
Alabama	$96,660	$108,303	$11,643
Nevada	$95,540	$98,434	$2,894
New Jersey	$95,090	$85,543	-$9,547
North Dakota	$92,820	$100,847	$8,027
Utah	$92,580	$97,125	$4,545
Arkansas	$92,470	$103,689	$11,219
Rhode Island	$92,400	$90,722	-$1,678
Vermont	$92,370	$92,974	$604
Oklahoma	$92,210	$100,975	$8,765
Hawaii	$92,060	$82,204	-$9,856
South Dakota	$91,660	$100,153	$8,493
New Mexico	$87,820	$95,905	$8,085
North Carolina	$87,210	$94,959	$7,749
Indiana	$86,730	$93,762	$7,032
Wisconsin	$86,000	$92,285	$6,285
Idaho	$84,070	$92,182	$8,112
Minnesota	$81,150	$82,286	$1,136
Mississippi	$80,890	$92,151	$11,261
Michigan	$74,810	$79,551	$4,741
Maine	$74,290	$76,762	$2,472
West Virginia	$55,990	$63,654	$7,664

Salary Range by Education and Experience

About 50% of Forensic Psychologists in the United States earn between $73,910 and $120,240 with an experience level that ranges between 5 to 14 years.

About 10% of Forensic Psychologists in the U.S. earn more than $133,200, a rate for highly educated and experienced Forensic Psychologists.

Approximately 10% of Forensic Psychologists in the United States earn under $39,760, a rate generally reserved for less experienced or entry level Forensic Psychologists.

%	Years	Employed	Annual Salary
10%	Less than a Year	1,380	Under $39,760
15%	2 – 4 years	2,070	$39,760 – $73,910
25%	5 – 9 years	3,450	$73,910 – $102,900
25%	10 – 14 years	3,450	$102,900 – $120,240
15%	15 – 20 years	2,070	$120,240 – $133,200
10%	20+ years	1,380	Above $133,200

Salary Compared to Related Professions

With an average annual salary of $98,010, Forensic Psychologists in the United States tend to earn less than Industrial Organizational Psychologists ($113,320), and Clinical and Counseling Psychologists ($99,640).

However, Forensic Psychologists tend to earn more than Substance Abuse Counselors ($53,490), Social Workers ($54,880), Marriage and Family Therapists ($59,660), Health Care Social Workers ($62,310), School Psychologists ($82,770), and Psychology Teachers ($88,390).

Title	Annual Salary
Industrial Organizational Psychologists	$113,320
Clinical and Counseling Psychologists	$99,640
Forensic Psychologists	$98,010
Psychology Teachers	$88,390
School Psychologists	$82,770
Health Care Social Workers	$62,310
Marriage and Family Therapists	$59,660
Social Workers	$54,880
Substance Abuse Counselors	$53,490

State-by-State Demand for Forensic Psychologists in 2030

The U.S. Department of Labor projects that by the year 2030, the total demand for Forensic Psychologists will be 56,300 with an average yearly openings of 3,700.

The three states needing the most Forensic Psychologists are California (5,500), Florida (4,570) and Texas (3,420).

The three states needing the highest percentage of new Forensic Psychologists are Utah (28.1%), Arizona (16.5%) and Puerto Rico (14.6%).

In the table below, find the states, sorted from highest to lowest, with the highest demand for Forensic Psychologists in 2030.

State	2020	2030	% Change	Yearly Openings
California	5,500	5,500	0%	360
Florida	4,060	4,570	12.6%	330
Texas	3,130	3,420	9.3%	240
Maryland	1,910	1,990	4.2%	140
North Carolina	1,800	1,960	8.9%	140
Virginia	1,640	1,670	1.8%	110
Massachusetts	1,690	1,660	-1.8%	110
Ohio	1,470	1,480	0.7%	100
Illinois	1,440	1,390	-3.5%	90
Georgia	1,180	1,300	10.2%	90
West Virginia	1,100	1,120	1.8%	70
Arizona	910	1,060	16.5%	80
Indiana	970	1,020	5.2%	70
Puerto Rico	890	1,020	14.6%	80
Tennessee	940	960	2.1%	70
Wisconsin	860	890	3.5%	60
New York	810	860	6.2%	60
Maine	730	750	2.7%	50
District of Columbia	650	670	3.1%	50
Louisiana	680	650	-4.4%	40
Connecticut	560	620	10.7%	40
Kentucky	610	600	-1.6%	40
New Jersey	610	600	-1.6%	40
Minnesota	580	600	3.4%	40
Missouri	570	580	1.8%	40
Pennsylvania	550	560	1.8%	40
Rhode Island	520	550	5.8%	40
Hawaii	500	510	2%	40
Michigan	480	480	0%	30
Colorado	440	470	6.8%	30
Utah	320	410	28.1%	30
Alabama	400	400	0%	30
Oklahoma	390	390	0%	30
Nevada	330	360	9.1%	30
Kansas	350	350	0%	20
Arkansas	340	340	0%	20
Oregon	260	290	11.5%	20
New Mexico	230	230	0%	20
Nebraska	170	180	5.9%	10
Vermont	140	150	7.1%	10
South Dakota	120	130	8.3%	10
Montana	120	110	-8.3%	10
Iowa	110	110	0%	10
New Hampshire	100	100	0%	10
Wyoming	100	100	0%	10
North Dakota	70	80	14.3%	10
Idaho	70	70	0%	10
Alaska	30	30	0%	0

Projected Demand for Psychology Professions to 2030

The U.S. Department of Labor projects that the three professions needing the most new psychologists in the United States by 2030 are Substance Abuse Counselors (402,600), Social Workers (377,400) and Health Care Social Workers (209,300).

The three professions needing the highest percentage of new psychologists in the United States by 2030 are Substance Abuse Counselors (22.9%), Marriage and Family Therapists (16.3%) and Health Care Social Workers (13.2%).

Title	2020	2030	Change	% Change	Avg. Yearly Openings
Social Workers	335,300	377,400	42,100	12.6%	36,700
Substance Abuse Counselors	327,500	402,600	75,100	22.9%	41,000
Health Care Social Workers	184,900	209,300	24,400	13.2%	20,400
Marriage and Family Therapists	73,200	85,100	11,900	16.3%	8,500
Forensic Psychologists	55,200	56,300	1,100	2%	3,700
Psychology Teachers	44,100	48,600	4,500	10.2%	4,700
Industrial Organizational Psychologists	4,900	5,000	100	2%	300

10 Highest-Paying Cities

The top ten cities where Forensic Psychologists are paid the highest average yearly salary in the United States are shown in the table below.

The top three cities with the highest Forensic Psychologists salary in the United States are are Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade ($128,960), San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward ($126,520) and Eugene ($125,070).

When adjusted for the cost-of-living (COLA) the three cities that pay psychologists the most in the United States are are Dayton ($128,532), Eugene ($125,208) and Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade ($121,546).

City / Metro	Average Yearly Salary	Cost-of-Living Adjusted
Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade	$128,960	$121,546
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward	$126,520	$107,796
Eugene	$125,070	$125,208
Jacksonville	$114,600	$118,978
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson	$112,960	$107,163
Dayton	$112,800	$128,532
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim	$112,390	$100,447
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria	$110,250	$98,852
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro	$109,690	$103,804
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue	$106,180	$94,846

10 Highest-Paying Rural Areas

The top ten nonmetropolitan areas where Forensic Psychologists are paid the highest average annual salary in the United States are shown in the table below.

The three rural areas in the United States with the highest Forensic Psychologists salary are Piedmont North Carolina ($106,950), Southwest Maine ($72,730) and Southern West Virginia ($50,080).

When adjusted for the cost-of-living (COL) the three rural areas in the United States with the highest annual salary are Piedmont North Carolina ($123,742), Southwest Maine ($78,678) and Southern West Virginia ($59,029).

Rural Areas	Yearly Salary	COL Adjusted
Piedmont North Carolina	$106,950	$123,742
Southwest Maine	$72,730	$78,678
Southern West Virginia	$50,080	$59,029
Northern West Virginia	$47,830	$56,377

State-by-State Forensic Psychologists Salary Summaries

See state-by-state summaries for the average annual salary, average hourly salary, cost-of-living adjusted salaries, current employment, 2030 projected employment, and the state’s current cost of living index.

Find links to the highest paid city reports and state salary reports.

Frequently Asked Questions About Forensic Psychologists Salaries

Official Data Sources for Forensic Psychologists: Salary Data | Projected Employment | Cost of Living Data