2023 Salary Report for Marriage and Family Therapists in California

Salary Report for California Marriage and Family Therapists

California Rankings

Compare California to U.S.

California Marriage and Family Therapists earn an average of $59,320 which is 0% less than the national average salary of $59,660.

Type	California	U.S.	% Difference
Average Hourly Wage	$28.52	$28.69	-0.59%
Average Annual Salary	$59,320	$59,660	-0.57%

Salary Range by Education and Experience

In California, 50% of Marriage and Family Therapists earn between $40,330 and $73,600 a year, depending on factors such as level of education, experience, location and place of employment.

About 10% of Marriage and Family Therapists earn more than $96,520, a rate generally associated with highly educated and experienced Marriage and Family Therapists.

Approximately 10% of Marriage and Family Therapists earn under $37,220, a rate generally reserved for less experienced or entry level Marriage and Family Therapists.

Percent	Experience	Employed	Annual Salary
10%	Less than a Year	2,587	Under $37,220
15%	2 – 4 years	3,880	$37,220 – $40,330
25%	5 – 9 years	6,468	$40,330 – $49,650
25%	10 – 14 years	6,468	$49,650 – $73,600
15%	15 – 20 years	3,880	$49,650 – $96,520
10%	20+ years	2,587	Above $96,520

Adjusted for Cost-of-Living

After being adjusted for cost-of-living, Marriage and Family Therapists in California psychologists earn about $53,742 per year which is more than the average U.S. psychologist of $59,660.

Cost-of-living in California is 10% higher than the national average, which means California residents have an overall higher cost for food, housing, utilities and transportation compared to other states.

More cost-of-living reports for U.S. States.

Salary Compared to Related Professions

With an average annual salary of $59,320, California Marriage and Family Therapists tend to earn less than Industrial Organizational Psychologists ($123,090), Clinical and Counseling Psychologists ($122,790), Psychology Teachers ($114,950), Forensic Psychologists ($112,210), School Psychologists ($96,530), Health Care Social Workers ($84,690), Social Workers ($64,940), and Substance Abuse Counselors ($59,790).

Title	Annual Salary
Industrial Organizational Psychologists	$123,090
Clinical and Counseling Psychologists	$122,790
Psychology Teachers	$114,950
Forensic Psychologists	$112,210
School Psychologists	$96,530
Health Care Social Workers	$84,690
Social Workers	$64,940
Substance Abuse Counselors	$59,790
Marriage and Family Therapists	$59,320

Projected Demand for Psychologists in 2030

The U.S. Department of Labor projects that in California the three professions needing the most new psychologists by 2030 are Social Workers (51,800), Substance Abuse Counselors (43,500) and Marriage and Family Therapists (32,700).

The three professions in California needing highest percentage new psychologists by 2030 are Substance Abuse Counselors (17.3%), Health Care Social Workers (12.2%) and Marriage and Family Therapists (10.5%).

Title	2020	2030	Change	Yearly Openings
Social Workers	47,200	51,800	9.7%	4,970
Substance Abuse Counselors	37,100	43,500	17.3%	4,330
Marriage and Family Therapists	29,600	32,700	10.5%	3,170
Health Care Social Workers	13,100	14,700	12.2%	1,440
Forensic Psychologists	5,500	5,500	0%	360
Psychology Teachers	3,900	4,200	7.7%	410
Industrial Organizational Psychologists	1,800	1,900	5.6%	120

Salaries Ranked by California Cities

The average salary for Marriage and Family Therapists in California is $59,320. The top cities that pay Marriage and Family Therapists the most are Yuba City ($79,560), Vallejo-Fairfield ($78,350) and San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward ($72,550).

When adjusted for cost-of-living, the cities that pay Marriage and Family Therapists the highest average annual salary are Yuba City ($79,960), Vallejo-Fairfield ($72,265) and Santa Rosa ($64,166).

The following table shows the average yearly salary range for Marriage and Family Therapists in each city, and the average yearly salary after being adjusted for cost-of-living in that state.

The difference column shows how much more or less purchasing power a Marriage and Family Therapists salary will have in that area.

Area	Average Salary	COL Adjusted	Difference
Yuba City	$79,560	$79,960	$400
Vallejo-Fairfield	$78,350	$72,265	$-6,085
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward	$72,550	$61,813	$-10,737
Santa Rosa	$70,480	$64,166	$-6,314
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara	$70,130	$62,549	$-7,581
Santa Cruz-Watsonville	$68,060	$62,201	$-5,859
Salinas	$62,960	$56,849	$-6,111
Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade	$62,660	$59,057	$-3,603
Redding	$60,820	$60,875	$55
Visalia-Porterville	$59,930	$61,423	$1,493
North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California	$59,070	$59,111	$41
Stockton-Lodi	$58,930	$56,773	$-2,157
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara	$58,750	$53,399	$-5,351
El Centro	$58,550	$62,674	$4,124
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario	$58,450	$56,359	$-2,091
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura	$57,760	$51,849	$-5,911
Fresno	$56,920	$57,011	$91
Modesto	$56,120	$54,639	$-1,481
Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California	$55,940	$55,979	$39
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim	$55,760	$49,835	$-5,925
Chico	$55,390	$54,582	$-808
Bakersfield	$54,760	$55,213	$453
Napa	$54,540	$48,946	$-5,594
San Diego-Carlsbad	$52,340	$46,159	$-6,181
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande	$51,530	$47,046	$-4,484

Salary FAQ for California Marriage and Family Therapists

City and Rural Summaries

Official Data Sources for Marriage and Family Therapists: Salary Data | Projected Employment | Cost of Living Data