2023 School Psychologists Salary Report

2023 Salary Report for School Psychologists

The average salary for School Psychologists is $82,770. The three states that pay School Psychologists the most are Colorado ($103,240), New York ($97,640) and California ($96,530).

When adjusted for cost-of-living, the states that pay School Psychologists the highest average annual salary are Colorado ($100,360), Washington ($89,214) and New York ($88,595).

When adjusted for cost-of-living the three states that pay School Psychologists the least are Idaho ($58,947), Utah ($67,342) and Mississippi ($67,532).

The following table shows the average yearly salary for School 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 Arkansas ($9,161), West Virginia ($8,378) and Mississippi ($8,252).

State	Salary	COLA	Gap
Colorado	$103,240	$100,360	-$2,880
New York	$97,640	$88,595	-$9,045
California	$96,530	$87,452	-$9,078
District of Columbia	$96,120	$86,237	-$9,883
Washington	$95,780	$89,214	-$6,566
Massachusetts	$92,730	$86,309	-$6,421
Connecticut	$90,620	$87,606	-$3,014
Virginia	$88,890	$88,027	-$863
Maryland	$88,610	$83,225	-$5,385
New Jersey	$88,570	$79,678	-$8,892
Alaska	$87,670	$84,919	-$2,751
Oregon	$86,640	$84,428	-$2,212
Rhode Island	$84,230	$82,700	-$1,530
Nebraska	$82,230	$88,524	$6,294
Missouri	$81,520	$88,139	$6,619
Georgia	$80,350	$84,990	$4,640
Pennsylvania	$80,280	$82,288	$2,008
Maine	$79,490	$82,135	$2,645
Minnesota	$79,320	$80,430	$1,110
Michigan	$78,460	$83,433	$4,973
New Mexico	$77,730	$84,886	$7,156
Wyoming	$77,490	$83,991	$6,501
Nevada	$77,150	$79,487	$2,337
Arizona	$76,870	$77,592	$722
Vermont	$76,670	$77,172	$502
Arkansas	$75,510	$84,671	$9,161
Illinois	$75,240	$74,881	-$359
Delaware	$74,220	$75,835	$1,615
Ohio	$74,200	$80,925	$6,725
Wisconsin	$73,520	$78,893	$5,373
Florida	$72,910	$72,396	-$514
Texas	$71,080	$71,408	$328
New Hampshire	$71,060	$68,518	-$2,542
Kansas	$70,490	$76,321	$5,831
South Dakota	$68,950	$75,339	$6,389
North Dakota	$68,730	$74,674	$5,944
Kentucky	$67,930	$75,663	$7,733
Iowa	$67,710	$74,366	$6,656
Tennessee	$67,420	$73,163	$5,743
Indiana	$67,320	$72,778	$5,458
Oklahoma	$66,820	$73,171	$6,351
North Carolina	$65,110	$70,895	$5,785
South Carolina	$65,080	$71,009	$5,929
Montana	$64,840	$70,143	$5,303
Utah	$64,190	$67,342	$3,152
Alabama	$62,650	$70,196	$7,546
West Virginia	$61,210	$69,588	$8,378
Mississippi	$59,280	$67,532	$8,252
Idaho	$53,760	$58,947	$5,187

Salary Range by Education and Experience

About 50% of School Psychologists in the United States earn between $62,070 and $100,040 with an experience level that ranges between 5 to 14 years.

About 10% of School Psychologists in the U.S. earn more than $124,950, a rate for highly educated and experienced School Psychologists.

Approximately 10% of School Psychologists in the United States earn under $49,260, a rate generally reserved for less experienced or entry level School Psychologists.

%	Years	Employed	Annual Salary
10%	Less than a Year	5,711	Under $49,260
15%	2 – 4 years	8,566	$49,260 – $62,070
25%	5 – 9 years	14,278	$62,070 – $78,780
25%	10 – 14 years	14,278	$78,780 – $100,040
15%	15 – 20 years	8,566	$100,040 – $124,950
10%	20+ years	5,711	Above $124,950

Salary Compared to Related Professions

With an average annual salary of $82,770, School Psychologists in the United States tend to earn less than Industrial Organizational Psychologists ($113,320), Clinical and Counseling Psychologists ($99,640), Forensic Psychologists ($98,010), and Psychology Teachers ($88,390).

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

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

10 Highest-Paying Cities

The top ten cities where School 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 School Psychologists salary in the United States are are Boulder ($116,280), El Centro ($116,010) and Fresno ($115,360).

When adjusted for the cost-of-living (COLA) the three cities that pay psychologists the most in the United States are are El Centro ($124,181), Fresno ($115,545) and Merced ($113,846).

City / Metro	Average Yearly Salary	Cost-of-Living Adjusted
Boulder	$116,280	$113,355
El Centro	$116,010	$124,181
Fresno	$115,360	$115,545
Modesto	$113,440	$110,447
Merced	$112,890	$113,846
Santa Rosa	$112,230	$102,176
Napa	$109,760	$98,501
Salinas	$109,370	$98,754
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood	$105,450	$98,285
Hanford-Corcoran	$104,960	$109,242

10 Highest-Paying Rural Areas

The top ten nonmetropolitan areas where School 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 School Psychologists salary are Northwest Colorado ($99,700), Southwest Colorado ($96,980) and Western Washington ($94,460).

When adjusted for the cost-of-living (COL) the three rural areas in the United States with the highest annual salary are Northwest Colorado ($104,289), Southwest Colorado ($101,444) and Northwest Lower Peninsula of Michigan ($101,115).

Rural Areas	Yearly Salary	COL Adjusted
Northwest Colorado	$99,700	$104,289
Southwest Colorado	$96,980	$101,444
Western Washington	$94,460	$97,381
Northwest Lower Peninsula of Michigan	$88,910	$101,115
Eastern New Mexico	$87,180	$99,703
Northern New Mexico	$85,680	$97,987
Massachusetts	$83,850	$77,132
Eastern Washington	$83,370	$85,948
Northeast Nebraska	$81,210	$91,401
South Georgia	$78,670	$92,066

State-by-State School Psychologists Salary Summaries

See state-by-state summaries for the average annual salary, average hourly salary, cost-of-living adjusted salaries, current 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 School Psychologists Salaries

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