2023 Salary Report for School Psychologists in California

Salary Report for California School Psychologists

California Rankings

Compare California to U.S.

California School Psychologists earn an average of $96,530 which is 16% more than the national average salary of $82,770.

Type	California	U.S.	% Difference
Average Hourly Wage	$46.41	$39.80	16.61%
Average Annual Salary	$96,530	$82,770	16.62%

Salary Range by Education and Experience

In California, 50% of School Psychologists earn between $72,740 and $123,700 a year, depending on factors such as level of education, experience, location and place of employment.

About 10% of School Psychologists earn more than $133,160, a rate generally associated with highly educated and experienced School Psychologists.

Approximately 10% of School Psychologists earn under $48,760, a rate generally reserved for less experienced or entry level School Psychologists.

Percent	Experience	Employed	Annual Salary
10%	Less than a Year	848	Under $48,760
15%	2 – 4 years	1,272	$48,760 – $72,740
25%	5 – 9 years	2,120	$72,740 – $100,900
25%	10 – 14 years	2,120	$100,900 – $123,700
15%	15 – 20 years	1,272	$100,900 – $133,160
10%	20+ years	848	Above $133,160

Adjusted for Cost-of-Living

After being adjusted for cost-of-living, School Psychologists in California psychologists earn about $87,452 per year which is more than the average U.S. psychologist of $82,770.

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 $96,530, California School Psychologists tend to earn less than Industrial Organizational Psychologists ($123,090), Clinical and Counseling Psychologists ($122,790), Psychology Teachers ($114,950), and Forensic Psychologists ($112,210).

However, School Psychologists tend to earn more than Marriage and Family Therapists ($59,320), Substance Abuse Counselors ($59,790), Social Workers ($64,940), and Health Care Social Workers ($84,690).

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

Salaries Ranked by California Cities

The average salary for School Psychologists in California is $96,530. The top cities that pay School Psychologists the most are Vallejo-Fairfield ($98,520), Stockton-Lodi ($98,450) and San Diego-Carlsbad ($97,320).

When adjusted for cost-of-living, the cities that pay School Psychologists the highest average annual salary are Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario ($99,537), Salinas ($98,754) and Napa ($98,501).

The following table shows the average yearly salary range for School Psychologists 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 School Psychologists salary will have in that area.

Area	Average Salary	COL Adjusted	Difference
El Centro	$116,010	$124,181	$8,171
Fresno	$115,360	$115,545	$185
Modesto	$113,440	$110,447	$-2,993
Merced	$112,890	$113,846	$956
Santa Rosa	$112,230	$102,176	$-10,054
Napa	$109,760	$98,501	$-11,259
Salinas	$109,370	$98,754	$-10,616
Hanford-Corcoran	$104,960	$109,242	$4,282
Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California	$104,620	$104,693	$73
Yuba City	$104,210	$104,734	$524
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario	$103,230	$99,537	$-3,693
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura	$103,140	$92,585	$-10,555
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande	$102,730	$93,792	$-8,938
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara	$102,070	$91,036	$-11,034
Vallejo-Fairfield	$98,520	$90,869	$-7,651
Stockton-Lodi	$98,450	$94,846	$-3,604
San Diego-Carlsbad	$97,320	$85,828	$-11,492
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara	$95,540	$86,839	$-8,701
Santa Cruz-Watsonville	$95,160	$86,968	$-8,192
Bakersfield	$93,130	$93,900	$770
North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California	$92,190	$92,255	$65
Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade	$90,780	$85,561	$-5,219
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward	$90,640	$77,226	$-13,414
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim	$90,010	$80,445	$-9,565
Chico	$86,640	$85,376	$-1,264

Salary FAQ for California School Psychologists

City and Rural Summaries

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