Clinical Psychologist Salary in California: What Clinical and Counseling Psychologists Earn
Clinical and counseling psychologists in California had a median annual wage of $116,000 in May 2025, 15% above the national median of $100,580.
The premium runs through the whole distribution, but not evenly: the 75th percentile sits 20% above its national counterpart, while the 90th percentile is only 4% higher.
California is also a large employment base for the occupation, an estimated 12,840 psychologists, 1st of 46 jurisdictions by estimated employment, and 8th of 48 by median.
Clinical & counseling psychologists · SOC 19-3033
$116,000/yr
+15% vs. national $100,580
$55.77/hr median
Which psychologists this covers
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 state and national estimates — California, SOCs 19-3033.
Retrieved 2026-09-24 from the BLS Public Data API.
How to read these figures
California vs. the national figure
Each occupation is compared with its own national median from the same May 2025 release, and the national clinical psychologist salary page gives the national distribution.
Ranks count only the jurisdictions (states plus DC) where BLS publishes that occupation’s figure.
Differences are whole percentages of the national figure, rounded half away from zero, computed from the figures shown.
By estimated employment, California ranks 1st of 46 for clinical and counseling psychologists.
A median $15,420 above national
The California median of $116,000 is $15,420 above the national median of $100,580 for clinical and counseling psychologists, a 15% gap.
The hourly median tells the same story at $55.77 against $48.36 nationally.
Among the 48 jurisdictions where BLS publishes a median for this occupation, California ranks 8th.
The figure also rests on the largest employment base in the release: an estimated 12,840 psychologists, 1st of the 46 jurisdictions that publish both a median and an employment estimate for the occupation.
So the California median is not a thin estimate; it is a large sample paying above the national middle.
A premium at every percentile, widest at the 75th
The California distribution sits above the national one at every percentile, by margins that swing widely.
At the 10th percentile, California is ahead: $62,900 against $55,170 nationally, 14% above.
The 25th percentile of $77,050 is $3,840 above the national $73,210, 5%.
The premium then widens to its peak at the 75th percentile: $162,360 against the national $135,200, $27,160 apart, a 20% gap, the widest in the distribution in dollars and in percent.
At the top the gap narrows sharply: the 90th percentile of $188,050 is $7,090 above the national $180,960, a 4% gap, the smallest in percentage terms.
The middle half of California pay spans $85,310, against a national band of $61,990.
What this figure covers: Clinical and counseling psychologists only.
School psychologists and "psychologists, all other" (SOC 19-3039) are separate occupations and are not in this figure.
OEWS counts wage and salary workers, so psychologists in their own private practice are not counted.
Reading an offer against these figures
Compare an offer with the California row first, then the national one.
An offer at $116,000 matches the California median while sitting $15,420 above the national median.
The middle half of California pay runs from $77,050 to $162,360, so an offer below $77,050 sits under the state's 25th percentile even if it clears the national 25th percentile of $73,210.
At the top, $188,050 marks the California 90th percentile, $7,090 above the national figure.
Read an hourly posting against the same row: the California hourly median is $55.77, $7.41 above the national hourly median of $48.36.
A percentile is a position in the state distribution, not a pay step or a measure of time in the field.
What this figure does and does not describe
This row is the BLS occupation for clinical and counseling psychologists, not a figure for one California licence.
It does not split the doctoral Psychologist licence from the state's Registered Psychological Associate registration, a supervised trainee registration rather than an independent licence.
California's separate LEP credential is counted in a different occupation.
Check which licence a posting asks for before comparing its pay with this row.
What each licence requires in California is summarized in psychologist licensure in California.
Before you weigh an offer, check what licence or certification the posting requires — browse clinical psychologist jobs in California.
What Clinical Psychologist Job Listings in California Show Right Now
From the 52 active clinical psychologist listings on BehavioralHires as of October 29, 2026.
Employers with the most openings
- LifeStance Health40
- Thriveworks7
- Lyra Health2
Pay employers post
- 4% of clinical psychologist listings in California state any pay at all.
Benefits and work arrangement
- 6% remote or telehealth and 75% hybrid; the rest are on-site
- 401k Matchnamed in 94%
- Health Insurancenamed in 85%
- Dental & Visionnamed in 85%
- Continuing Education Budgetnamed in 25%
- PTO / Paid Time Offnamed in 17%
Source: active clinical psychologist listings on BehavioralHires, updated daily. Pay figures use only listings that state pay (midpoint of each posted range). Benefits count listings that name the benefit; a listing that doesn’t mention one may still offer it.
Browse 52 jobs →Frequently Asked Questions
How much do clinical psychologists make in California?
BLS reports a May 2025 median annual wage of $116,000 for clinical and counseling psychologists in California, or $55.77 an hour.
That is 15% above the national median of $100,580.
The middle half of California psychologists earned between $77,050 and $162,360, and the top tenth earned more than $188,050.
Is psychologist pay in California above the national figure across the whole distribution?
Yes, at every percentile, though by very different margins.
The 10th percentile is 14% above national and the 25th percentile 5%, the median 15%, the 75th percentile 20%, and the 90th percentile just 4%.
The percentage gap is widest at the 75th percentile, $162,360 against $135,200, and narrowest at the 90th.
How many clinical and counseling psychologists work in California?
BLS estimates 12,840 clinical and counseling psychologists employed in California in May 2025, which ranks 1st of the 46 jurisdictions where BLS publishes both a median and an employment estimate for the occupation.
That is a count of people in jobs during the survey period, not of open positions, and it covers only this one occupation.
How wide is the spread of psychologist pay in California?
The middle half of California psychologists earned between $77,050 and $162,360, a span of $85,310, against a national middle-half band of $61,990.
The full distribution, 10th to 90th percentile, runs from $62,900 to $188,050, a $125,150 span close to the national span of $125,790.
California's premium concentrates in the upper middle of the distribution.
More California Clinical Psychologist Resources
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 state estimates — California, SOC 19-3033 (BLS Public Data API) (retrieved 2026-09-24)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 national estimates — SOC 19-3033 (BLS Public Data API) (retrieved 2026-09-24)
Wage figures: BLS OEWS May 2025 state and national estimates, SOCs 19-3033, retrieved 2026-09-24.
Page last updated 2026-09-29.