Psychiatrist Salary in California: What Psychiatrists Earn
Psychiatrists in California had a median annual wage of $353,500 in May 2025, 25% above the national median of $281,870 and 1st of the 46 jurisdictions that publish a psychiatrist median.
The state figure sits above the national one at every percentile, with the widest percentage gap at the 10th percentile and the largest dollar gap at the median, $71,630.
By estimated employment California is 1st of 45 jurisdictions for the occupation.
Psychiatrists · SOC 29-1223
$353,500/yr
+25% vs. national $281,870
$169.95/hr median
Which psychiatrists this covers
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 state and national estimates — California, SOCs 29-1223.
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 psychiatrist 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 45 for psychiatrists.
A median $71,630 above national
The California median of $353,500 is $71,630 above the national median of $281,870, a 25% gap, and the hourly median is $169.95 against $135.51 nationally.
Among the 46 jurisdictions where BLS publishes a psychiatrist median, California ranks 1st. The estimate rests on the largest psychiatrist workforce BLS publishes: an estimated 5,420 psychiatrists, 1st of 45 jurisdictions by employment, so the California row is above the small-sample threshold that limits many state psychiatrist rows to the median alone.
Above national at every percentile, widest at the 10th
California psychiatrist pay runs from a 10th percentile of $113,990 to a 90th percentile of $496,230, a spread of $382,240, and every step of the distribution sits above its national counterpart.
The percentage gap is widest at the 10th percentile, where California pays $113,990 against $84,060 nationally, 36% above, and narrowest at the 90th, 11% above the national $446,520.
In dollars the gap is largest at the median, $71,630.
Between them, the 25th percentile of $173,990 is 13% above the national $154,150 and the 75th percentile of $414,640 is 14% above the national $362,740.
The middle half spans $240,650, wider than the national band of $208,590, yet the California 90th percentile is 4.4 times the 10th, against 5.3 times nationally.
What this figure covers: Psychiatrists employed for wages.
OEWS does not count self-employed physicians or practice owners, and psychiatric nurse practitioners are in a separate occupation (29-1171, all nurse practitioners).
Reading an offer against these figures
With a range this wide, where an offer falls in the distribution matters more than the median alone.
An offer at $353,500 matches the California median, $71,630 above the national median of $281,870.
An offer near $414,640 reaches the California 75th percentile, which is above the national 75th percentile of $362,740, and even the California 10th percentile of $113,990 sits above the national 10th of $84,060.
Hourly offers compare with the California hourly median of $169.95.
A percentile is a position in the state distribution, not a pay step or a reading of time in the field.
What this figure does and does not describe
This row is the BLS occupation for psychiatrists employed for wages.
It is not split by board certification or subspecialty, so it cannot say what a child and adolescent or addiction psychiatrist earns in California, and it does not include other prescribers, who are counted in separate occupations.
Before comparing an offer with this row, check what licence and certification the posting requires.
Before you weigh an offer, check what licence or certification the posting requires — browse psychiatrist jobs in California.
What Psychiatrist Job Listings in California Show Right Now
From the 64 active psychiatrist listings on BehavioralHires as of October 29, 2026.
Employers with the most openings
- LifeStance Health43
- Amae Health6
- Mood Health5
- Thriveworks2
- Universal Health Services2
Pay employers post
- 5% of psychiatrist listings in California state any pay at all.
Benefits and work arrangement
- 8% remote or telehealth and 67% hybrid; the rest are on-site
- 401k Matchnamed in 72%
- Health Insurancenamed in 48%
- Dental & Visionnamed in 48%
- Flexible Schedulenamed in 47%
- Malpractice Insurance Coverednamed in 42%
Source: active psychiatrist 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 64 jobs →Frequently Asked Questions
How much do psychiatrists make in California?
BLS reports a May 2025 median annual wage of $353,500 for psychiatrists in California, or $169.95 an hour, 25% above the national median of $281,870.
The middle half of California psychiatrists earned between $173,990 and $414,640, and the top tenth earned more than $496,230.
Is the California gap to national the same at every percentile?
No. The percentage gap is widest at the 10th percentile, 36% above the national $84,060, and narrowest at the 90th, 11% above the national $446,520.
In dollars the gap is largest at the median, $71,630 above the national median of $281,870.
The 25th percentile is 13% above the national $154,150 and the 75th percentile is 14% above the national $362,740.
How many psychiatrists work in California?
BLS estimates 5,420 psychiatrists employed in California in May 2025, which ranks 1st of the 45 jurisdictions where BLS publishes an employment estimate for the occupation.
That counts psychiatrists in jobs during the survey period, not open positions, and it does not count psychiatrists who are not employed for wages.
More California Psychiatrist Resources
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 state estimates — California, SOC 29-1223 (BLS Public Data API) (retrieved 2026-09-24)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 national estimates — SOC 29-1223 (BLS Public Data API) (retrieved 2026-09-24)
Wage figures: BLS OEWS May 2025 state and national estimates, SOCs 29-1223, retrieved 2026-09-24.
Page last updated 2026-09-29.