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Best states for a clinical psychologist
Quoted expert
Max Butterfield Ph.D.
- Rank 1 - 10
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Job opportunities vary from state to state, and life, physical, and social science careers are no different. Because we know how difficult it can be to know which states are the best when it comes to clinical psychologist jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for clinical psychologists.Turns out, the median salary for the highest 10% of clinical psychologists in America is $132,000.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for clinical psychologists. Maine is the best state for clinical psychologists, where the median salary is $112,534.We found that the South is best for clinical psychologists, and the Northeast is the worst. San Francisco, CA is the best city in the country for clinical psychologist jobs, where as Maine is the best state in the country.
10 best states for clinical psychologists in 2026
1. Maine
Total clinical psychologist jobs: 194 Average annual salary: $112,534 Lowest 10 percent earn: $87,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $145,000 Location Quotient: 1.43
2. California
Total clinical psychologist jobs: 4,307 Average annual salary: $124,268 Lowest 10 percent earn: $88,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $173,000 Location Quotient: 1.44
3. Rhode Island
Total clinical psychologist jobs: 149 Average annual salary: $107,015 Lowest 10 percent earn: $82,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $139,000 Location Quotient: 1.19
4. North Dakota
Total clinical psychologist jobs: 129 Average annual salary: $104,029 Lowest 10 percent earn: $82,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $131,000 Location Quotient: 1.35
5. Washington
Total clinical psychologist jobs: 982 Average annual salary: $102,813 Lowest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $139,000 Location Quotient: 1.31
6. Nevada
Total clinical psychologist jobs: 200 Average annual salary: $111,639 Lowest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $154,000 Location Quotient: 0.93
7. Oregon
Total clinical psychologist jobs: 578 Average annual salary: $97,920 Lowest 10 percent earn: $71,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $133,000 Location Quotient: 1.36
8. District of Columbia
Total clinical psychologist jobs: 204 Average annual salary: $106,309 Lowest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $140,000 Location Quotient: 1.18
9. Idaho
Total clinical psychologist jobs: 123 Average annual salary: $110,453 Lowest 10 percent earn: $82,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $148,000 Location Quotient: 0.73
10. New Mexico
Total clinical psychologist jobs: 220 Average annual salary: $92,969 Lowest 10 percent earn: $68,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $125,000 Location Quotient: 1.09
Clinical psychologist jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a clinical psychologist
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a clinical psychologist
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maine | $112,534 | $87,000 | 1,335,907 | 194 |
| 2 | California | $124,268 | $88,000 | 39,536,653 | 4,307 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | $107,015 | $82,000 | 1,059,639 | 149 |
| 4 | North Dakota | $104,029 | $82,000 | 755,393 | 129 |
| 5 | Washington | $102,813 | $75,000 | 7,405,743 | 982 |
| 6 | Nevada | $111,639 | $80,000 | 2,998,039 | 200 |
| 7 | Oregon | $97,920 | $71,000 | 4,142,776 | 578 |
| 8 | District of Columbia | $106,309 | $80,000 | 693,972 | 204 |
| 9 | Idaho | $110,453 | $82,000 | 1,716,943 | 123 |
| 10 | New Mexico | $92,969 | $68,000 | 2,088,070 | 220 |
| 11 | Maryland | $101,378 | $77,000 | 6,052,177 | 711 |
| 12 | Ohio | $96,417 | $74,000 | 11,658,609 | 930 |
| 13 | Delaware | $101,259 | $76,000 | 961,939 | 109 |
| 14 | New Jersey | $95,746 | $73,000 | 9,005,644 | 988 |
| 15 | Connecticut | $94,060 | $71,000 | 3,588,184 | 383 |
| 16 | New Hampshire | $101,980 | $78,000 | 1,342,795 | 33 |
| 17 | New York | $93,895 | $71,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,765 |
| 18 | North Carolina | $88,615 | $66,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,039 |
| 19 | Wisconsin | $88,406 | $68,000 | 5,795,483 | 541 |
| 20 | Pennsylvania | $87,120 | $66,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,247 |
| 21 | Virginia | $97,442 | $73,000 | 8,470,020 | 794 |
| 22 | Arizona | $88,911 | $64,000 | 7,016,270 | 666 |
| 23 | Michigan | $87,924 | $68,000 | 9,962,311 | 705 |
| 24 | Colorado | $93,947 | $71,000 | 5,607,154 | 537 |
| 25 | South Dakota | $84,105 | $65,000 | 869,666 | 119 |
| 26 | Missouri | $87,874 | $67,000 | 6,113,532 | 532 |
| 27 | Iowa | $87,449 | $68,000 | 3,145,711 | 264 |
| 28 | Indiana | $83,088 | $64,000 | 6,666,818 | 627 |
| 29 | Montana | $82,665 | $63,000 | 1,050,493 | 136 |
| 30 | Illinois | $85,992 | $66,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,229 |
| 31 | Arkansas | $85,027 | $64,000 | 3,004,279 | 165 |
| 32 | Kansas | $82,801 | $63,000 | 2,913,123 | 277 |
| 33 | Massachusetts | $91,845 | $70,000 | 6,859,819 | 309 |
| 34 | Utah | $81,697 | $60,000 | 3,101,833 | 304 |
| 35 | Kentucky | $81,999 | $62,000 | 4,454,189 | 284 |
| 36 | Alaska | $88,438 | $73,000 | 739,795 | 39 |
| 37 | Wyoming | $82,192 | $62,000 | 579,315 | 46 |
| 38 | Minnesota | $81,225 | $63,000 | 5,576,606 | 672 |
| 39 | Louisiana | $78,281 | $55,000 | 4,684,333 | 338 |
| 40 | Florida | $74,316 | $50,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,809 |
| 41 | Texas | $80,579 | $57,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,784 |
| 42 | Mississippi | $81,997 | $60,000 | 2,984,100 | 118 |
| 43 | Oklahoma | $76,287 | $57,000 | 3,930,864 | 332 |
| 44 | Hawaii | $73,077 | $61,000 | 1,427,538 | 101 |
| 45 | Nebraska | $78,517 | $61,000 | 1,920,076 | 201 |
| 46 | Vermont | $80,254 | $62,000 | 623,657 | 66 |
| 47 | West Virginia | $74,184 | $56,000 | 1,815,857 | 131 |
| 48 | Georgia | $76,389 | $56,000 | 10,429,379 | 812 |
| 49 | Tennessee | $68,996 | $52,000 | 6,715,984 | 532 |
| 50 | Alabama | $74,144 | $54,000 | 4,874,747 | 191 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $68,190 | $50,000 | 5,024,369 | 356 |
Highest paying states for clinical psychologists
| Rank | State | Avg. Clinical Psychologist Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maine | $112,534 |
| 2 | California | $124,268 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | $107,015 |
| 4 | North Dakota | $104,029 |
| 5 | Washington | $102,813 |
| 6 | Nevada | $111,639 |
| 7 | Oregon | $97,920 |
| 8 | District of Columbia | $106,309 |
| 9 | Idaho | $110,453 |
| 10 | New Mexico | $92,969 |
| 11 | Maryland | $101,378 |
| 12 | Ohio | $96,417 |
| 13 | Delaware | $101,259 |
| 14 | New Jersey | $95,746 |
| 15 | Connecticut | $94,060 |
| 16 | New Hampshire | $101,980 |
| 17 | New York | $93,895 |
| 18 | North Carolina | $88,615 |
| 19 | Wisconsin | $88,406 |
| 20 | Pennsylvania | $87,120 |
| 21 | Virginia | $97,442 |
| 22 | Arizona | $88,911 |
| 23 | Michigan | $87,924 |
| 24 | Colorado | $93,947 |
| 25 | South Dakota | $84,105 |
| 26 | Missouri | $87,874 |
| 27 | Iowa | $87,449 |
| 28 | Indiana | $83,088 |
| 29 | Montana | $82,665 |
| 30 | Illinois | $85,992 |
| 31 | Arkansas | $85,027 |
| 32 | Kansas | $82,801 |
| 33 | Massachusetts | $91,845 |
| 34 | Utah | $81,697 |
| 35 | Kentucky | $81,999 |
| 36 | Alaska | $88,438 |
| 37 | Wyoming | $82,192 |
| 38 | Minnesota | $81,225 |
| 39 | Louisiana | $78,281 |
| 40 | Florida | $74,316 |
| 41 | Texas | $80,579 |
| 42 | Mississippi | $81,997 |
| 43 | Oklahoma | $76,287 |
| 44 | Hawaii | $73,077 |
| 45 | Nebraska | $78,517 |
| 46 | Vermont | $80,254 |
| 47 | West Virginia | $74,184 |
| 48 | Georgia | $76,389 |
| 49 | Tennessee | $68,996 |
| 50 | Alabama | $74,144 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $68,190 |
Expert opinions on the best states for clinical psychologists
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for clinical psychologists to find work opportunities?
Max Butterfield Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Psychology, Point Loma Nazarene University
I'm no economist, so I try to keep myself informed by using public data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Their Occupational Outlook Handbook is particularly useful for finding trends. For example, they project high job growth among wind turbine service technicians and solar photovoltaic installers, so I guess that means windy and/or sunny regions could have a lot of new jobs, haha! In all seriousness, you'll see that a lot of the fastest-growing jobs can be done anywhere. For psychology graduates, you'll see jobs in mental health care, allied healthcare (e.g., occupational therapy and speech-language pathology), and data analytics, data science, and statistics. The increasing preference for remote work is also likely to reshape the landscape of the location of new jobs for everyone, not just psychology majors. Again, though, I'm no economist!
Clinical psychologist best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025