Neuroscientist vs psychologist

The differences between neuroscientists and psychologists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a psychologist has an average salary of $97,803, which is higher than the $76,267 average annual salary of a neuroscientist.

The top three skills for a neuroscientist include literature reviews, animal models and experimental design. The most important skills for a psychologist are patients, crisis intervention, and rehabilitation.

Neuroscientist vs psychologist overview

	Neuroscientist	Psychologist
Yearly salary	$76,267	$97,803
Hourly rate	$36.67	$47.02
Growth rate	17%	6%
Number of jobs	23,046	12,516
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age	41	47
Years of experience	4	-

Neuroscientist vs psychologist salary

Neuroscientists and psychologists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Neuroscientist	Psychologist
Average salary	$76,267	$97,803
Salary range	Between $43,000 And $133,000	Between $68,000 And $139,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Meta	Sierra Corporation
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between neuroscientist and psychologist education

There are a few differences between a neuroscientist and a psychologist in terms of educational background:

	Neuroscientist	Psychologist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common major	Biology	Psychology
Most common college	University of Southern California	Northwestern University

Neuroscientist vs psychologist demographics

Here are the differences between neuroscientists' and psychologists' demographics:

	Neuroscientist	Psychologist
Average age	41	47
Gender ratio	Male, 47.4% Female, 52.6%	Male, 35.2% Female, 64.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 3.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.4% Asian, 27.9% White, 56.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%	Black or African American, 5.1% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 4.2% White, 75.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	8%	20%

Differences between neuroscientist and psychologist duties and responsibilities

Neuroscientist example responsibilities.

Manage sample inventory via in-house laboratory information management system (LIMS) and implement additional systems for sample and chemical organization.
Supervise activities of analytical cellular and molecular immunology laboratories.
Supervise activities of analytical cellular and molecular immunology laboratories.

Psychologist example responsibilities.

Supervise mental health staff, including the overseeing of the provision of mental health services in a correctional facility.
Provide EMDR therapy for clients with trauma and anxiety.
Perform tests to diagnose autism in children or tests for the detection of autism at an early age.
Provide supervision and mentoring for APA Pre-Doctoral interns.
Supervise clinical activities of doctoral level psychology interns in APA accredit internship program.
Evaluate veterans for psychological disorders that may have resulted secondary to their military service for compensation purposes.

Neuroscientist vs psychologist skills

Common neuroscientist skills

Literature Reviews, 43%
Animal Models, 28%
Experimental Design, 16%
R, 8%
Scientific Data, 4%

Common psychologist skills

Patients, 18%
Crisis Intervention, 7%
Rehabilitation, 6%
Mental Illness, 5%
Clinical Supervision, 5%
APA, 4%

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Neuroscientist vs Psychologist

Updated January 8, 2025

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