Best states for a senior staff psychologist

Q: What is the best state for senior staff psychologists?

The best state to be a senior staff psychologist is California based on senior staff psychologist salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for senior staff psychologists?

The highest paying state for senior staff psychologists is Alabama based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for senior staff psychologists?

The worst state for senior staff psychologists is South Carolina, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Quoted expert

Kris Vasquez Ph.D.

Rank 1 - 10
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We decided to bring you a list of the best states for jobs for senior staff psychologists in the United States. Senior staff psychologist positions are available in every state, but not all states are the same. Some states do not offer the same wages, benefits, time off, etc for senior staff psychologists.We wanted to look at the best states for senior staff psychologists -- where there are plenty of senior staff psychologist jobs to go around and senior staff psychologists get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.

To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for senior staff psychologists.We found that the South is best for senior staff psychologists, and the West is the worst. Soledad, CA is the best city in the country for senior staff psychologist jobs, where as California is the best state in the country.

10 best states for senior staff psychologists in 2025

1. California
Total senior staff psychologist jobs: 4,633
Average annual salary: $151,851
Lowest 10 percent earn: $105,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $218,000
Location Quotient:
1.61
Senior staff psychologist jobs in California
2. Nevada
Total senior staff psychologist jobs: 240
Average annual salary: $118,033
Lowest 10 percent earn: $80,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $173,000
Location Quotient:
1.17
Senior staff psychologist jobs in Nevada
3. Washington
Total senior staff psychologist jobs: 777
Average annual salary: $117,507
Lowest 10 percent earn: $83,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $165,000
Location Quotient:
1.08
Senior staff psychologist jobs in Washington
4. Maine
Total senior staff psychologist jobs: 148
Average annual salary: $104,364
Lowest 10 percent earn: $78,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $139,000
Location Quotient:
1.14
Senior staff psychologist jobs in Maine
5. Rhode Island
Total senior staff psychologist jobs: 147
Average annual salary: $101,305
Lowest 10 percent earn: $75,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $136,000
Location Quotient:
1.23
Senior staff psychologist jobs in Rhode Island
6. Oregon
Total senior staff psychologist jobs: 473
Average annual salary: $101,347
Lowest 10 percent earn: $71,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $144,000
Location Quotient:
1.16
Senior staff psychologist jobs in Oregon
7. Idaho
Total senior staff psychologist jobs: 113
Average annual salary: $109,454
Lowest 10 percent earn: $78,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $152,000
Location Quotient:
0.7
Senior staff psychologist jobs in Idaho
8. Maryland
Total senior staff psychologist jobs: 626
Average annual salary: $99,393
Lowest 10 percent earn: $73,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $135,000
Location Quotient:
1.01
Senior staff psychologist jobs in Maryland
9. New Mexico
Total senior staff psychologist jobs: 154
Average annual salary: $100,163
Lowest 10 percent earn: $68,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $145,000
Location Quotient:
0.8
Senior staff psychologist jobs in New Mexico
10. Virginia
Total senior staff psychologist jobs: 715
Average annual salary: $104,428
Lowest 10 percent earn: $76,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $142,000
Location Quotient:
0.77
Senior staff psychologist jobs in Virginia

Senior staff psychologist jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a senior staff psychologist

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a senior staff psychologist

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	California	$151,851	$105,000	39,536,653	4,633
2	Nevada	$118,033	$80,000	2,998,039	240
3	Washington	$117,507	$83,000	7,405,743	777
4	Maine	$104,364	$78,000	1,335,907	148
5	Rhode Island	$101,305	$75,000	1,059,639	147
6	Oregon	$101,347	$71,000	4,142,776	473
7	Idaho	$109,454	$78,000	1,716,943	113
8	Maryland	$99,393	$73,000	6,052,177	626
9	New Mexico	$100,163	$68,000	2,088,070	154
10	Virginia	$104,428	$76,000	8,470,020	715
11	Utah	$91,976	$65,000	3,101,833	298
12	Connecticut	$97,048	$71,000	3,588,184	275
13	Colorado	$95,968	$70,000	5,607,154	507
14	New Hampshire	$95,929	$71,000	1,342,795	140
15	Ohio	$89,100	$66,000	11,658,609	888
16	Wisconsin	$98,100	$74,000	5,795,483	396
17	North Dakota	$100,460	$77,000	755,393	33
18	New York	$92,225	$68,000	19,849,399	1,401
19	Arizona	$86,297	$58,000	7,016,270	544
20	Florida	$89,526	$56,000	20,984,400	1,265
21	District of Columbia	$90,329	$66,000	693,972	169
22	Indiana	$83,159	$62,000	6,666,818	525
23	Arkansas	$83,718	$61,000	3,004,279	206
24	Delaware	$89,005	$65,000	961,939	99
25	Missouri	$83,360	$62,000	6,113,532	488
26	Alaska	$92,031	$72,000	739,795	42
27	Illinois	$80,471	$60,000	12,802,023	1,407
28	Pennsylvania	$76,929	$56,000	12,805,537	1,700
29	Louisiana	$79,363	$52,000	4,684,333	299
30	New Jersey	$81,637	$60,000	9,005,644	864
31	Iowa	$83,345	$62,000	3,145,711	236
32	Minnesota	$80,602	$61,000	5,576,606	569
33	Kansas	$81,492	$60,000	2,913,123	224
34	Texas	$79,566	$53,000	28,304,596	1,672
35	Massachusetts	$76,969	$57,000	6,859,819	1,254
36	Montana	$80,379	$59,000	1,050,493	93
37	Hawaii	$80,343	$63,000	1,427,538	82
38	South Dakota	$80,797	$61,000	869,666	37
39	Wyoming	$80,396	$59,000	579,315	43
40	Mississippi	$80,937	$56,000	2,984,100	101
41	Michigan	$77,965	$58,000	9,962,311	562
42	Kentucky	$78,428	$58,000	4,454,189	235
43	Vermont	$74,786	$55,000	623,657	73
44	Georgia	$75,320	$53,000	10,429,379	865
45	Oklahoma	$76,655	$55,000	3,930,864	237
46	Nebraska	$75,829	$57,000	1,920,076	175
47	North Carolina	$72,190	$52,000	10,273,419	739
48	Tennessee	$71,628	$52,000	6,715,984	445
49	Alabama	$62,151	$43,000	4,874,747	373
50	West Virginia	$70,358	$52,000	1,815,857	101
51	South Carolina	$62,818	$45,000	5,024,369	343

Highest paying states for senior staff psychologists

Rank	State	Avg. Senior Staff Psychologist Salary
1	California	$151,851
2	Nevada	$118,033
3	Washington	$117,507
4	Maine	$104,364
5	Rhode Island	$101,305
6	Oregon	$101,347
7	Idaho	$109,454
8	Maryland	$99,393
9	New Mexico	$100,163
10	Virginia	$104,428
11	Utah	$91,976
12	Connecticut	$97,048
13	Colorado	$95,968
14	New Hampshire	$95,929
15	Ohio	$89,100
16	Wisconsin	$98,100
17	North Dakota	$100,460
18	New York	$92,225
19	Arizona	$86,297
20	Florida	$89,526
21	District of Columbia	$90,329
22	Indiana	$83,159
23	Arkansas	$83,718
24	Delaware	$89,005
25	Missouri	$83,360
26	Alaska	$92,031
27	Illinois	$80,471
28	Pennsylvania	$76,929
29	Louisiana	$79,363
30	New Jersey	$81,637
31	Iowa	$83,345
32	Minnesota	$80,602
33	Kansas	$81,492
34	Texas	$79,566
35	Massachusetts	$76,969
36	Montana	$80,379
37	Hawaii	$80,343
38	South Dakota	$80,797
39	Wyoming	$80,396
40	Mississippi	$80,937
41	Michigan	$77,965
42	Kentucky	$78,428
43	Vermont	$74,786
44	Georgia	$75,320
45	Oklahoma	$76,655
46	Nebraska	$75,829
47	North Carolina	$72,190
48	Tennessee	$71,628
49	Alabama	$62,151
50	West Virginia	$70,358
51	South Carolina	$62,818

Expert opinions on the best states for senior staff psychologists

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for senior staff psychologists to find work opportunities?
Kris Vasquez Ph.D.
Professor and Chair, Alverno College
I don't have national data on employment for psychology graduates in 2020, and I assume you can look at the Bureau of Labor Statistics as quickly as possible. We do know that there are communities that are underserved by available mental health resources, often the same places where physical health resources are scarce.

Senior staff psychologist best states FAQs

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Best states for Senior Staff Psychologists

Updated January 8, 2025

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Total senior staff psychologist jobs:	4,633
Average annual salary:	$151,851
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$105,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$218,000
Location Quotient:	1.61

Best states for a senior staff psychologist

10 best states for senior staff psychologists in 2025

1. California

2. Nevada

3. Washington

4. Maine

5. Rhode Island

6. Oregon

7. Idaho

8. Maryland

9. New Mexico

10. Virginia