Best states for a staff psychologist

Q: What is the best state for staff psychologists?

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

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

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

Q: What is the worst state for staff psychologists?

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

Quoted expert

Kris Vasquez Ph.D.

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Do you wonder which states in the U.S. are the best for staff psychologists? If so, we have the full list of best to worst states for staff psychologist jobs for you to check out and see if you think it's time to move and start anew. Not all states fare the same when it come to job opportunity and pay.Our research found that California is the best state for staff psychologists, while California and Nevada are ranked highest in terms of median salary. California has a median salary of $107,321 and California has the highest median salary among all 50 states for staff psychologists.

We figured that the best places for staff psychologist jobs has three things everyone would agree on. There would be high annual wages, good career prospects (no matter what phase of the career you are in), and a lot of job opportunities.California is the best state, and Pacifica is the city with the highest pay for staff psychologists.

10 best states for staff psychologists in 2026

1. California
Total staff psychologist jobs: 4,702
Average annual salary: $107,321
Lowest 10 percent earn: $73,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $156,000
Location Quotient:
1.61
Staff psychologist jobs in California
2. Maine
Total staff psychologist jobs: 148
Average annual salary: $98,029
Lowest 10 percent earn: $74,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $128,000
Location Quotient:
1.12
Staff psychologist jobs in Maine
3. Rhode Island
Total staff psychologist jobs: 148
Average annual salary: $95,774
Lowest 10 percent earn: $71,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $127,000
Location Quotient:
1.22
Staff psychologist jobs in Rhode Island
4. Nevada
Total staff psychologist jobs: 237
Average annual salary: $98,119
Lowest 10 percent earn: $68,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $140,000
Location Quotient:
1.13
Staff psychologist jobs in Nevada
5. Massachusetts
Total staff psychologist jobs: 1,250
Average annual salary: $93,253
Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $123,000
Location Quotient:
1.36
Staff psychologist jobs in Massachusetts
6. Oregon
Total staff psychologist jobs: 510
Average annual salary: $90,629
Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $125,000
Location Quotient:
1.23
Staff psychologist jobs in Oregon
7. Washington
Total staff psychologist jobs: 855
Average annual salary: $90,405
Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $123,000
Location Quotient:
1.17
Staff psychologist jobs in Washington
8. New Hampshire
Total staff psychologist jobs: 145
Average annual salary: $90,544
Lowest 10 percent earn: $68,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $119,000
Location Quotient:
0.83
Staff psychologist jobs in New Hampshire
9. Idaho
Total staff psychologist jobs: 120
Average annual salary: $93,014
Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $124,000
Location Quotient:
0.73
Staff psychologist jobs in Idaho
10. Pennsylvania
Total staff psychologist jobs: 1,716
Average annual salary: $79,118
Lowest 10 percent earn: $58,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $106,000
Location Quotient:
1.47
Staff psychologist jobs in Pennsylvania

Staff psychologist jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a staff psychologist

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

Detailed list of the best states for a staff psychologist

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	California	$107,321	$73,000	39,536,653	4,702
2	Maine	$98,029	$74,000	1,335,907	148
3	Rhode Island	$95,774	$71,000	1,059,639	148
4	Nevada	$98,119	$68,000	2,998,039	237
5	Massachusetts	$93,253	$70,000	6,859,819	1,250
6	Oregon	$90,629	$65,000	4,142,776	510
7	Washington	$90,405	$66,000	7,405,743	855
8	New Hampshire	$90,544	$68,000	1,342,795	145
9	Idaho	$93,014	$69,000	1,716,943	120
10	Pennsylvania	$79,118	$58,000	12,805,537	1,716
11	North Dakota	$93,434	$74,000	755,393	45
12	New Jersey	$85,309	$63,000	9,005,644	851
13	Illinois	$81,287	$61,000	12,802,023	1,434
14	New York	$84,721	$63,000	19,849,399	1,438
15	New Mexico	$81,116	$57,000	2,088,070	173
16	District of Columbia	$86,994	$64,000	693,972	167
17	Delaware	$83,617	$62,000	961,939	98
18	Connecticut	$84,152	$62,000	3,588,184	272
19	Virginia	$85,161	$62,000	8,470,020	733
20	Colorado	$82,404	$61,000	5,607,154	523
21	Indiana	$78,644	$59,000	6,666,818	530
22	Wisconsin	$80,045	$61,000	5,795,483	422
23	Michigan	$79,292	$60,000	9,962,311	596
24	Arizona	$77,458	$54,000	7,016,270	538
25	Maryland	$80,879	$60,000	6,052,177	627
26	Ohio	$74,650	$56,000	11,658,609	934
27	Iowa	$79,019	$60,000	3,145,711	251
28	Missouri	$75,651	$56,000	6,113,532	495
29	Arkansas	$74,560	$53,000	3,004,279	204
30	Alaska	$79,965	$67,000	739,795	63
31	Minnesota	$73,377	$57,000	5,576,606	631
32	Utah	$71,643	$52,000	3,101,833	307
33	South Dakota	$75,525	$58,000	869,666	40
34	Kansas	$74,481	$55,000	2,913,123	223
35	Hawaii	$69,863	$61,000	1,427,538	81
36	Kentucky	$72,985	$54,000	4,454,189	233
37	Nebraska	$70,478	$53,000	1,920,076	190
38	Wyoming	$71,910	$54,000	579,315	45
39	Texas	$69,304	$46,000	28,304,596	1,631
40	Vermont	$70,418	$53,000	623,657	67
41	Montana	$71,173	$55,000	1,050,493	95
42	Louisiana	$64,299	$42,000	4,684,333	297
43	Mississippi	$69,339	$47,000	2,984,100	111
44	Georgia	$64,994	$45,000	10,429,379	900
45	Oklahoma	$67,375	$48,000	3,930,864	240
46	Alabama	$63,052	$43,000	4,874,747	376
47	Florida	$61,615	$39,000	20,984,400	1,263
48	West Virginia	$66,261	$49,000	1,815,857	97
49	North Carolina	$60,856	$44,000	10,273,419	736
50	Tennessee	$60,322	$44,000	6,715,984	436
51	South Carolina	$57,999	$41,000	5,024,369	338

Highest paying states for staff psychologists

Rank	State	Avg. Staff Psychologist Salary
1	California	$107,321
2	Maine	$98,029
3	Rhode Island	$95,774
4	Nevada	$98,119
5	Massachusetts	$93,253
6	Oregon	$90,629
7	Washington	$90,405
8	New Hampshire	$90,544
9	Idaho	$93,014
10	Pennsylvania	$79,118
11	North Dakota	$93,434
12	New Jersey	$85,309
13	Illinois	$81,287
14	New York	$84,721
15	New Mexico	$81,116
16	District of Columbia	$86,994
17	Delaware	$83,617
18	Connecticut	$84,152
19	Virginia	$85,161
20	Colorado	$82,404
21	Indiana	$78,644
22	Wisconsin	$80,045
23	Michigan	$79,292
24	Arizona	$77,458
25	Maryland	$80,879
26	Ohio	$74,650
27	Iowa	$79,019
28	Missouri	$75,651
29	Arkansas	$74,560
30	Alaska	$79,965
31	Minnesota	$73,377
32	Utah	$71,643
33	South Dakota	$75,525
34	Kansas	$74,481
35	Hawaii	$69,863
36	Kentucky	$72,985
37	Nebraska	$70,478
38	Wyoming	$71,910
39	Texas	$69,304
40	Vermont	$70,418
41	Montana	$71,173
42	Louisiana	$64,299
43	Mississippi	$69,339
44	Georgia	$64,994
45	Oklahoma	$67,375
46	Alabama	$63,052
47	Florida	$61,615
48	West Virginia	$66,261
49	North Carolina	$60,856
50	Tennessee	$60,322
51	South Carolina	$57,999

Expert opinions on the best states for staff psychologists

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for 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.

Staff psychologist best states FAQs

What is the best state for staff psychologists?

What is the highest paying state for staff psychologists?

What is the worst state for staff psychologists?

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Best states for Staff Psychologists

Updated January 8, 2025

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Total staff psychologist jobs:	4,702
Average annual salary:	$107,321
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$73,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$156,000
Location Quotient:	1.61

Best states for a staff psychologist

10 best states for staff psychologists in 2026

1. California

2. Maine

3. Rhode Island

4. Nevada

5. Massachusetts

6. Oregon

7. Washington

8. New Hampshire

9. Idaho

10. Pennsylvania