Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Above-baseline growth SOC 19-3033

Clinical and Counseling Psychologists

Projected +11% employment change leads this card; pay sits next to Political Scientists, Atmospheric and Space Scientists, Nuclear Technicians, Materials Scientists.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Clinical and Counseling Psychologists: Political Scientists ($142K) , Atmospheric and Space Scientists ($99K) , Nuclear Technicians ($110K) , Materials Scientists ($118K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Clinical and Counseling Psychologists publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 19-3033 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Conduct assessments of patients' risk for harm to self or others
  2. 2. Document patient information including session notes, progress notes, recommendations, and treatment plans
  3. 3. Identify psychological, emotional, or behavioral issues and diagnose disorders, using information obtained from interviews, tests, record…
  4. 4. Write reports on clients and maintain required paperwork
  5. 5. Counsel individuals, groups, or families to help them understand problems, deal with crisis situations, define goals, and develop realist…
  6. 6. Interact with clients to assist them in gaining insight, defining goals, and planning action to achieve effective personal, social, educa…
  7. 7. Collect information about individuals or clients, using interviews, case histories, observational techniques, and other assessment methods
  8. 8. Evaluate the effectiveness of counseling or treatments and the accuracy and completeness of diagnoses, modifying plans or diagnoses as ne…
  9. 9. Use a variety of treatment methods, such as psychotherapy, hypnosis, behavior modification, stress reduction therapy, psychodrama, or pla…
  10. 10. Develop therapeutic and treatment plans based on clients' interests, abilities, or needs
  11. 11. Develop and implement individual treatment plans, specifying type, frequency, intensity, and duration of therapy
  12. 12. Maintain current knowledge of relevant research

O*NET skills and knowledge for Clinical and Counseling Psychologists

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 19-3033 - entity-keyed; sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Reading Comprehension 4.8
  2. 2. Social Perceptiveness 4.4
  3. 3. Active Listening 4.3
  4. 4. Writing 4.3
  5. 5. Critical Thinking 4.3
  6. 6. Speaking 4.1
  7. 7. Active Learning 3.9
  8. 8. Monitoring 3.8

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Psychology 5.0
  2. 2. Therapy and Counseling 5.0
  3. 3. English Language 4.1
  4. 4. Education and Training 3.9
  5. 5. Customer and Personal Service 3.7
  6. 6. Sociology and Anthropology 3.6
Projected employment change 2024-2034
↑ +11%
much faster than average (3.1%)
National median $100,580/yr
$101K
National median
4,800
Annual openings
75,990
Estimated US jobs
Political Scientists
Highest-pay peer · $142K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Doctoral or professional degree

Top Paying States for Clinical and Counseling Psychologists

1. New Mexico $124,800
2. Massachusetts $115,180
3. Hawaii $117,860
4. California $116,000
5. Alaska $124,270
6. Washington $115,240
7. New Jersey $127,090
8. Arizona $119,010
9. Oregon $134,350
10. North Dakota $116,130

Other Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations titles

  1. 1. Nuclear Technicians $110,240
  2. 2. Political Scientists $142,080
  3. 3. Materials Scientists $117,790
  4. 4. Sociologists $106,030
  5. 5. Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other $101,110
  6. 6. Atmospheric and Space Scientists $99,070

BLS projects +11% employment change for Clinical and Counseling Psychologists (2024-2034), much faster than average vs the all-occupations baseline of 3.1%. Published median pay is $100,580.

BLS assigns Doctoral or professional degree as typical entry education. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal employer rules. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: New Mexico at $124,800. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Political Scientists at $142,080. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Where Clinical and Counseling Psychologists sits in Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations

Among 48 detailed Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations with a published OEWS median, Clinical and Counseling Psychologists is pay-rank #16, the upper third of that major group. The order is ROW_NUMBER on national median (title as tiebreak), not a worker-level percentile.

Other upper-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024–2034.

Dive into Clinical and Counseling Psychologists in more depth or explore nearby career data.

Full Salary Details

State, metro, and percentile breakdown

Jobs in New Mexico

Top-paying state for this role

Jobs in Massachusetts

Second-highest state pay

Political Scientists

Highest-pay peer · $142K

Atmospheric and Space Scientists

Lower-pay peer · $99K

Compare Side-by-Side

Head-to-head with another role
Compare Clinical and Counseling Psychologists with another occupation →

Growth and outlook next reads

Fastest-Growing Rankings

National projection leaders

Highest-Paying Careers

Where growth meets pay

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations titles sit near Clinical and Counseling Psychologists at the top of the pay table? ▼
Clinical and Counseling Psychologists is pay-rank #16 of 48 detailed Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other ($101K), Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers ($102K), Geographers ($102K), Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists ($103K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do clinical and counseling psychologists do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Clinical and Counseling Psychologists. Leading ones include: Conduct assessments of patients' risk for harm to self or others; Document patient information including session notes, progress notes, recommendations, and treatment plans; Identify psychological, emotional, or behavioral issues and diagnose disorders, using information obtained from interviews, tests, record…; Write reports on clients and maintain required paperwork. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for clinical and counseling psychologists? ▼
For SOC 19-3033, O*NET importance scores lead with Reading Comprehension (4.8), Social Perceptiveness (4.4), Active Listening (4.3), Writing (4.3). Knowledge areas emphasize Psychology, Therapy and Counseling, English Language. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Clinical and Counseling Psychologists? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $100,580 as the national median for Clinical and Counseling Psychologists. The published 10th-90th range is $55,170 to $180,960. Beside Political Scientists ($142,080), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
How fast is Clinical and Counseling Psychologists projected to grow? ▼
BLS Employment Projections put Clinical and Counseling Psychologists at +11% change for 2024-2034, with about 4,800 annual openings. Versus the all-occupations baseline (3.1%): much faster than average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Clinical and Counseling Psychologists? ▼
BLS assigns Doctoral or professional degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Clinical and Counseling Psychologists. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Clinical and Counseling Psychologists? ▼
New Mexico ($124,800), Massachusetts ($115,180), Hawaii ($117,860) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024–2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Clinical and Counseling Psychologists card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 19-3033. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Clinical and Counseling Psychologists. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics