Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 29-1223

Psychiatrists

The published band from $84,060 to $446,520 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Cardiologists.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Psychiatrists: Cardiologists ($496K) , Obstetricians and Gynecologists ($293K) , Surgeons, All Other ($414K) , Anesthesiologists ($391K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Psychiatrists publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 29-1223 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Prescribe, direct, or administer psychotherapeutic treatments or medications to treat mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders
  2. 2. Gather and maintain patient information and records, including social or medical history obtained from patients, relatives, or other prof…
  3. 3. Design individualized care plans, using a variety of treatments
  4. 4. Collaborate with physicians, psychologists, social workers, psychiatric nurses, or other professionals to discuss treatment plans and pro…
  5. 5. Analyze and evaluate patient data or test findings to diagnose nature or extent of mental disorder
  6. 6. Examine or conduct laboratory or diagnostic tests on patients to provide information on general physical condition or mental disorder
  7. 7. Counsel outpatients or other patients during office visits
  8. 8. Advise or inform guardians, relatives, or significant others of patients' conditions or treatment
  9. 9. Teach, take continuing education classes, attend conferences or seminars, or conduct research and publish findings to increase understand…
  10. 10. Review and evaluate treatment procedures and outcomes of other psychiatrists or medical professionals
  11. 11. Prepare and submit case reports or summaries to government or mental health agencies
  12. 12. Serve on committees to promote or maintain community mental health services or delivery systems

Psychiatrists: O*NET ranks Active Listening first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 29-1223 - lead skill Active Listening at 4.6 ; lead knowledge Therapy and Counseling. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Active Listening 4.6
  2. 2. Social Perceptiveness 4.5
  3. 3. Speaking 4.3
  4. 4. Critical Thinking 4.3
  5. 5. Reading Comprehension 4.1
  6. 6. Writing 4.1
  7. 7. Judgment and Decision Making 4.1
  8. 8. Active Learning 4.0

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Therapy and Counseling 4.9
  2. 2. Psychology 4.9
  3. 3. Medicine and Dentistry 4.8
  4. 4. English Language 4.3
  5. 5. Biology 3.8
  6. 6. Education and Training 3.7
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$84,060 to $446,520
median $281,870 · ~5.3× spread
$282K
National median
↑ +6%
Growth 2024-2034
900
Annual openings
27,980
Estimated US jobs
Cardiologists
Highest-pay peer · $496K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Doctoral or professional degree

Top Paying States for Psychiatrists

1. Wisconsin $331,070
2. Connecticut $326,670
3. Louisiana $345,040
4. Maryland $305,320
5. Oregon $314,880
6. Minnesota $336,410
7. California $353,500
8. Florida $316,200
9. Missouri $312,680
10. Alaska $342,170

Other Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations titles

  1. 1. Cardiologists $496,010
  2. 2. Obstetricians and Gynecologists $292,910
  3. 3. Surgeons, All Other $414,010
  4. 4. Anesthesiologists $391,490
  5. 5. Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric $300,080
  6. 6. Radiologists $420,860

The OEWS band for Psychiatrists runs from $84,060 (10th) to $446,520 (90th), about 5.3× wide, with median $281,870. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +6% change between 2024 and 2034 (faster than average vs baseline 3.1%). About 900 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Doctoral or professional degree as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. 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: Wisconsin at $331,070. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Cardiologists at $496,010. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Psychiatrists pay-rank #15 in Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations

Among 71 detailed Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations with a published OEWS median, Psychiatrists is pay-rank #15, 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.

SOC 29-1223 · national median $281,870 · upper third of Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations (#15/71). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Psychiatrists salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 29-1223

Wisconsin · top state for Psychiatrists

$331K published median

Connecticut · #2 state pay

$327K · behind Wisconsin

Cardiologists

Highest-pay peer vs Psychiatrists · $496K

Obstetricians and Gynecologists

Lower-pay peer beside Psychiatrists · $293K

Compare Psychiatrists

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Psychiatrists with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations titles sit near Psychiatrists at the top of the pay table? ▼
Psychiatrists is pay-rank #15 of 71 detailed Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Orthodontists ($289K), Obstetricians and Gynecologists ($293K), Physicians, All Other ($266K), Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric ($300K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do psychiatrists do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Psychiatrists. Leading ones include: Prescribe, direct, or administer psychotherapeutic treatments or medications to treat mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders; Gather and maintain patient information and records, including social or medical history obtained from patients, relatives, or other prof…; Design individualized care plans, using a variety of treatments; Collaborate with physicians, psychologists, social workers, psychiatric nurses, or other professionals to discuss treatment plans and pro…. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for psychiatrists? ▼
For SOC 29-1223, O*NET importance scores lead with Active Listening (4.6), Social Perceptiveness (4.5), Speaking (4.3), Critical Thinking (4.3). Knowledge areas emphasize Therapy and Counseling, Psychology, Medicine and Dentistry. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Psychiatrists? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $84,060 and the 90th at $446,520 for Psychiatrists (5.3× spread). The national median is $281,870. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Psychiatrists? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Psychiatrists is +6%. Projected annual openings: about 900. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: faster than average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Psychiatrists? ▼
BLS assigns Doctoral or professional degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Psychiatrists. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Psychiatrists? ▼
Wisconsin ($331,070), Connecticut ($326,670), Louisiana ($345,040) 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 Psychiatrists card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 29-1223. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Psychiatrists. 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