School Psychologist Job Outlook
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects little or no change in employment of school psychologists from 2025 to 2035 (+0.8%, about 500 more jobs), with about 3,400 openings a year, and the May 2025 median pay of $95,990 a year ranks 159th of 825 occupations.
- Little or no change
- +0.8%
- Openings a year
- 3,400
- Median pay
- $95,990
- Pay rank
- 159th of 825
Is employment of school psychologists growing or shrinking?
Little or no change: BLS projects +0.8% employment change for school psychologists from 2025 to 2035 (about 500 more jobs), slower than the 3.5% projected across all occupations. That is slower than the +7.6% summed from BLS's employment levels across the 48 life, physical, and social science occupations with a projection. That change ranks 561st of 830 projected occupations.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Employment, 2025 | 64,000 |
| Employment, 2035 | 64,500 |
| Projected change | +0.8% (little or no change) |
| Openings a year | 3,400 |
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035. A projection is a BLS estimate, not a count. The 64,000 jobs here differ from the 63,940 on the salary page because Employment Projections also counts the self-employed and a wider set of workers, while OEWS counts wage and salary jobs in May 2025. BLS published these projections on August 27, 2026; checked November 10, 2026. Confirm any figure in the BLS Employment Projections tables.
BLS's reasons for this projection are at the Occupational Outlook Handbook. State projections are at Projections Central; projections by industry are left to BLS. Education, licensing and work context at O*NET.
How many job openings are there each year?
About 3,400 openings a year, from job growth and from workers leaving the occupation, the 455th most of 830 occupations. About 99% of them replace workers who change occupations or leave the labor force; the rest come from the 50 jobs added in an average year.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
How does pay for school psychologists rank?
The median of $95,990 a year ranks 159th of 825 occupations with a published median. It sits in the upper half of occupations on pay and the lower half on openings.
Source: BLS OEWS national file, May 2025. Wage and salary jobs only; the self-employed are not counted. OEWS pay excludes overtime, shift differentials and non-production bonuses. Ranks count only the occupations with that published figure: 830 for projected change, 830 for openings, 825 for median pay, which is why the totals differ.
What does it take to start?
- Typical entry-level education: master's degree.
- Typical on-the-job training: internship/residency.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, education and training assignments.
How do related jobs compare on outlook?
| Occupation | Change | Openings a year | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical and Counseling Psychologists | +11.7% | 4,100 | $100,580 |
| Psychologists, All Other | +2.3% | 3,500 | $110,840 |
| Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors | +2.9% | 27,800 | $64,330 |
| Marriage and Family Therapists | +13.5% | 6,900 | $66,940 |
| Special Education Teachers, Secondary School | -0.2% | 10,400 | $74,260 |
| Child, Family, and School Social Workers | +4.4% | 33,900 | $59,550 |
| Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers | +10.3% | 12,500 | $60,280 |
| Psychiatrists | +7.2% | 900 | $281,870 |
Related occupations from O*NET; projections from BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035; pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.